Summary of the Books of the Old Testament Books

Leviticus The book of Leviticus is largely a book of laws. Some key themes include God speaking to the people of Israel to define what it means to be the holy people of a holy God. This is accomplished by God speaking through Moses. The instruction given to Moses provides guidelines for the conduct of the individual as well as the nation as a whole. These instructions address the individual’s every day needs such as cleanliness, diet, sexual relations, and neighborly interactions. There are also laws given to address the relationship and worship between Israel’s people and God. There are descriptions of how to properly present God with a sacrifice. There are defined punishments for blasphemy and for child sacrifice. There are also descriptions of blessings for obedience. Though the Israelite people were the chosen people of God, God knew there would be times, as humans, they would be unfaithful. The book of Leviticus is setting the expectations and describing how to approach God for forgiveness if a person fails to observe the Law of God. (Word count 176) Ruth The book of Ruth is largely a narrative. Some of the key themes in this book are kindness and love. The book of Ruth shows how people of God can experience his wisdom, love, and kindness. These may be experienced and more greatly appreciated while the person is enduring a hardship. This is where we find Ruth and Naomi after the deaths of their husbands. Naomi is returning to her homeland and Ruth is accompanying her mother in law. We can see God’s love and kindness shown through the actions of Boaz and his field workers in allowing Ruth to glean wheat from his fields and assuring her safety. We also see the love and kindness of God when Ruth approaches Boaz in asking for their marriage. The heart of Boaz is right with God and his actions assure the proper following of the customs so there would be no disrespect or dishonor brought to Ruth or their marriage. God is pleased with both of his followers and blessed them with a son, Obed, who would be the grandfather of King David. (Word count 179) Job The book of Job is a book of wisdom. The key elements are trust and faith. We see Job, a servant of God that has been richly blessed by God for his loyalty and faith. Satan questions if Job’s faith is related to the blessed life God has provided for him. God allows for all to be lost for Job to assure his faith is honest and true. The loss and suffering experienced by Job offers an opportunity for doubt or distrust in God. Though within this book Job does get angry and questions God . God does not become vengeful, rather agrees with Jobs words and understands his hurt and anger. Due to Job’s unyielding faith God restores his health and bestows double the blessings upon him after this test . The book of Job is simply about God and his relationship with man . It was written to show that in a world where injustices and suffering occur daily God is present. We are not alone. Our continued trust and faith in God will be rewarded by blessings. Word count 178) Daniel The book of Daniel is largely a narrative . The key themes in this book are faithfulness, trust, and not compromising your beliefs. We find that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are captured and placed in exile in a foreign land. The three serve the king loyally yet without compromising their own loyalty to God. When found not to be partici pating in pagan worship Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were sentenced to death. Even in this time of great turmoil they stood fast in their trust in God and they were delivered from death. God used these three to show his awesome power . God showed several times in this book that he is a living God of action. His servant needs only to believe with all of his heart and pray and they will be delivered. The heart of the oppressor was humbled at the sight of God’s miracles. The oppressor may not have been converted away from his pagan worship but he had to acknowledge the power of the living God. (Word count 172) Jonah The book of Jonah is a book of prophecy. The key themes in this book are compassion, repentance, and forgiveness. God spoke to Jonah and gave him the direction to go to Nineveh to deliver his message to the people. Jonah disobeyed and attempted to run from God. God found Jonah and had him swallowed by a fish. In the belly of the fish Jonah asked for forgiveness and God placed him back on land to go to Nineveh to deliver his message. Jonah stayed on task . The message of pending destruction was received and the people of Nineveh repented and asked the Lord to forgive them and not destroy their city. God heard their prayers and let the city stand. This book shows us of a God who can and will readily punish for not abiding by his law but will also show love and compassion on those same people if only they repent and ask for forgiveness. (Word count 160)

Political Development Essay

Morocco is located in North Africa at the border of Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea . Onto the south it neighbors Western Sahara and due east with Algeria. Its terrain consists of mountain, desert and coastal plain with only about 21% of total land which is productive . The people in the region basically comprise of the Berber, Arab, African, Spanish and French. Morocco is considered to be one of the most westernized Islamic nations. Its population is close to thirty million with a population growth rate of 2% per annum . Arabic is general spoken language. The Southern parts of Morocco uses French while in the Northern parts, Spanish and French are commonly used languages. English language is a new language which is being introduced in the country. Majority of the population are Muslim affiliates and number of Jewish, while in northern parts especially those who speak Spanish and French, a greater portion belong to catholic religion. Morocco’s economy is that of liberal in nature which follows the dictates of demand and supply. Privatization policy is not a new phenomenon as some of the sectors were handed down to the hand of private sectors. However, its economy is characterized by relatively slow economic growth and inflation rate. Basically, employment largely anchors at agricultural sector which is never reliable due inadequate rains . Unemployment is escalating generally, affecting majority of the youths especially in urban areas . Social evils such as trafficking of young women and girls for prostitution and domestic service and sexual abuse are the characteristic phenomena in Morocco besides high level of illiteracy, and unemployment . Non-Governmental Organizations refers to lawfully constituted organizations that operate independently from the government. There are some Non –Governmental Organizations which acts as donor and or development partners depending on the charter of their mandates. Virtually all of the Non-Governmental Organizations acts on humanitarian grounds focusing on alleviating human suffering by improving the human welfare for quality living. Some Non-Governmental organizations operates on a large scale where they may cover a very large geographical region, while still others operate at national level or in limited areas within a country . International Non-Governmental Organizations cover several geographical regions as their scope of operation while local Non –Governmental Organizations usually operate within the country or in some parts of the country International and Local NGOs in Morocco: United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is one of the International Non-Governmental Organizations that has intensified its work in the country of Morocco through an economic program. Since Morocco has a liberal economy, it is governed by the law of supply and demands. In the context of globalization, farmers in the country would have faced cut-throat competition after agricultural tariffs were lowered as result of trade agreement between USA and Morocco. To save the farmers from such agony, USAID works with the farmers to have their crop yields improved and creates alternative jobs in form of industries to avert overdependence on farming as the only way of employment. It assists by linking export business to competitively get into the US market in ways such as by cutting down the numbers of days officially needed to register the business from sixty to eleven. This was actualized when USAID got into the microfinance field in Morocco. It had two prime objectives. One was to start a microfinance institution that would be self sustainable and grow to support the farmers and businessmen’s need. The second one was to foster policy that could favor this establishment of microfinance sector. All of its efforts toward making true these objectives were very successful due to its technical skills it possessed and its full commitment for these projects’ sustainability to serving large number of the poor . This has been witnessed particularly for the last seven year of its operation. Besides improvement of economic growth of Moroccans, it also featured in improving education level by increasing access to quality education and relevant basic education to all. This was because there has been high illiteracy level in the country. To achieve this USAID used ‘school-to-work’ approach by ensuring linkage between training and employments at various levels. Basic education has much attention on achieving high retention rates to ninth grade and possible equipping the learners at this level to adaptable skills for the next level. It lays more emphasis on courses such as information technology and tourism in technical colleges as the country has prominent tourist attraction sites and this is geared to promote tourism industry in the country. Global Rights is an International Non-Governmental Organization that partners for justice through advocacy of human right by collaborating with local activists. They speak to make heard injustices done at global level. It deals with legal and human rights education comprehensively from semiliterate to illiterate women from all walks of life in Morocco. This initiative aims to empower women to know their collective and individual rights so as to be assertive to these right and give them power in decision making in all matters affecting them, be it in household, community, national or at global level. So far the program has reached thousands of women across the country. By so doing the initiative aims at curbing alarming number of young women and girls at risk of human trafficking for prostitution and domestic service in the region. Besides human trafficking in different parts of Morocco, there has been an increase in cases of sexual abuse among young women and girls. Therefore, this necessitated direct service and intensive advocacy . Increased access to information has been deemed to be one of the successful approaches particularly starting with community liaisons, lawyers, teacher, researchers and the at-risk population and entire community would help curb such vices. Food and Agricultural Organization has not been new in Morocco. This country having been relying heavily on the agricultural sector for employment, much is needed to be done to revive the sluggish economic growth of the country . Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) is the United Nation’s agency that is involved in collecting, analyzing and interpreting and sharing the information with relevant stakeholders related to agriculture and nutrition. It is barely four months when an outbreak that posed threat to sheep and goats was announced in Morocco. In the month of September peste des petites (PRR) threatened to kill about a million sheep and goats where a hundred and thirty three outbreaks were reported within twenty nine provinces of Morocco. Being a viral causative agent and a very contagious to all ruminants, about 17 and 5 million sheep and goats respectively were at stake . This could be translated to loss of family livelihoods as so many of them depended on this. In response to this, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) took drastic measures after receiving request from the government to beef up the interventions. This made FAO’S Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) to convene a two-day meeting in Tunisia to chart the way forward over the situation. During the two-day summit, it was collectively agreed to help the Morocco government to prepare an emergency plan and see its implementation together with appropriate coordination with veterinary services of Maghreb among others from neighborhood countries. Right now FAO is in the advanced stage of setting up an urgent regional cooperation project. Control measures that were taken necessitated quarantine of suspected or affected farms and institutions and make urgent review of animal disease emergency contingency plans as well as raise awareness on the outbreak of the disease by all stakeholders concerning its risks and clinical signs. This is the latest development that FAO has been able to undertake in Morocco. Besides, livestock production, in the sector of agriculture, F. A. O has been in the forefront to see the country is in the process of achieving the millennium goal number one; that of eradication of extreme poverty and hunger through adoption of new innovations such as high yield, and fast growing crops that are drought tolerance. This will enable the country to attain level of food and nutrition security required. Use of biotechnology which has been witnessed in Nigeria where cassava clones are being propagated as disease free plants for the higher yields, are now incorporated in Morocco. World Food Program is the world’s largest humanitarian body. World Food Program is on a global campaign to ensure undernourished school going children are educated through its school feeding program. During worst time when there is total crop failure in Morocco, it has severally responded by providing relief food to the regions that needs emergency intervention. Community Based Organizations are local non-governmental organizations which are found in Morocco just like in other third world developing countries. Community based organizations collaborate with International Non-Governmental Organization and are the ground players. International Non-Governmental Organization for sustainable development make use of local organizations so that without setting other new parallel programs they can build on the existing system and facilitate on capacity building of the community. Faith Based Organization is a local non-governmental organization that has particular religious group affiliation. For instance, in northern parts of Morocco there is significant number of Christians who have come together to form faith based organizations to cater for the needs of their less fortunate member in time of need. Conclusion Non-governmental organizations primarily have humanitarian affair at their centre of focus. They feature on development transformation of community in which they are operating on. According to the transformational development indicators, the lives of many communities in different parts of the country have really improved. The level of illiteracy has decreased as a result of increased enrollment and retentions in schools . School- to- work approach has created job linkages among youths as a way of fighting unemployment in the country. Through, improving agriculture and easy accessibility to credit facilities, farmers are able to get good returns while others are able to diversify their income. This has seen improvement of living standard of the community. References: Agnaou Fatima, (2004); Gender, Literacy, and Empowerment in Morocco. ISBN 0415947650, 9780415947657, Routledge Davis K. Diana, (2006); Neoliberalism, Environmentalism, and Agricultural Restructuring in Morocco. The Geographical Journal, Vol. 172 Facts about Morocco, (2008). Retrieved on 16th November 2008 from: http://cc. msnscache. com/cache. aspx? q=morocco+facts&d=74397575479858&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=1d93f448,870bb89e Fisher Julie, (1998); Nongovernments: NGOs and the Political Development of the Third World. ISBN 1565490754, 9781565490758, Published by Kumarian Press Kourous George & Omolo Dominic, (2008); Outbreak of ‘peste des petits ruminants’ in Morocco. Retrieved on 16th November 2008 from: http://www. fao. org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000918/index. html USAID/Morocco, (2004); Annual Report. Retrieved on 16th November 2008 from: http://pdf. dec. org/pdf_docs/PDACA063. pdf

First Amendment Is the Cornerstone of the United States Essay

On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed freeing the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain, creating what would become the most powerful democratic country in history. The United States of America’s path to success is filled with trial, error, and countless sacrifices. The founding fathers envisioned a nation that was governed by the people not by a tyrannical king. On December 15, 1791 a very significant document was added to the Constitution of the United States known as the Bill of Rights. Most Americans are vaguely familiar with the Amendments that construct the Bill of Rights. Nonetheless, the Amendments were created to protect the â€Å"people† from future government tyranny. This Bill of Rights, like the Constitution, is a fluid document that was meant to always be adapted to the times of the country. The Bill of Rights included the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. I believe the ever evolving First Amendment to be the most important because it protects our freedom of speech and the press, religion, the right to assemble or petition the government. These individual rights are the cornerstone of our country and facilitate a nation free of oppression. Read more: How does the constitution prevent tyranny essay Freedom of speech defined as the right to speak without censorship or restraint by the government.[1] Even though United States is considered to be a successful democratic nation, however there are moments in our history that defined us through freedom of speech. There are several examples throughout history where the use of freedom of speech allowed our nation to evolve socially. August 1963, Martin Luther King on the footsteps on Lincoln Memorial gave one of the most important speeches of the 20th century, â€Å"I have a dream†. It is considered by many scholars to be responsible for pressuring President John F Kennedy to continue his fight for civil rights, which led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 under President Lyndon B. Johnson[2]. Without freedom of speech I believe that our nation would have slipped into a socialistic style government long ago. What has caused the majority of conflicts throughout the world in history? The most prevalent reason for conflicts throughout history is religion. In many countries around the world, religion is influential and plays a vital role in the political system. However, in the United States be free of religious establishment and having religious diversity have not allowed for religious conflicts to escalate. I would have to imagine if the founding forefathers had not included the freedom of religion in the first amendment that our nation would have not survived. The right to assemble is defined as the right to hold public meetings and form associations without interference by the government[3]. The right to assemble covers a variety of venues that most Americans take for granted. The right to assemble allows us to meet in public to discuss a variety of topics, take part in protest, belong to groups or associations, and practice religion openly in public. There are multiple examples throughout our nations young history were the right to assemble has accomplished positive and negative advances in our society. Without the right to assemble African Americans would not been able to protest prompting the Civil Rights Act, employees would not have been able to protest unsafe working conditions and unfair wages, and more recently the tea party forming to bring to light political concerns. However, there are instances of negative assembles such as the Ku Klux Klan which was against the civil rights; more recently the Westboro Baptist Church who protest funerals of military veterans and are anti-homosexuality rights. Even though there are negative with the right to assemble the positive will always outshine the negative. The right to petition the government for a redress of grievances gives citizens the right to lobbying, letter-writing, e-mail campaigns, testifying before tribunals, filing lawsuits, supporting referenda, collecting signatures for ballot initiatives, peaceful protests and picketing: all public articulation of issues, complaints and interests designed to spur government action qualifies[4]. The right to petition to me is one of the main reasons the colonies went to war with England. The colonies felt oppressed and had no say in what direction the country was headed. The forefathers wanted to ensure that the people had the right to check an over grasping government. The right to petition allows the people to have a voice in choosing what direction our nation takes. I believe First Amendment to be the most important because it protects our freedom of speech and the press, religion, the right to assemble or petition the government. We as American citizens often take these individual rights for granted. We are born into a free democratic nation and have never experienced socialistic or communist oppression. Without the First Amendment, our nation would have not survived, and I believe that we would have conformed into the exact thing that we were fighting against in the Revolutionary War. In order for our nation to continue to be prosperous, the First Amendment must be protected and never taken for granted. Bibliography C.Herman, Jacob,†Famous Speeches That Changed the Nation†. Voice Nation Going Beyond the Call. 2009. http://www.voicenation.com/resources/article-library/famous-speeches-that-changed-the-nation.shtml (accessed January 1, 2013). Newton, Adam, and â€Å"Petition† Ronald K.L Collins. The Five Freedoms Project. 2012. http://www.fivefreedoms.org/5freedoms/peition (accessed January 1, 2013). The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company. Dictionary.com. 2005. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/freedom of speech (accessed December 31, 2012).

The influence of IT on Supply Chain Management Systems Dissertation

The influence of IT on Supply Chain Management Systems - Dissertation Example About the organization 2. Literature review 3. Dissertation methodology 4. Ethical considerations 5. Findings and analysis 6. Discussions 7. Limitations of the study 8. Conclusions 9. Works cited The influence of IT on Supply Chain Management Systems 1. Introduction 1.1. Background Business organizations operate in a competitive environment in which different players scramble for the market share. The organizations strive to be attractive to clients by offering services that are exceptional and conventionally accepted that are unique to the company. This aim of business organizations is not always achieved due to the other challenging forces in the in the industry. The overall costs of operation are often high at certain instances while the customers are attracted to competitive (lower) prices for different products and services. The organizations also experience labor shortage or heavy loads of tasks on the employees that slow down the operations at the organization. This leads to o verall reduced output of the employees. The manual systems that are applied by certain organizations in their operations are not only slow but are also subject to errors that can lead to huge losses to the organization. This situation has been corrected in many business organizations with the recent development of information technology. The use of information technology has improved operations in various business organizations through excellent information management. ... Two or more organizations that have a direct link of this nature form a supply chain (Mentzer, 5). There is need for proper coordination of the processes involved in the conveyance of these products, services, or finances across the supply chain. Supply chains are encountered in both the service and manufacturing industries, though with some deviations across the industries (Ganeshan & Harrison, 1). Supply chain management is the science and art applied in improving the business functions through enhanced flow of information with an aim of improving long-term productivity and customer satisfaction (Wailgum & Worthen, 1; Mentzer, 2). These steps are hardly implemented with the traditional manual system. The introduction of modern technology and the integration of the technology into supply chain management have improved the operations of many organizations. Competition then becomes between organizations and between their supply chains as well (Xia-feng, 72). Tigo Ghana is one organiza tion that has recently integrated information technology into its supply chain management in order to improve its operations. This study investigates the roles that information technology has played in the improvement of supply chain management at Tigo Ghana, a telecommunications company in Ghana. It performs an analysis of the significant milestones that have been witnessed in the telecommunication company since the beginning of technology-based supply chain management. This study focuses on the role that IT has played in improving the operations in supply chain management of the organization. 1.2. The research question The research entails an investigation of the influence of information technology on supply-chain management

Management of change - How organisational structure and culture can Essay

Management of change - How organisational structure and culture can influence the promotion or inhibition of change strategies w - Essay Example As such, the only way to remain competitive is to be able to change strategies in a manner that ensures the company remains competitive. This is particularly important for the engineering organizations that operate in a very competitive environment. Despite the benefits that change brings in an organization, most managers and employees are often resistant to change. Martins and Terblanche (2003, p. 68) noted that most employees and managers fear change and will often resist it. The reasons for resisting change are many, including fear of losing jobs, fear of changing the organization structure, culture, and fear of new responsibilities, just to name but a few. However, the organizational structure and culture has a huge influence on the change strategies that an organization may adopt at any one time. In this regard, the organizational structure and culture can either promote or impede the change strategies within an organization. The aim of this discourse is to explore the extent to which an organizational structure and culture can promote or inhibit change strategies within an organization. Organizational Culture and Change Management Culture plays a crucial role in driving a company to success. Pheysey (1993, p. 9) defines organizational culture as a set of norms and beliefs of an organization. In other words, it refers an organization’s ways of doing things. As earlier stated, organizations operate in a dynamic environment where change is necessary. Today, no company can compete favorably without embracing change, according to West and Farr (1990, p. 5). However, most managers tend to resist change when faced with the pressure of change. This is partly due to the organizational culture. For instance, most managers would try to deal with challenges facing the organization they manage by reverting the company’s traditional ways of doing things. In this regard, whenever a manager is confronted with the pressure for change, the manager will most l ikely try to deal with the situation in suh as way that is in line with the organizations ways of doing things. However, sticking to these cultural nuances impede the management of strategic change. Kotter and Heskett (1992, p. 13) advised that sticking to cultural ways of dealing with pressures of change may not be good for an organization since it inhibits the management of strategic change in an organization. For example, instead of adopting a new strategy of dealing with a situation in an organization, most managers tend to search for what they can understand and manage in terms of the existing paradigm. The adoption of cultural ways of doing things has been reported in the engineering companies where most managers tend to stick to traditional ways of dealing with situations that require change. However, this is dangerous since it inhibits the management of strategic change (Dent and Goldberg 1999, p. 36). For instance, report indicates that when managers are faced with the prob lem of declining performance in the engineering organizations, they have the habit of first seeking ways of improving the implementation of the existing strategy. This may involves actions such as tightening organizational controls. This implies that they only attempt to tighten up their accepted way of operation. However, in case this proves ineffective, then the managers change a strategy, though the change

Josph Listr guru of surgry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Josph Listr guru of surgry - Essay Example JosÐ µph ListÐ µr wÐ °s born Ð °t Upton, ЕnglÐ °nd, in 1827, whÐ µrÐ µ hÐ µ hÐ °d rÐ µcÐ µivÐ µd his gÐ µnÐ µrÐ °l Ð µducÐ °tion Ð °t thÐ µ UnivÐ µrsity of London. Ð ftÐ µr studying in London Ð °nd Еdinburgh hÐ µ bÐ µcÐ °mÐ µ Ð ° fÐ °mous lÐ µcturÐ µr in surgÐ µry Ð °t thÐ µ UnivÐ µrsity. JosÐ µph ListÐ µr focusÐ µd Ð ° lot on thÐ µ works of othÐ µr prominÐ µnt sciÐ µntists to find Ð ° proof thÐ °t infÐ µctions wÐ µrÐ µ not cÐ °usÐ µd by Ð ° chÐ µmicÐ °l rÐ µÃ °ction, or Ð °n oxidÐ °tion, thÐ °t took plÐ °cÐ µ Ð µvÐ µry timÐ µ thÐ µ oxygÐ µn wÐ °s rÐ µÃ °cting with thÐ µ Ð °ir. "HospitÐ °lism", Ð °s thÐ µ disÐ µÃ °sÐ µs sÐ µpticÐ µmiÐ °, Ð µrysipÐ µlÐ °s, Ð °nd pyÐ µmiÐ ° bÐ µgÐ °n to collÐ µctivÐ µly bÐ µ known wÐ °s thÐ µ root of thÐ µ ovÐ µrwhÐ µlming mortÐ °lity rÐ °tÐ µ in thÐ µ hospitÐ °l sÐ µtting (WÐ µbÐ µr, 2000). ThÐ µ quÐ µstion thÐ °t wÐ °s on ListÐ µr mind wÐ °s Ð °bout thÐ µ sÐ µpsis thÐ °t following compound frÐ °cturÐ µs, Ð ° frÐ °cturÐ µ in which thÐ µ skin is brokÐ µn Ð °nd thÐ µ bonÐ µ Ð µxposÐ µd thÐ °t rÐ µsultÐ µd into high mortÐ °lity rÐ °tÐ µ, Ð µspÐ µciÐ °lly whÐ µn thÐ µ individuÐ °l Ð °ftÐ µr thÐ µ surgÐ µry stÐ °yÐ µd in thÐ µ hospitÐ °l. SomÐ µhow ListÐ µr knÐ µw thÐ °t hÐ µ hÐ °d to kÐ µÃ µp thÐ µ wound frÐ µÃ µ of thÐ µ microbÐ µs thÐ °t wÐ µrÐ µ cÐ °using thÐ µ infÐ µctions, Ð °nd hÐ µ wÐ °s Ð °wÐ °rÐ µ of CÐ °rbolic Ð cid, which wÐ °s mÐ °inly usÐ µd to gÐ µt rid of odors Ð °ftÐ µr sÐ µwÐ °gÐ µ. Not long Ð °ftÐ µr, CÐ °rbolic Ð cid wÐ °s usÐ µd on Ð ° smÐ °ll boy with Ð ° compound frÐ °cturÐ µ of his lÐ µg, whÐ µrÐ µ thÐ µ wound did not suppurÐ °tÐ µ following surgÐ µry Ð °nd thÐ µ only pÐ °in wÐ °s thÐ °t thÐ µ Ð °cid wÐ °s burning thÐ µ boy’s skin. ... Only ftr nlyzing Pstur's rsrch, Listr cm to th conclusion tht th formtion of pus ws du to bctri; Listr nvr stoppd dvloping his ntisptic surgicl mthods. Ltr on this invntion ws rnkd s on of th grt discovris of th g, bcus du to immdit succss of th nw trtmnt, it ws doptd vrywhr. In 1865 Listr introducd his ntisptic systm in such wy, tht h did not nd much tim to convinc th rst of th world to ccpt it. Of cours, ltr on, mny scintists will sy tht on of th mjor fctors tht ld to such succssful invntion ws th dvlopmnt of th grm thory of diss nd bctriology in th priod 1857-1885 by Pstur, Koch, nd othr scintists, which, in this cs, lrdy ws rvolution tht ld to th rvolution in surgry. This intrict combintion of thory nd prctic somtims is xtrmly complictd, but onc succssful cn ld to rvolution in nturl scincs. Listr's first ppr on th ntisptic mthod, publishd in th Lnct in rly 1867, dlt with trils of th mthod in ptints with compound frcturs, nd includd prliminry rport on its prvntion of scondry infction whn drining tubrculr bscsss (Listr,1867). Th rsults turnd out to b vry striking: complictions occur mor frquntly in css of inflmmtion nd bscss nithr in th wound nor from gnrl spsis. On th 21 of Sptmbr 1867 scond ppr on th ntisptic mthod pprd in both th British Mdicl Journl nd th Lnct. Listr's work ws th first convincing ppliction of th grm thory to th control of humn diss, nd s such it spurrd grt progrss in surgry nd othr filds. Thr is no instnc in th history of surgry, nd indd fw in th history of scinc, in which dduction hs bn so compltly vrifid whn put to th tst (Listr, 1909). Ltr on h dscribs th mthod tht h usd. I hv so ltly givn lswhr dtild ccount of th mthod by which this is ffctd (Lnct, 1867), tht I shll not ntr into it t prsnt furthr thn to sy tht th mns mployd r

Technopaegnia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Technopaegnia - Essay Example Opatianus’s work inspired Hrabanus Maurus (c 784-856), Archbishop of Mainz, a Carolingian poet and theologian. His famous work, In Praise of the Holy Cross was the first printed figure poem which was published in 1503. Visual poetry, as is obvious from the nomenclature, is the arrangement of text, images and symbols to convey the intended message of the work. It speaks silently. It is often referred to as the concrete poetry, but views differ on this issue. Concrete poetry is clearly recognizable as poetry, it has purely typographic elements; visual poetry is dependent on the texts on a minimal scale. Texts relate to visual function only. Non-text imagery has the main role. â€Å"For various reasons, the critical response to visual poetry over the years has been disappointing. Although the genre has a long and varied history, from the technopaegnia, of the ancient Greeks to the latest experiments with concrete poetry, it has received relatively little attention until recently.†(Neohelicon, 1990) When we mention technopaegnia, in the renaissance, Fortunius Licetus (1577-164) figures first. He was an Italian humanist. He edited many volumes on the classical writers and his contemporary, a Hungarian writer; Albert Molnar (1574-1634) translated Psalms in Hungarian language. His work, Lusus poetici, Games of the poets (1614), an anthology of Latin technopaegnia is well-known in this genre. A poem is supposed to be ‘the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.’ The visual poem is the outward manifestation of the joyous expression of the inner world of the poet. It pictures the trials, tribulations, the joy, the duty and beauty of life through the various forms and moods of Nature. The ideas which apparently look silly are given life and color and one enjoys their simplicity. Bohn writes, â€Å"Thus the visual poem claims to abolish playfully the oldest oppositions of our alphabetic

Film Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film Assignment - Essay Example The digesis of the film narrative â€Å"Run Lola Run† does not follow the general continuous time space continuum. While the objective of the protagonist, Lola in the film is to secure 100,000 DM within the short space of twenty minutes; the film presents three scenarios to achieve this, as opposed to a single, continuous storyline that starts at the beginning of the film and proceeds through to its end. The same sequence plays three times but each time with slight differences that produce different outcomes; the first two are disastrous while the final scenario is the one that achieves a happy ending. The film thus presents three, distinct, alternative realities within the unified structure of the film (Leong, 1999), demonstrating how events can unfold in a completely different fashion based on slightly different choices. The unifying feature is a woman with a flame colored head running through the streets, creating a sense of fast paced, pulse pounding, relentless motion tha t keeps the viewer’s attention engaged. The same dilemma is presented at the beginning of each of the three segments, i.e, Lola needing to get together the sum of 100,000 DM, which her boyfriend owes to the crime boss, because his failure to do so could lead to him being killed. If Lola does not have the money to her boyfriend in a time span of twenty minutes, he plans to engage in a criminal activity and hold up a store. The same characters are presented in each of the three sequences, which are repeated again and again with slight variations. The film thus utilizes a cyclical time format, moving through the same events again and again rather than following the linear narrative format employed in most films, where the story proceeds through a series of sequences in a continuous time frame of action. Early film theorists such as Eisenstein (1947) have pointed out that visual information as presented in a film in the form of sequences, can be juxtaposed to give an

Music Therapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Music Therapy - Essay Example Listening to music positively affect thoughts, behaviors and feelings of individuals (Lindquist et al101). Listening to the rhythm of music stimulates the body by enhancing the pulse rate and respiration pattern as well. Dancing to the tune of music can help in relaxing ones’ muscles, energizing and to some extent influencing individuals in personal ways. Music is not only effective in enhancing healing on the listeners, but also help in boosting the confidence and self-esteem of the writers since they express their thoughts and feelings when composing music. Different body parts resonate to different pitches and sounds. Some types of music can also affect the human soul and spirit powerfully based on their messages and rhythm as well. Music, being a worldwide therapy both in making and in listening, is critical in the spiritual life. The majority of the traditions of religions use music to enhance the mood for worship, prayer, joyful or reverence celebrations. Listening in watching TV brings about thrilling effect for instance having a great feeling of anticipation of watching next episodes in cinemas because of the preceding songs in a film (Lindquist et al105). This thrilling effect helps in boosting mood feeling in individuals. Studies show that playing some songs helps in increasing the intelligence quotient. Similarly, it has been established that children who study musical instruments are always more quick at problem-solving skills and spatial awareness development. Listening is also important in regulating feeding habits. A research study indicated that in busy restaurants, fast music makes people eat fast hence leaving spaces in the restaurant tables (Lindquist et al104). Music, other than making the mind relax, has played a significant role in the psychiatric institutions. It has shown effectiveness in the fastening of recovery to the patients suffering from mental disorders, for instance, the post-traumatic stress disorders. Coordination

Pharmacological Effects of Antibiotics in Management of Sinusitis and Research Paper

Pharmacological Effects of Antibiotics in Management of Sinusitis and the Nursing Implications - Research Paper Example Before making a final diagnosis, allergy testing is important since allergic rhinitis presents with the same symptoms of sinusitis. It is essential to look at the overall presentation of the patient’s history as well as the physical findings in order to make the diagnosis of uncomplicated sinusitis. When selecting an antibiotic regimen for sinusitis, it is crucial to consider drugs safety, their costs and the local patterns of bacteria resistance in order to maximize the therapy and avoid drug resistance. Antimicrobial regimens discussed below are for the uncomplicated cases, and the patients have been assumed that they do not have any orbital or intracranial complications with a normal immune system. For the complicated cases, they require broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics in order to take full control of the pathogens. The paper discusses on the pharmacological effects of antibiotics in the management of sinusitis and the nursing implications. It discusses on all classe s of drugs used for sinusitis management i.e. penicillin’s (Augmentin, Amoxil), cephalosporin’s (cefuroxime), fluoroquinolones (e.g. ciprofloxacin) and clindamycin. Patients all suffering from complicated sinusitis and do not respond to therapy because of drug resistance or other factors should be referred to an otorhinolaryngologist or an infectious disease specialist to guide for continued therapy (Dixon & O’Leary, 2012). The principal pathogens for sinusitis are bacteria agents referred to as respiratory pathogens. Other potential disease-causing organisms include Staphylococcus Aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes and anaerobic bacteria’s such as bacteroids. Anaerobic bacteria’s are likely to be seen in dental diseases resulting from the extension of infections from the roots of the molar teeth to the sinuses. The first-line antibiotics for treatment include

An Intensive Care Unit Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

An Intensive Care Unit - Assignment Example Mr X was being cared for in the intensive care unit (ICU) of an urban hospital. One week after admission, the ICU nurse-in-charge of Mr X’s care noticed respiratory distress and fever of unknown origin. The nurse reported it to the attending physician and to the intensive care specialists. The intensive care specialists ordered a new CT scan to re-evaluate the status of the brain, the occipital skull base fracture, the post-operative cervical spine, the condition of the lungs, the abdomen for a possible source of infection and a pelvis examination locating the sacral fracture and the right hip. Mr X was chosen as the case study subject primarily because of the alarming incidence of motorcycle accident worldwide caught the interest of the author and wanted to delineate the multisystem effect of a motorcycle accident to the individual. Clarke, Ward, Bartle and Truman (2004) stated that motorcyclists are at the highest risk for accidents due to poor safety record and the estimate d killed and serious injury rate in the UK per million vehicle kilometers is twice than a pedal cyclist and 16 times than car drivers and passengers (p. 6). Introduction to the Intensive Care Unit An intensive care unit (ICU) refers to a hospital area that uses state-of-the-art technology and aggressive therapy both in invasive and noninvasive monitoring of critically-ill and high-risk patients (Varon and Acosta, 2010, p. 1). Continuous monitoring is necessary and physiological factors affecting the health status of the patient must be reported promptly and on a continuous basis to the attending physician in order to adjust and meet the patient’s health needs. Patients older than 50 years old who suffered from cervical fracture have a 26% mortality rate (Browner, Jupiter, Levine, Trafton, 2003, p. 868). Critical care is offered for patients in the intensive care units in providing advanced life support through modern technology.

Psychology Homework Essay Example for Free

Psychology Homework Essay The argument I have chosen to use is one that was between my friends and I. It was the early hours of the morning and we were at a Jacuzzi party. We were discussing the topic of wages and how much those of us who worked were earning. We then started talking about football players and how they earn millions of pounds for doing a very unnecessary and over paid job; compared to people who offer a service for the country such as those in the NHS or the armed forces who spend all day risking their lives or saving other peoples. The two main points of the argument were: 1. ‘Yes, Footballers are over paid but that is the way it is and that’s how it fits into the national framework’ This point was shared by everyone in the argument, except one person 2. ‘Footballers are paid to much and it should be changed now! ’ This point was shared by one person The people who believed in point 1, myself included showed how their point was valid. They showed that even thought it is not morally right for footballers to earn that much money compared to the amount of work they do or in comparison to people in public services but that is the way it is and with out them Public services would not be able to run as easily. We showed this by explaining the national frame work. The money that is earnt by the footballers is taxed greatly, some as much as 40%, This money is then distributed between education, social security, the NHS and many other things. The other person was still on a one tracked mind that it was just wrong and should be changed. So we explained it again and after much persuasion he started to see things our way. He then started to change the argument and incorporated big companies such as McDonald’s and Nike. His point was that they employ people in under developed countries to work for them because it’s cheap labour and it allows them to make a massive profit margin. The whole group agree that this was wrong but being the well balanced young adults we are, we looked at both sides. Some of our outcomes were that even though to us it seems like an unacceptable wage, the people employed are at least employed. We went far beyond people in Asia and right to where we lived. To other people, 16 and 17 year olds being paid just over minimum wage to work long hours and do jobs other people would say no to, is fine by them. In fact, after this argument a lot of people involved realised it was about themselves. How ironic?

History Of The Stewardship Theory Accounting Essay

History Of The Stewardship Theory Accounting Essay The stewardship theory holds a different approach from that of the agency theory, it first premise is that, the company serves a large range of social purposes rather than just trying to maximize the wealth of shareholders. The stewardship theory also called the stakeholders theory assumes that corporations are social entities that affect stakeholders welfare and stakeholders are individuals interacting with the firms directly, therefore, they can affect or affected by the achievement of the firms objectives(Donaldson and preston,1995, freeman,1984) According to Starik and Rands(1995), a companys success can be judge by its ability to add stakeholders value(starik and rands,1995,Dunphy et al,2003).stakeholders will only return to a firm for more when they always get what they wantFreeman,1984, freeman and Mc Vea,2001).Hence stakeholders are regarded as instrumental to corporate success and they tend to possess some moral and legal rights(Donaldson and Preston,1995, Ulrich,2008).Companies management have to take in to consideration the claims or concern of stakeholders in their decision making process(Blair, 1995), stakeholders participation in the companys decision making process enhance better efficiency (Turnbull,1994) and also reduces conflicts(Rothman and friedman, 2001). A company can use two approaches when considering or integration stakeholders in their decision making (kaptein and van Tulder,2003). These two approaches are reactive and proactive approach. Reactive approach on one hand is when the concern of stakeholders are not considered or integrated in making corporate decision. This usually leads to misalignment of the companys objectives and the demands of stakeholders (Mackenzie,2007).The scandals of world com was attributed to the fact that they never integrated the stakeholder concern in their decision making processes(Curral and Epstem,2003, Turnbull,2002, walkins,2003 and Zandstra,2002) .In respond to these scandals, some regulations were set up by governments with the aim of aligning stakeholders interest with corporate objectives. For instance, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. On the other hand, the proactive approach is when companies integrate the concern of stakeholders in their corporate decision making process, thus establishes a good cor porate governance structure( de wit et al, 2006). 3.5 Summary of the theories. The knowledge of agency theory can be credited to Coase (1937) however the ideas of this theory was practical only to directors and boards since the 1980s.Following . agency theory, individuals are self-interested and not altruistic, therefore individuals can never be trusted to always act in others best interest. On the other hand,, individuals will always want to maximize their utilities functions, the agency theory considered managers and shareholders relationship as a contract ( Adams, 2002). This means that managers actions must be properly monitored to guarantee that they always act in shareholders best interest. The stewardship theory on its part opted that companys board of directors and their CEO, acting as stewards, are encouraged to act in the companys best interests and not trying to satisfy their selfish interests. This is partly because, previously senior executives regarded companies as an extension of themselves (Clarke, 2004; Wheelen Hunger, 2002).The stewardship theory therefore suggested that,like shareholders, top management of a company should care more on the future success of the company (Mallin, 2004). 3.6 The impact of Audit committee The AC is seen to have great impacts in attempt to ensure good corporate governance. These impacts can be seen on audit process and audit fees 3.6.1 The impact of AC on Audit process It has been acknowledge that AC has a pertinent role to play in verifying and protecting the integrity of the companys financial statement and the company internal control systems (Abbott et al, 2004; klein, 2003; Australian accounting research foundation et al, 2001).Included in this role, the AC has the responsibility of guaranteeing the independence and competence of external auditors(ASX, 2003;Australian accounting research foundation, 2001).According to Sabones-Oxley act, the AC has the responsibility to appoint auditors and they have to oversees the performance of the auditors regarding the firms external financial reporting(US congress, 2002) It was argued by smith report (2003) that AC have to review the engagement memo at the start of audit and the AC has to take in to consideration the audit scope and the suitability of the work that is planed.Furthermore, according to smith report,(2003) ,at the end of the audit work, the AC have to evaluate the the audit findings and management opinions regarding the auditors recommendations. As a recommendation, AC has to meet with external auditors at least on a yealy basis in the absence of the management to deliberate on issues arising fro the audit (smith report, 2003, Australian accounting and research foundation et al, 2001). Some research has been carried out to sample auditors view regarding the impact of AC on audit. Cohen et al,(2002) carried out a structured interview sampling the opinions of auditors. It was revealed that AC has a less significant role to play on audit process compared to senior management or the board. In this interview, the auditors specified that they only met with AC 2 to 3 times a year and in these meetings, the AC plays a passive role rather than acting proactive as the auditors tends to be reporting to the AC. However, deliberations with AC are reported to have significant impact on the audit risk assessment and audit setting(cohen et al, 2002). Another key area where AC has a pertinent role to play in audit process is to resolve conflicts between the management and the auditors(cohen et al,2002, Turley and Zaman, 2004).As revealed by beattie et al (2000), AC seems to diminish the confrontational strength of interaction between the auditors and management by increasing the level of discussion and reducing the need for negotiation(Beattie et al (2000).On the other hand, some studies like Dezoort et al,2003;Dezoort and salterio, 2001:and knapp,1987) observed influential factors on the AC decisions to support auditors in steads of the management. Such factors include, AC members expertise and experiences, the nature of the conflict, the auditors perseverance and clients financial situation. 3.6.2 The impact of AC on Audit fees A good number of studies have found out that there is a link between audit fees and the AC.( Goodwin-stewart and kent, 2006; sharma, 2003).This is seen on the AC role of guaranteeing that audit hours are not cut down to a level that will compromise audit quality(Cadbury committee, 1992,;jack, 1993).According to smith report(2003), in situations where the AC is not contented with the audit scope, more work or task has to be requested. Also, the AC have to be satisfied that the audit fee is appropriate and that efficient and effective auditing performance will be achieved for the fees charged. As a consequent, incase the AC fails to carry out their responsibilities properly, they will lose their status or reputation and will face litigation when there is audit failure(Abbott et al, 2003).Therefore, the AC have high incentives to request for good auditing quality. Chapter 4 4.1 Corporate Governance issues in Developing Countries (Cameroon) According to Wallace (1990), developing countries are defined as those countries found in mid-stream of development and are referred to anamorphous and heterogeneous group of countries found mostly in Africa ,Asia, Latin America ,Middle East and Oceanea. There exist difference between developed and developing countries in terms of culture, politics and market economics (Waweru and Uliana,2005).Due to lack in skilled human resources, developing countries therefore find it difficult to attract personnels verse with accounting and financial skills in their committees. The cultural variation between highly individualistic countries ( like North America) and highly collectivistic countries (like Africa) necessitate different corporate governance arrangements. Rabelo and Vasconcelos (2002) pointed out factors like economic trends towards globalization, under developed capital market as well as government intervention has made the model of corporate governance to differ from those in Europe an countries and North America. Mensah (2002) argued that countries in Africa are not well equipped in implementing the kind of corporate governance found in the western world because of the economic and political regimes characterizing these countries(example weak fraudulent legal and judicial regimes ,state ownership of companies as well limited capacity in skilled human resources.). Corporate governance structures in less develop countries are determined by the zeal to maintain control by the majority shareholders over firms ,the dependent on debt finance, weak financial markets and ineffective legal system (Rabelo and Vasconcelos,2002).Developing countries are always confronted with problems like less developed and illiquid capital markets, economic uncertainties ,investors protection as well as weak legal and judicial control system (Tsamenyi et al,2007). According to Goddard and Masters(2000),audit committees has become more relevant and prevalent latterly but however there is paucity in the empirical research about their value. Kalbers and fogarty(1993) further indicated that the issue of whether audit committees are really discharging their relevance responsibility remain insufficiently understood, suggesting therefore the need to examine the ways audit committees are operating in developing countries like Cameroon In Cameroon, most companies are owned by institutions and such institutions are owned by the state(government), therefore most board members are serving the position as management of shareholders not because of their qualification neither their experiences(Mensah,2002).Audit committees operations in developing countries are different compared with the practices in developed countries .In 2001,the Cameroon capital market authority gave guidelines regarding corporate governance activities for listed companies.one of this guideline was that which called all boards to form audit committees comprising at least three independent non-executive directors. Figure 2, corporate governance(CG) fram work in Cameroon 4.2 The legal and Regulatory Framework of corporate governance for listed companies in Cameroon Cameroon operates under two systems of laws namely ;the common law and the civil law. The bilingual nature of Cameroon is inherited from Britain and France when the county came under the administration of these two great powers. Therefore Cameroon has a bijural system with the English Common Law effective in the two Anglophone provinces of North West and South West and the French Civil Law effective in the eight francophone provinces namely ; Adamaoua, Centre, East, Far North, Littoral, North, West and South. The surveillance of the principles of good corporate governance in Cameroon listed companies have been protected by the mixture of voluntary and mandatory mechanisms .The DSX code of best practices for listed companies in Cameroon is voluntary and is aim at enhancing good business practices and standard for all listed companies in Cameroon. On the other hand, mandatory corporate governance requirements linked to companies are enclosed in the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2001).(CAMA). The following bodies are loaded with the responsibilities of guaranteeing effective management, accountability and control of companies in Cameroon.it is important to deliberate on the respective roles and responsibilities of these institutions . 4.2.1 The Douala Stock Exchange(DSX) The DSX is the top regulatory organ of stock market in Cameroon. DSX was formed , and organized in agreement with the provisions of degree No.99/015 of the 22nd December, 1999.but it went effective from 2001. The DSX is both a standard bearer of the national economic and the financial community .It is a public limited company with board of directors. DSX has a total capital of 1.8 billions CFA of which 7% is owned by private commercial banks , credit foncier of Cameroon and the Dutch bank FMO, 23% by public interest and 13.3% by private insurance companies. In Cameroon, the number of companies listed in the Stock market is very insignificant. There are only three companies listed in the DSX namely the mineral water company(SEMC), the African society of Agriculture and forest Cameroon(SAFACAM) and the Cameroon Society of palms(SOCAPALM),DSX got as it main objective the promotion of active stock market by creating a conductive investment environment to encourage foreign investors to in vest in Cameroon. To ensure appropriate standards of conduct and expertise in security business, one of the main functions of DSX is to ensure total protection of securities, the registering of all security merchants, investment consultants and physical market like the stock exchange trading floors or branches. In custody of its mandate of spreading good corporate governance, the DSX presented the code of best practices for companies listed in Cameroon. The aim of this code was to make sure that managers and companies shareholders perform their obligations within the context of accountability and transparency. This code of best practices focuses more on the board of directors, the audit committee and the shareholders. 4.2.2 The Board Of Directors ( BODs) The code of best practices focuses more on the board responsibilities and their functions. The board have the obligation of directing the activities of the company in a legal and efficient manner as well as ensuring that the company progresses in its value creation process. According to the code, the main functions of the board are strategic preparation, selection, performance assessment and compensation of senior executives. communiquà © with shareholders, guaranteeing the truthfulness of financial control and report and also guarantee that ethical business standards are upheld and that the company is in compliance with Cameroon laws .The code endorses the board size of almost 15 members and a least 5 members made up of both executive and non-executives directors. 4.2.3 The Audit Committee (AC) The DSX code of best practices identify the importance of audit committee due to its strategic position in guaranteeing good corporate governance standards in companies. The recommendations of audit committee are an addition to the provisions of CAMA. The main duties of audit committee can be summaries as listed below; To determine if the company accounting and reporting policies are in compliance with the legal requirements and in accordance with ethical business practices Reviewing the scope and the preparation of audit requirements -Ensure the effectiveness of the companys accounting system and internal control -Make approval to the board concerning the appointment, dismissal and compensation of the companys external auditors -Approve the internal auditors to conduct investigations on activities which are of prime interest to the committee -the appraisal of the integrity of the firms financial statements; -To counsel the board on the trustworthiness of financial and maybe other informations that has to be published in the name of the board; -To supervise the financial reporting and disclosure procedures -The deliberation on the nature and scope of the audit with the external auditors -To evaluate the management memo from the external auditor; -To ensure the effectiveness of the internal control operations of the firm To evaluate any substantial findings of internal investigations 4.2.4. The Shareholders The DSX code of best practices for corporate governance in Cameroon made a series of recommendations to ease shareholders contribution at the general meeting. In respect of this, the place for the general meeting has to be such that it is conceivable and affordable in both cost and distance, to permit a mainstream of shareholders to be present in the meeting and to vote, thus avoiding the violation of shareholders right. The code also necessitates that sufficient notice of such meetings should be made available to shareholders and these meeting notices should reach the shareholders a least 21 working days before the meeting day. The notice must contain informations on the annual reports , financial statements and other relevant information to allow them to vote appropriately on these issues. The general meeting is like a venue for the companys board to communicate and boosts shareholders contribution in the companys governance 4.2.5 The Government The role of Cameroon government is not left out in ensuring good corporate governance practices. The government offers the legal frameworks for firms incorporation, outline the limits of business activities, the government ensures that the companys operations are in compliance with formed standards and that stakeholders obligations are met. The basic principles which are entrenched in the stature regarding the management and control of business corporations in Cameroon include; -The acknowledgment of company as a legal entity different from its owners. -Infinite life of a company due to shares transferability -The designated board supervises the running of the company and is answerable to the all members on their stewardship. -The directors has the obligations of keeping good records of the financial issues of the company and make proper returns. There are three main legal form for doing business in Cameroon that is, an individual functioning as a sole owner without formality, a partnership of a least two persons and the creation of a limited liability company recorded under CAMA. The CAMA gives a lot of tasks to the board members to direct the companys activities effectively to guarantee business accountability, transparency and responsible to firms owners and stakeholders. 4.3 The Actors of Corporate governance; Managers and shareholders In Cameroon, there is a cumulative rise of the question of what companies owners will become as they are simply the viewers on the management of their money by managers. To answers this question, we have to look at Managers behaviors, however Managers behaviors varies depending on shareholders influential abilities. Managers behaviors defined the importance of Corporate governance in companies due to the critical position they occupy in the value creation process (Caby and Hirigoyen,2001) and also due to the detachment of ownership and decision making functions. Managers as shareholders agent have as their key objective to manage the business at shareholders best interest(Ross,1973 and Jensen and meckling,1976) but however both the manager and firms owners has varied utility functions and each tries to maximize its utility function(Ross,1973).Agency conflicts or problems can then result from managers opportunistic behaviors .For instances, managers are much motivated in seeking compa nys growth because their salary depends on it .(Baker ,Jensen and Murphy,19958),Also there is the issue of diversification that managers are always interested on .Managers can have the will to diversify risk but it will contradict shareholders interest (Aminud, and Lev,1981).Managers occupy a pivotal position in a company as they represent shareholders and act as the employees superior authority their arbitrations are difficult(Arcinles,1995).Corporate governance role is then to aligned managers attitudes near shareholders and stakeholder wealth maximization criteria. However , the extend to which corporate governance is importance is determined by the power exerted by shareholders and board of directors operations. shareholders having greater shares; This role of firms owner with larger shares is been justified by schileifer and Vishny,(1986)as a guarantee of managers discipline when there is capital dispersion, to supervise managers activities is then difficult and very costly to a shareholder taking it individually. Therefore to obtain optimal monitoring which is profitable to all shareholders, only shareholders with greater shares are allowed to incurred monitoring expenses .It is in this light that Jensen (1993) mentioned the nation of Active shareholders -Financial monitoring plays a role in situations where a company like joint stock company is been controlled by a group of persons whom because of their share capital contribution or as a result of foreign ownership representative can significantly influence the companys management. -The importance of family monitoring.(Allouche and Amann,2000) regard family shareholding as source of active shareholding .For instance, in Cameroon ,family shareholding have unequal economic roles and they tend to represent the main proportion of the country economic fabric .Factors such as confidence and family ties can explain their outstanding performance (Bourdieu,2002) Chapter 5; Research Methodology 5.1 Introduction Research method deals with the style in which datas are collected, analyze and interpreted to achieve the study objectives. This chapter will treat the design and method used to address the study questions as it was mentioned in chapter 1.This research made used of questionnaires survey and interview survey . 5.2 The questionnaire survey Questionnaires is the widely used method in social science fields ((Easterby-Smith et al, 2001; 2008). This is a method in which all participants are asked almost the same questions in the same situation (Easterby-Smith et al., 2001; Li et al., 2000;Merriam, 1988; Payne, 1980). In this study, a questionnaire was developed from a review of related conceptual, theoretical and pre-tested with a sample of auditing practioners. The questionnaires which is made up of 58 questions in total (see appendix 2) directly addresses the study objectives. This questionnaires centers on the audit committees operations, composition, financial skill, independence, self-evaluation, relationships, major achievements and outstanding challenges facing audit committee .A majority of these questions are Yes or NO question type and in the others, the respondents were expected to rate the committee achievements with a score of 4(to a greater extend ) to a score of 1(not at all). The researcher circulated the questionnaires to all targeted respondents which included ; audit committee chairpersons, company secretaries and the finance heads of the 3 listed companies in DSX with audit committee in place. This gave a total of 9 questionnaires ( 3 audit committee chairpersons, 3 company Secretaries and 3 finance heads) which was sent to these three sample groups. In regard to external auditors, this research included only auditing firms that carry out the statutory audit of companies listed in the DSX in the most recent 2 years. It is well noted that the DSX have enforce certain qualification for audit firms that can carry out statutory audit of the listed companies. One major qualification is that, the audit Firm has to be a partnership or joint venture entity, nonetheless a majority of the audit firms in Cameroon are owned by sole proprietors .In Cameroon, there are over 30 registered audit firms but only 6 audit firms are qualified to carry out the external aud iting for listed companies in DSX in the last 2 years .this survey involved all the 16 partners of the 6 qualified firms, therefore making a general total sample of 25 that received the questionnaires. Table 1. The sample Questionnaire survey analysis Group sample Sample size percentage AC chairpersons 3 12% Finance heads 3 12% Company secretaries 3 12% External auditors 16 64% Grand total 25 100% 5.3 Administration of the questionnaire survey The researcher mailed the questionnaires to the participants on the 12th December 2012 . The Mail package comprised a set of questionnaires, a motivating letter , a free post envelope and the researcher return address. The motivating letter is supportive in gaining higher response rate, this is because the motivating letter clarifies the participants on the purpose and importance of the study. In this motivating letter (see appendix 1), the researcher highlights the nature and importance of the survey, inviting to complete the questionnaire, guaranteeing the confidentiality of the participants responses. To enhance higher response rate by the respondents, the researcher exerted maximum efforts to monitor the survey through e-mails and telephone calls. 5.4 Response of the questionnaire survey The researcher mailed a total of 25questionaires out of which he received the response of 23 participants. 6 participants were considered disable in the survey. The details of this is given in the table below. Table 2, response analysis Description Mail sent Received Response rate unable AC chairpersons 3 3 100% 0 Finance heads 3 3 100% 0 Company secretaries 3 3 100% 0 External auditors 16 10 62.5% 6 Total 25 19 76% 6 The table shows that an overall response rate of 76% was conceived (19 out of 25).All the AC chairpersons, the finance heads and the company secretaries of the 3 listed companies in DSX (SEMC,SOCAPALM, and SAFACAM) responded to the questionnaires each having a response rate of 100%.However, the External auditor had a response rate of 62.5%( 10 out of 16).6 of the external auditors never responded to the questionnaires due to geographical dispersal and busy work schedules . SPSS was used in analyzing the datas , the researcher made use of frequencies to assemble raw data to facilitate interpretation, the average was used to rank the scares. However, the researcher did not conduct any statistical analysis since with 19 useable respondents, the subgrouping will be very minute for a significant statistics. Nonetheless, with the fact that 5 of the respondents declared their willingness to further participate in this study and the high questionnaire response rate of 76%; the research findings are still going to be meaningful. 5.5 Interview Survey The primary aim for the researcher to carry out an interview survey in this research is to permit participants to develop further their opinions because the closed questions of the questionnaire sealed participants into arbitrarily limited alternatives (Foddy, 1999). The researcher made used of semi structured interview method in conducting the interview. This method eases the researcher control over the time, content and the arrangement of the interview. Furthermore, this method permitted the interviewer to pose penetrating questions that gave a deeper understanding of the research issue. Consequently, semi-structured interview was carried out to confirm the outcomes of the questionnaire survey and to get a deeper understanding of the findings. 5.6 Administration of Interview survey The 5 respondents from the questionnaire survey who indicated their willingness for further participation in this study were the participants for the interview. This group of interviewees were made up of 2 AC chairpersons , 2 external auditors and 1 finance head. The researcher contacted the interviewees firstly through telephone to book for appointment. The interviewees were later e-mailed the interview agenda(see appendix 3) to enable them know beforehand what will be deliberated and also to confirm the appointments(date and time) The Interviews were conducted on working days through telephone, at the start of each interview, the researcher presented himself, explained the purpose for the study and guaranteed the interviewee the confidentiality of their responses. Each interview lasted for at most 30 minutes. 2 of the participants were interviewed on the same day and the rest of the 3 participants were interviewed on 3 separate days ( all on working days and in the same week).The discussion questions were centered on the participants backgrounds, the attributes of AC (composition, size, qualification, experience),the roles of AC to ensure good corporate governance ,some of the achievements and limitations. The interview ended with words of appreciations from the researcher. All the 5 respondents who opted for the interview made them self-available and their responses supplemented the questionnaire response to give a deeper understanding of the research issue. The high response rate of the questionnaire survey and the interview will make the research findings and discussion very meaningful. Chapter 6; Finding and Discussions 6.1 Introduction This chapter is to discuss the findings of the surveys. The researcher is going to present the findings in 3 main subjects of the survey namely; audit committee operations, relationships and major achievements/challenges. However, it is very necessary to talk about the background of the respondents that participated in this survey. The details are given in the table below. Table 3. Educational qualification of respondents Degree AC chairperson Finance heads secretaries External auditors Total N ° rate N ° rate N ° rate N ° rate N ° rate Bachelor 0 0 1 33.3% 2 66.7% 0 0 3 16% masters 1 33.3% 1 33.3% 1 33.3% 3 30% 6 32% Doctorate 2 66.7% 1 33.4% 0 0 7 70% 10 52% Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 3 100% 3 100% 3 100% 10 100% 19 100% The above table reveals that, out of a sample of 3 for AC chairpersons, 2 chairperson have obtained a doctorate degree as their highest educational qualification(66.7%) and 1 with masters degree(33.3%).In the sample of finance heads,1 had a bachelor degree,1 masters degree and 1 a doctorate degree giving a 33.31% to each degree. In the part of the company secretaries,2 obtained a bachelor degree(66.7%) and 1 a masters degree(33.3%).Lastly for external auditors, out of 10 who responded to the survey(6 where considered unable),3 holds a masters degree(30%) and 7 a doctorate degree(70%).In total, out of 19 respondents who participated in the survey, 3 are holders of bachelor degree(16%),6 holds masters degree(32%) and 10 doctorate degree holders(52%).All the 4 groups of respondent have qualifications and experience in fields related to accounting, finance, economics, marketing and management 6.2 The Operations of AC It has been revealed that all the respondents have established audit committee charters, though only 60% of the charters are updated yearly whereas the 40% specified that their charters are been updated as needs arises. This complies with the literature which says that firms should established a tailor made charter, however this is contradictory with the commendation of yearly updates of charters (Hoi et al ,2007: Rezaee et al, 2003).we can base this on the limited human resource capacities in less developed countries (Mensah, 2002). AC has as their main duty to oversee the companys financial reporting scheme. The AC must have th

Advantages Of Technology In International Trade :: Free Essay Writer

Technology plays a major role in international trade. Databases, overnight delivery and faxes have opened the world market to not only larger companies but small ones too. To add to this globalization, companies and even competitors are combining and forming alliances to cut cost and increase the profit margin. Chrysler, General Motors and Ford have formed an alliance in research and development to avoid duplication. These alliances are not only with domestic companies but they also go over national lines. Companies are pushing for integration of the world economy in hope for increased profits and governments are beginning to listen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since 1986 (GATT) General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade have taken the incitive to move towards the liberalization of international trade. GATT members agreed to reduce tariff and non-tariff trade barriers. From 1986 to the present due to GATT's lead many markets have been open to the United States increasing exports and increasing efficiency through competition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most aggressive liberalization groups to follow GATT's lead is APEC (Asian Pacific Economic Community). APEC consist of 18 countries that account for 1/2 of the worlds output. The three largest economies Japan, China and the United States are members. APEC leaders are committed to achieving free and open trade for the region by 2010. APEC is moving towards this goal through many means including accelerating initial Japanese tariff cuts by 50%. China will also cut a number of tariffs by 30%. Indonesia and other APEC members are also reducing tariffs sharply. What sets APEX at the head of the pack leading liberalization is it wiliness to extend benefits of membership to everyone. APEX is willing to extend the benefits of cuts in tariff and non-tariff barriers to all countries willing to make comparable cuts. This is a major incentive for all countries because the Pacific Rim is the fastest growing market in the world and large profits are to be made there.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To put these cut in trade barriers in perspective lets look at the company Chrysler. Chrysler is introducing a right handed drive version of the neon subcompact to the Japanese consumer. Chrysler plans to sell 4,000 units at their 200 show rooms. They are hoping for even more success with the right handed versions of the Voyager and Wrangler which they plan to introduce next year. With Japanese subsidizes on exports which lead to a high price on Japanese domestic goods, Chrysler should be very competitive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liberalism in trade, though progressive vary a lot with area. The European Union consisting of the countries of western Europe have established a free trade zone between themselves but those areas outside the union deal with

Ancient Mayan Civilization :: Pre-Columbian History Culture

Ancient Mayan Civilization The Ancient Mayan Civilization was built upon a rigid social structure based on their religious beliefs. They used a caste social structure in which divisions were based on wealth, inherited rank, privilege, profession, or occupation. Their beliefs were based on the fact that nature elements had the power to either help or harm. The Ancient Mayans used their social structure and beliefs to shape their daily lives. The Maya were a very religious people. They believed in many gods. All events centred around their religious beliefs. They wanted to stay in favour with the gods. In their belief system, the gods would bring the rain, heal the sick, bring plentiful harvests, and ensure the health and safety of the people if they were honoured. If the gods were angry, they would send drought, famine and disaster to the people. In order to keep the gods happy, they believed that a daily sacrifice of blood was necessary. They would open a wound and let the blood drip onto a paper. The paper would then be burned in an offering to the gods. It was believed that the priests could see the spirits in the smoke.Kings would also give blood offerings, which would please the gods. The Maya had a strong belief in the afterlife. When a king or nobleman died, the Maya people believed that he became one with the gods and would go to live in the sky with them. The Maya worshipped their ancestors as if they were gods. The dead were buried with food, tools, clothing, and whatever would be needed for their journey. Tombs were built to bury their rulers, and sacrifices and special funeral rituals were performed there. Religion was used to explain natural forces that organized the cosmos into an ordered place. Its ideological function was to comfort individuals, unify the society, justify wars, and to demonstrate the authority of ruling elites. At the top of the society were the ruler, k'ul ahau, his family, their retainers, courtiers, and priests. Others, including the most skilled and influential architects, merchants, and craftsmen were also part of the noble elite, providing their skills were useful to the ruler. In both the priesthood and the ruling class, nepotism was the prevailing system under which new members were chosen.Primogeniture was the form under which new kings were chosen as the king passed down his position to his son.

Improving the Educational System Essays -- Education Teaching Learning

Improving the Educational System ï » ¿Teachers are committed to challenging all students to succeed, whatever their abilities, interests, social and cultural background, gender, prior attainment or aspirations. As future teachers, we need to know the aspects of society, so that we can ensure that each one of our students is successful and achieves his or her potential through the education provided. In this paper, I will be using the articles from the Social Class/Race and School Finance section of the class to evaluate the effects of social stratification, cultural capital, and social reproduction, school financing, and school environment. Social stratification lies at the core of society and of the discipline of sociology. Social inequality is a fundamental aspect of virtually all social processes, and a person's position in the stratification system is the most consistent predictor of his or her behavior, attitudes, and life chances. Social stratification links almost all aspects of society together, and therefore understanding what is happening to social stratification helps us understand a wide range of other changes in society. In the article â€Å"Social Class Differences In Family-School Relationships: The Importance of Cultural Capital† by Annette Laureau, summarizes a study of family-school relations and cultural capital. The results(of the study) suggest that social class position and class culture becomes a form of cultural capital in the school setting(Laureau, 1987). The families of working class lacked money, time, individual educational attainment, value of education, and high expectation on their children where as the middle-class families had all the advantages to support their children’s achievement at school. Lareau shows the effortful evidence that parents with resources will be able help their children attain much higher aspiration. This research uses the concepts of social and cultural capital to student behavior. Social capital may take the form of information-sharing channels and networks, as well as social norms, values, and expected behaviors. High status cultural signals include the attitudes, preferences, knowledge, behaviors, possessions, and credentials that function as informal academic standards, and that are generally defined by the dominant class. Individuals who lack the required cultura... ...help to improve the education these students receive. Improving the learning environment is the first step to rebuilding our inner city schools. More importantly, programs for the students and families will improve their future. The educational systems in America have many faults, but if more people become aware, things can only improve. It is hard to make any pinpoint decisions to improve the educational system because it is such a epic problem. I believe as a future teacher, I may be able change things, and with time maybe equal education for everyone won’t be just a far away dream. Bibliography: References Kozol, J.(1991). Life on the Mississippi. In Save inequalities: Children in American’s schools. New York, NY: Harper Perennial Kozol, J.(1991) Other people’s children. In Save inequalities: Children in American’s schools. New York, NY: Harper Perennial Laureau, A(1987) Social class differences in family-school relationships: The importance of cutural capital. Sociology of education, 60, 73-85 MacLeod, J. (1995). Ain’t No Makin’ It: Aspirations and attainment in a low-income neighborhood. Boulder, CO: Westview Press Revised Edition

Schizophrenia and Substance Abuse; Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?

Schizophrenia and Substance Abuse; Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? Terry V. Hites Prof. Bramlage Dual Diagnosis / Co-Occurring Disorders December 6, 2008 Schizophrenia and substance abuse; which came first, the chicken or the egg? This is a greatly debated topic within families of schizophrenics that abuse alcohol.In this paper I hope to explore the prevalence of substance use with those that suffer from schizophrenia, the age of onset and the age of first use, treatment issues, recovery issues, and finally, the issues regarding the high rate of suicidal thoughts, attempts, and completions within this specific population of individuals. â€Å"The 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health in the United States found that over 23% of adults suffering from serious mental illness abused alcohol or other drugs.In the population without a serious mental illness only 8. 2% abused alcohol or other drugs. Among adults who abused alcohol or other drugs, 20. 4% had a serious mental illness† (Cherry, 2007, p. 37). â€Å"Over 75% of people with a co-occurring disorder who were surveyed during treatment reported a history of childhood physical abuse† (p. 38). Interestingly enough, surveys have shown that individuals are readily willing to address their substance abuse but are not so willing to acknowledge their co-occurring mental illness (p. 9-50). â€Å"The lifetime prevalence of substance use disorders (SUD) in schizophrenia is close to 50%. Substance abuse in schizophrenia is associated with numerous negative consequences, including psychotic relapses criminality, homelessness, unemployment, treatment non-compliance, and health problems† (Potvin, 2007, p. 792). In this population, â€Å"substance abuse is highly prevalent† (p. 792) not just used by a few individuals; but people will abuse substances to cope with the negative or positive symptoms of their illness.When looking at the symptoms that they experience, Potvin goes on to sa y, â€Å"addicted schizophrenia patients suffer from more severe depressive symptoms, relative to non-abusing patients† (p. 793). Furthermore, the research also shows that males experience the depression more severe than females (p. 797); the depression scale includes anhedonia, psycho motor retardation, etc. (p. 796). Keith goes on to say, â€Å"Substance abuse affects approximately half of patients with schizophrenia and can act as a barrier to compliance† (2007, p. 59). â€Å"The lifetime prevalence of substance abuse (excluding smoking) in patients with schizophrenia has been estimated to be approximately 35 to 55%† (p. 260). â€Å"In addition to experiencing these more severe symptoms, or potentially also as a result, psychosocial problems such as occupational, housing or financial difficulties and crime are endemic in the dual-diagnosis population† Keith asserts (p. 261). When examining the prevalence of the co-occurring disorders, one would be remi ss to not identify the etiology of each. It could be tempting to conclude that PAS [psychoactive substances] use exacerbates depressive symptoms in a subgroup of schizophrenia patients, because long-term use of alcohol, cannabis and cocaine is associated with depressive symptoms† (Potvin, 2007, p. 797). Although these assertions may be concluded, it is also important to not â€Å"draw inferences about causality, and the reverse explanation cannot be ruled out. That is, severe depressive symptoms may lead patients to use PAS, as proposed by the self-medication hypothesis† (p. 97). â€Å"Psychoactive substance use in juveniles and adults is highly correlated with a number of psychiatric diagnoses, including schizophrenia. Young adults with schizophrenia have a 3 times higher prevalence of substance use disorders (SUD’s) than the corresponding age group in the US general population. † (Hsiao, 2007, p. 88). While the amount of research data on this age group i s limited due to studies not addressing them, it is difficult to generalize the data collected (p. 88). Alcohol and marijuana were the two most commonly abused agents in our sample. This is consistent with population-based studies of adolescents. The onset of substance use preceded the onset of psychosis in all of our subjects with co-occurring SUD and schizophrenia. Therefore, it is possible that substance abuse precipitated or exacerbated psychosis in these subjects. Epidemiological and neuroscientific evidence suggests that substance abuse, especially cannabis abuse, can precipitate psychosis in vulnerable subjects.Their sample of 50,413 male adolescents who were suspected of having behavioral problems, Weiser et al. found that adolescents who self-reported abuse of drugs at age 16-17 years were twice as likely to be hospitalized later for schizophrenia† (p. 95). Hsiao goes on to state that, â€Å"the onset of substance use preceded their reports of psychotic symptoms in 9 0% of the cases† (p. 95). In accordance of the research Keith emphasizes that, â€Å"the onset of substance abuse often occurs before or around the time of onset of schizophrenia.In a study in which 232 patients with first episodes of schizophrenia were interviewed, 62% reported that drug abuse began before the onset of schizophrenia symptoms, and 51% said the same of alcohol abuse. Within this population, 34. 6% of drug abuse and 18. 2% of alcohol abuse began within the same month as the onset of schizophrenia symptoms. In addition, patients with schizophrenia are twice as likely to have had a history of substance abuse at the time of the first episode of schizophrenia than are healthy subjects† (p. 260).Keeping all of these early onset of use issues and early occurrences of the illness in mind there is a tremendous amount of barriers between the individual and their recovery. Next we will explore what issues are barriers to their treatment. â€Å"[T]he realization th at co-occurring problems are best treated with an integrated approach has only recently been recognized by the treatment community† states Cherry, (p. 38-39). Universal screening is needed but many barriers stand in the way of its implementation, from training time to building an infrastructure of clinicians who support everyone being screened, (p. 9). Ultimately, universal screening is as much about the attitudes of administrators and clinicians as it is about having a reliable and valid screen to identify co-occurring disorders. Nonetheless, a screen that is quickly administered, easy to interpret and takes little or no training to administer can break down many of those barriers. Even though there are barriers to instituting a screening procedure during intake, the importance of screening for concurrent substance abuse and mental health problems is crucial in the effort to provide effective treatment for people with a co-occurring disorder† (p. 0). Potvin reminds us i n his research that, â€Å"ideally, depressive symptoms would be measured both during the active phase of substance abuse and after a period of drug withdrawal, to determine whether the observed differences reflect the acute effects of PAS or more stable traits† (p. 797). Likewise, â€Å"[p]ersons with mental heath or substance abuse disorders may not seek help, at least not in the form of professional treatment (i. e. , psychotherapy, medication), because these treatment options are perceived by the person, family, or social network as inappropriate or undesirable† (Kuppin, 2008, p. 20). Kuppin goes on to say, â€Å"[t]hese findings offer important insights for furthering our understanding of how we think about the discrepancy between mental illness and substance abuse prevalence and treatment seeking and adherence† (p. 124). Research echoes with relapse among individuals in this particular population; nonetheless, there are those who investigate options availa ble to improve compliance. â€Å"Many patients with schizophrenia may abuse substances for â€Å"hedonistic† reasons, while others may use them in an attempt to reduce symptoms or distress.Alcohol, in particular, can tend to be used more often than illicit drugs, such as opioids or cannabis, though it has also been reported that patients may turn either to alcohol or illicit drugs to alleviate the negative symptoms inadequately treated, or potentially made worse by conventional antipsychotic and the side effect of dysphoria associated with these agents. However, although patients may believe that substance abuse ameliorates symptoms of schizophrenia, data suggest that many of these underlying symptoms may, in fact, be worsened† (Keith, 2007, p. 260).Therein lies the problem, trying to convince a person that the drug he is using is hurting him, when all he sees is this drug is the only thing that keeps me from hurting myself or others; and in itself that is the lie they tell themselves, they do end up trying to hurt themselves, statistics show it. Additionally, statistics show that non-compliant dual-diagnosed patients account for 57% of hospital readmissions, which is an average of 1. 5 admissions per patient each year (p. 261). â€Å"As schizophrenia is a lifelong illness, it requires long term, uninterrupted treatment to optimize outcomes.The low rate of therapy compliance already associated with schizophrenia can be further compromised when patients are also active substance abusers. Intoxication may impair judgment; reduce motivation to pursue long-term goals and lead to a devaluation of the protection offered by antipsychotic medications, resulting in increased hospital readmissions and significantly more severe symptoms† (p. 262). Treatment is further compromised when a patient does not fully â€Å"buy into† his treatment regime and comply with his doctors, counselors, or therapists.Research shows that several different ways h ave been developed to try to improve compliance such as pharmacologic methods, case management, and assertive community treatment programs; these do help but improved insight and attitudes about schizophrenia has shown to be most helpful for an individual to take ownership for their recovery. â€Å"Moreover, without treatment, many individuals continue to experience several relapses because the untreated disorder is not addressed† (Cherry, 2007, 39). Atypical antipsychotics are recommended for reducing substance abuse in schizophrenia patients and have been shown to be effective in this manner† (Keith, 2007, 259). Studies however do show that those that have developed a strong alliance with their therapist are more likely to comply with a prescribed medication regime (p. 262). Keith additionally adds that, â€Å"treatment for persons who have both schizophrenia and substance abuse was evaluated by incorporating cognitive-behavioral drug relapse prevention strategies in to a skills training method originally developed to teach social and independent living skills to patients with schizophrenia.Results demonstrated that participants learned substance-abuse management skills, and that their drug use decreased. Improvements were also noted in medication adherence, psychiatric symptoms and quality of life† (p. 263). All in all, recovery is possible for the dual-diagnosed patient, but long term treatment and persistence is required; studies have shown that most individuals experience a long line of relapses and several suicidal attempts before fully embracing recovery. Although it is an ugly part of recovery for many of those with schizophrenia, suicidal thoughts and attempts are common. [S]uicide accounts for approximately10-20% of patient deaths in schizophrenia. In this context, the identification of factors contributing to depression in schizophrenia may have implications for the prevention and treatment of these symptoms† (Potvin, 2007, 793). Research has shown that this particular population is at an increased risk after being prescribed clozapine or olanzapine and they are currently abusing substances; likewise an increased awareness needs to be made by those working with these individuals to identify and screen for the suicidal ideation (Keith, 2007, p. 61). In conclusion, the prevalence of schizophrenia and substance abuse is great in this country; as well as the age of onset of symptoms and age of first use. Individual treatment issues as well as recovery issues can act as a barrier to one achieving recovery. Although recovery has been shown to be attainable, suicidal thoughts and attempts can be a major deterrent to many individuals experiencing it; through increased compliance via pharmacological services, case management or other methods, individuals can see it.So, schizophrenia or substance abuse; which came first, the chicken or the egg? I’ll let you decide; personally I will work in the framework of integrated treatment and work with the co-occurring disorder. References Cherry, A. L. , Dillon, M. E. , Hellman, C. M. ,   &  Barney, L. D. (2007). The AC-COD Screen: Rapid Detection of People with the Co-Occurring Disorders of Substance Abuse, Mental Illness, Domestic Violence, and Trauma. Journal of Dual Diagnosis*, [No Volume/Issue], 35-53. Academic Search Complete. Ebsco Host.OSU/Lima Campus Lib. , Lima, OH. 10 October 2008 . Hsiao, R. ,  &   McClellan, J. (2007). Substance Abuse in Early Onset Psychotic Disorders. Journal of Dual Diagnosis*, [No Volume/Issue], 87-99. Academic Search Complete. Ebsco Host. OSU/Lima Campus Lib. , Lima, OH. 10 October 2008 . Keith,  S. (2007). Dual Diagnosis of Substance Abuse and Schizophrenia: Improving Compliance with Pharmacotherapy. Clinical Schizophrenia & Related Psychoses, 1(3), 259-269. Academic Search Complete. Ebsco Host. OSU/Lima Campus Lib. , Lima, OH. 10 October 2008 .Kuppin. (2008). Public Conceptions of Serious Mental Illness and Substance Abuse, Their Causes and Treatments: Findings from the 1996 General Social Survey. American Journal of Public Health, 96(10), S120. Academic Search Complete. Ebsco Host. OSU/Lima Campus Lib. , Lima, OH. 10 October 2008 . Potvin. (2007). Meta-analysis of depressive symptoms in dual-diagnosis schizophrenia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 41(10), 792-799. Academic Search Complete. Ebsco Host. OSU/Lima Campus Lib. , Lima, OH. 10 October 2008 .