Menu Comparison Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Menu Comparison - Research Paper Example Digital displays menus provide digital displays of food and beverages products offered by the restaurant. Online menus utilize the website illustrations of products offered by the restaurants (Goodale 58). This menu comparison paper illustrates the similarities and differences of menus of two popular restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. These restaurants are Saison Restaurant and Maruya restaurant. The Maruya restaurant is operated by Chefs Hide Suyeoshi and Masaki Sasaki. The chefs are both sushi chef trained in Tokyo. The operating philosophy of the chefs entails simplicity presentation of the sushi. In order to get the desired simplicity level, the chefs follow meticulous fish preparation steps. The restaurant also offers the sushi bar. The bar is modeled according to Tokyo style requirements. Maruya’s sushi bar is the most unique aspect in the entire San Francisco Bay Area. The sushi bar is made using 7 inches of the handcrafted Cyprus wood. The wine selection at the Maruya restaurant is carefully selected. Majority of wine products at the Maruya restaurant are French and Italian wines. The wines are used to compliment the fish. For customers who love sake, there are several sake products to choose from; from dry sake to full body sake. Saison restaurant sources each and every item used to make its food and beverage products, from the surrounding areas. Saison illustrates the abundant resources found in the San Francisco bay Area. Every morning, a new menu is developed according to the finest offerings from the network of farms, fisheries and ranches. Saison offers unique American style dining approach. This gives it a competitive advantage in the restaurant sector of San Francisco Bay Area. Therefore, customers get a satisfactory experience due to the unique products and services offered by the restaurant. There are several equipment and materials that are used in preparation and storage of menus. Paper menu is the

Crime in International Context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Crime in International Context - Essay Example The researcher states that application of the state-territorial principle is argued to give rise to a dualistic approach towards a particular crime because of the significant amount of differences between countries’ stance and legislation to tackle to various offenses. The exact nature and limitation of this principle will be discussed through the example of Raymond Davis and Aafia Siddiqui in later parts of the prose to help further understanding of the state-territorial principle and why criminologists need to look beyond it. The substance of this prose will systematically assess all aspects of transnational crimes and demonstrate both national and international contexts in which the crime is prosecuted and demonstrate it primarily through the scourge of human trafficking in the United States. The prose will also assess the strategies adopted by countries to help curb the problem. II. State-Territorial Principle The state-territorial principle dictates that sovereign states are able to prosecute crimes that are committed within their borders and hence, triggers a number of complications when it comes to dealing with crimes that require legislation beyond the country’s borders. The principle bars the country from exercising control and prosecuting the perpetrator outside its border. However, the principle stands null and void for those countries that possess universal jurisdiction or those who have been granted to exercise their control by other principles such as the â€Å"Principle of nationality†, â€Å"the passive personality principle† or the ‘protective principle†. The territorial principle is based on the premise that criminal jurisdiction is based on the place where the crime was perpetrated. Having defined the state territorial principle and the dynamics involved in its application on the prosecution and tackling of crimes, criminologists have often argued that criminology needs to move beyond the state-territor ial principle. It is a logical approach to decide the course of jurisdiction; however, there are several arguments for and against it. As the state-territorial principle bars research analysts from establishing theories to study international and transnational crimes. It is an undeniable fact that every country establishes legislation to tackle crimes according to the perception and gravity of the crime that depends upon the cultural stance of the country. Therefore, in order to pave way for the researcher and establish a more uniform approach to these crimes, it is important to move beyond the state –territorial principle. Furthermore, sometimes people may feel that the culprit of a transnational crime has not received a punishment that is proportional or equal to his or her offence; however, it is the country’s law and regulation that allow that punishment for the crime as a result in order to draw a verdict that is acceptable to the legal system of both countries. S tate territorial principle has been met with a highly dual approach by researchers and critics. Some critics have argued, â€Å"As a matter of convenience crimes should be dealt with by those states whose social order is most closely affected, and in general this will be the state on whose territories the crime are committed†¦

Effective methods of understanding and treating PTSD

Effective methods of understanding and treating PTSD The treatment related publications of the last twenty years places a large amount of attention on determining the most useful psychological therapy for clients with a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder, PTSD. The overall aim of this paper is to critically evaluate current cognitive models of PTSD and literature on the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapies to treat this disorder based on these models. Definitions of PTSD The 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-IV (APA, 1994) defines trauma as: (a) The individual experienced, witnessed or was confronted with an event that involved actual or perceived threat to life or physical integrity; and (b) the individuals emotional response to this event included horror, helplessness or intense fear, Foa and Meadows (1997, p. 450). The psychological symptoms connected with PTSD are categorised into three groups of symptoms in DSM-IV: The main characteristics include re-experiencing (in the form of flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, and distressing dreams), avoidance/numbing and heightened arousal, after the person is subjected to a traumatic incident. (Foa Rothbaurn, 1992). The next group includes avoidance of stimuli trauma-reminding stimuli and symptoms of emotional numbing (Foa, Hearst-Ikeda, Perry, 1995; Litz, 1993). The final symptom group includes heightened arousal e.g. hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, difficulty sleeping and irritability (APA, 1994). Current Government Guidelines on the treatment of PTSD Determining effective and efficient treatments for PTSD has come to be seen as important due to the conditions prevalence and the many techniques and interventions available. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence, NICE, reviewed the most robust outcome research and produced guidelines, to provide information and direction for the psychological management of PTSD in adult sufferers (NICE, 2005). The guidelines were developed from an independent, methodical, rigorous and multistage procedure of selecting, examining and assessing evidence for the successful treatment of PTSD. These guidelines conclude that individuals with PTSD should receive either trauma focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TFCBT) or Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). However, a distinction is made between single incident trauma and more complex presentations, and the guidelines suggest increasing the total number of sessions accordingly. Although the guidelines appear helpful for the tre atment of single incident PTSD, they are arguably not as informative for treatment approaches for a large group of individuals with complex PTSD. This presents difficulties for the clinician and patient in deciding the most effective therapeutic options. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the most extensively studied therapy for individuals with PTSD (Foa Meadows, 1997) and many studies support its efficacy in reducing symptom severity (e.g. Resick Schnicke, 1992; Foa, Rothbaurn, 1992; Foa et al., 1995; Foa Jaycox, 1996; Riggs, Murdock, 1991; Richards, Lovell, Marks, 1994; Thompson, Charlton, Kerry, Lee, Turner, 1995). However, CBT for PTSD encompasses diverse techniques. These include exposure procedures, cognitive restructuring procedures, and combinations of both these techniques. Exposure Therapy Exposure therapy is derived from the idea that imaginal exposure (IE) to the trauma or feared situation, leads to a decrease in symptoms. The theory argues enduring activation of traumatic memories result in processing of the emotional information, lessening of anxiety and assimilation of accurate memories (Foa et al., 1995). Much research has shown that treatment involving exposure therapy is effective in decreasing PTSD symptoms (e.g. Foa et al., 1999; Frueh, Turner, Beidel, Mirabella, Jones, 1996; Keane, Fairbank, Cadell, Zimmering, 1989). Foa, Rothbaum, Riggs, and Murdoch (1991) investigated exposure therapy, stress inoculation (a type of Anxity Management Treatment, AMT), supportive counselling, and a non-treatment group in the management of rape-related PTSD. Clinical measures of symptoms and standardized psychometric tests were examined before and after treatment as well as at a three month follow-up. The stress inoculation intervention showed superior results to the counselling and non-treatment conditions at post-test. However, at the follow-up, the individuals participating in exposure therapy showed more improvements of PTSD symptoms than individuals in the other groups. Research has investigated the efficiency of exposure therapy compared to different methods of treatment. For instance, exposure therapy and cognitive therapy were investigated by Tarrier et al. (1999) for the management of individuals with PTSD arising from various traumatic incidents. Although both approaches demonstrated a noteworthy decrease in PTSD symptoms that was still present at 6-months follow up there was no non-treatment control against which these two treatments could be evaluated. Similarly, Foa et al. (1999) compared exposure therapy to AMT and then combined the two treatments. These three groups were compared to a non-treatment control group. All three of these treatments successfully decreased symptoms of rape-related PTSD and improved more than the non-treatment control group. However there was no significant variation among the treatment groups on outcome measures. In a study that once again compared exposure therapy to cognitive therapy, Marks, Lovell, Noshirvani, Livanou, and Thrasher (1998) examined these two treatments alone and in combination in outpatients with PTSD secondary to a wide range of traumatic events. A relaxation therapy condition was employed as the comparison group. The three active treatment groups demonstrated significant reduction in symptoms compared to the relaxation sample. These intervention groups were not markedly different from on another on the main treatment outcome measures. Several investigations have advanced the field of PTSD treatment, even though the methodology utilized in the outcome study limited the conclusions that could be drawn. Frank and Stewart (1983) reported the effects of systematic desensitization on women who had been raped and who developed significant psychological symptomatology. Compared to an untreated comparison group, those women treated with graduated exposure improved most on a range of anxiety and depression symptom measures. Imaginal and in-vivo exposure was compared in a randomized study of survivors of varying traumatic events (Richards, Lovell, and Marks,1994). At the 12-month follow-up, patients reported consistent reductions in PTSD symptoms and improved social adjustment. This data further substantiates the efficiency of exposure treatment for some individuals, and also suggest that improvements in symptoms are also reflected in critical domains of life functioning. In conclusion, the existing data advocates the use of exposure therapy in the treatment of PTSD. In a previous review of this literature, Solomon, Gerrity, and Muff, (1992), (Sited in Shapiro, 1995) derived the same conclusion from data available at that time. Similar conclusions were drawn by Otto, Penava, Pollack, and Smoller (1996) in a more recent review of the literature. In what may prove to be an important lesson for the treatment of individuals exposed to traumatic events, Foa, Hearst-Ikeda, and Perry (1995) investigated the effectiveness of a short-term intervention to prevent the development of chronic PTSD in females who had been recently raped. The program was based upon that which worked well in earlier trials with chronic PTSD. Exposure therapy figured prominently in the package of treatment and also included elements of education, breathing retraining, and cognitive restructuring. When individuals receiving the package were compared to a control group, this study found that at 2 months post-treatment only ten percent of the treatment sample met the diagnosis for PTSD, while seventy percent of the untreated comparison group did. As information continues to grow on exposure therapy, there is a clear requirement for research to investigate combinations of psychological treatment, to utilize screening measures that consider occupational and social performance, and to access the outcome of interventions on co-morbid psychological difficulties. Unmistakably, the existing empirical research reveals the importance of extending the application of exposure approaches to PTSD patients. However future studies assessing the generalization of exposure therapy from laboratory trials to clinical settings would be particularly useful. When exposure therapy has been compared to other forms of cognitive therapy, such as cognitive restructuring (see below), it has proved to be more successful in reducing PTSD. Tarrier et al., (1999) assigned 72 people with chronic PTSD to either a Cognitive Therapy (CT) group or an imaginal exposure (IE) therapy group, and concluded that there was no noteworthy differentiation between the two treatment conditions initially or at 12 months post treatment. Participants recruited were obtained from a sample of referrals to primary and secondary mental health services and voluntary services, indicating that they were representative of a genuine clinical sample. However, 50% of the sample remained above clinical significance for PTSD symptoms after treatment was completed, although this dropped to 25% at six-month follow-up. This lack of improvement may have been influenced by participants failure to attend sessions regularly. Furthermore, those who did not show improvement rated the trea tment as less convincing and were rated as not as motivated by the clinician. Therefore, it is argued that motivation for therapy and regular attendance plays an important role in outcome of therapy regardless of treatment model. A further limitation of this study was that no control group was used and non-specific treatment factors and spontaneous remission could also account for the improvements in reported symptoms. Cognitive Restructuring Cognitive restructuring is derived from the theory that discovering and altering catastrophic and inaccurate interpretation of the trauma leads to a decrease in symptoms. Some of the latest models have emphasised the significance of altering thinking distortions in the rehabilitation of individuals who have experienced trauma (Ehlers Clarke, 2000). Ehlers, Clark, Hackmann, McManus, and Fennell (2005) utilized cognitive therapy based on the cognitive model of PTSD (see figure 1. Ehlers Clarke, 2000). From this model, the aim of therapy is to alter overly negative interpretations, amend the disturbance in autobiographical recollection and to eliminate the unhelpful behavioural and cognitive strategies (see figure 2, Ehlers et al., 2005). In a randomised controlled trial of twenty-eight participants diagnosed with PTSD. Fourteen participants were assigned at random to cognitive therapy treatment or a 13-week waiting-list condition. Those receiving cognitive therapy had 12 weekly treatment sessions, based on the Ehlers and Clarke (2000) model of trauma focused CBT. Participants completed self-report screenings of anxiety, mood and PTSD symptoms, and the Sheehan Disability Scale (APA, 2000). Measures were administered before and after treatment and at 6-months follow up. Findings revealed that cognitive therapy for PTSD was signifi cantly better than a three month waiting-list group on symptoms of PTSD, disability and symptoms of anxiety and affect. This study had no dropouts, which is a significant improvement on other studies, which yielded high dropout rates, (e.g. Tarrier et al., 1999). Participants displayed a positive change in cognitive appraisals. The Ehlers and Clarke (2000) model suggest that two additional paths of change; alteration in the autobiographical recollection of the trauma, and the discontinuation of maintenance behaviours and cognitive strategies are integral in reducing symptoms of PTSD. While the treatment incorporated these other aspects, these have not been measured systematically, so it is difficult to conclude whether clients experienced a change in these two areas. Further analysis indicated that demographic, trauma and diagnostic variable did not predict intervention results, signifying that the approach is pertinent to a broad scope of individual who have experienced trauma. Conversely, the extent of discrepancy of trauma and small sample numbers suggests that this finding would not be present in a larger sample. Co-morbid depression and previous trauma history, which was present in over half the sample, did not negatively affect outcome. Combinations of therapy Resick and Schnicke (1992) have proffered a multidimensional behavioural treatment for females who have PTSD associated with sexual assault. This treatment, known as cognitive processing therapy (CPT), includes components of exposure therapy, AMT, and cognitive restructuring. The cognitive therapy element of CPT involves tackling central thinking distortions found among females who have been assaulted. These authors have developed interventions which particularly deal with concerns of trust, self-confidence, safety and intimacy in the lives of trauma victims. In a preliminary evaluation of CPT, the authors compared outcomes at pre-treatment, post-treatment, 3 months follow-up, and 6 months follow-up for an intervention group and a non-treatment group (no random assignment was used). On clinician ratings and psychometric inventories of PTSD, the individuals receiving CPT improved significantly. Impressively at the post-treatment assessment, none of the treated patients met criteria fo r PTSD. In another study, Resick, Nishith, and Astin (2000) evaluated CPT and exposure therapy in the management of sexual assault-related PTSD. Both approaches proved successful in general and were more successful than a non-treatment control group. CPT did also seem to reduce comorbid symptoms of depression, as well as those of PTSD. Combination therapy that incorporates a number of cognitive-behavioural techniques have the advantage of addressing various difficulties that individuals with PTSD may experience, in addition to integrating methods that have a considerable scientific evidence base in the clinical literature. An intervention incorporating exposure therapy, AMT, and cognitive restructuring as the main elements for treating PTSD was proposed by Keane, Fisher, Krinsley, and Niles (1994). This treatment utilizes six stages as a means of treating severe and chronic PTSD, it incorporates the following: (1) behavioural stabilization; (2) trauma psycho-education; (3) AMT; (4) trauma focus work; (5) relapse prevention skills; and (6) aftercare procedures. Although this approach has clinical appeal, it wasnt until psychologists Fecteau and Nicki (1999) examined such a package in a randomized clinical trial for PTSD resulting from automobile accidents that the impact of a combination package such as that proposed by Keane et al. (1994) was assessed. Their intervention consisted of psycho-education, relaxation, exposure, cognitive restructuring, and guided behavioural exercises. Patients were randomly assigned to the treatment group or non-treatment comparison group and received some 8-10 sessions of individualized treatment. The outcome of the treatment was effective as assessed by clinical ratings, self-report questionnaires, and lab-based psycho-physiological evaluation methods. Described by the authors as clinically and statistically significant, these treatment outcomes were sustained at the 6-month post treatment evaluation. Bryant, Moulds, Guthrie, Dang, and Nixon (2003) studied the effects of IE alone or IE with CR in the treatment of PTSD. They hypothesised a CR and IE treatment combination would lead to significantly better decrease in PTSD symptoms than exposure on its own, which would be more beneficial than a supportive counselling condition. Fifty-eight civilian trauma victims, diagnosed with PTSD as measured by the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale, version II, CAPS-2, (Blake et al., 1995) were randomly allocated to one of the 3 conditions. Each participant received eight weekly 90-minute sessions of either IE, CR and IE or supportive counselling. Participants completed assessments at pre and post intervention and six months following. These measured PTSD symptoms and psychopathology. Forty-five participants completed treatment and analysis indicated that dropouts had higher scores for depression, avoidance and higher catastrophic cognitions than those who completed. Results indicated that parti cipants receiving both IE and IE/CR had a siginifcantly better decrease in PTSD symptoms and anxiety than supportive counselling (SC). The main revelation of this investigation was that treatment comprising of IE and CR leads to significantly better reductions in CAPS-II scores compared to treatment involving IE alone. Furthermore, those receiving IE/CR, but not IE on its own, gave accounts of less avoidance, depression and catastrophic thoughts than individuals in receipt SC. The findings from this research indicated that the combination of IE and CR are successful in decreasing symptoms of PTSD. It can be argued that the reasons why IE/CR may have been more effective than augmented treatments in the past (e.g. Foa et al., 1999) was that the research prudently controlled for the duration of time spent on every section of treatment. Furthermore, participants were instructed on CR before commencing IE so they understood the rationale behind the techniques prior to addressing the strong emotional components of IE. This may have increased their understanding and belief that it was a credible treatment approach. The outcome that CR improved the benefits of IE treatment could have been a result of a number of likely mechanisms. IE and CR may consist of similar aspects, such as processing of emotional memories, amalgamation of corrective information and acomplishment of self-mastery (Marks, 2000). Combining the two approaches may give the patient more chances to achieve treatment gains. CR may have lead to greater decrease in symptoms as it explicitly attended to identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts that may add to the maintenance of PTSD and related difficulties (Ehlers Clarke, 2000). Paunovic and Ost (2001), compared treatment outcome data for CBT and exposure therapy for sixteen refugees with PTSD. The authors excluded those who became too distressed in the initial interview, expressed a lack of confidence in the therapist or were misusing alcohol or drugs. Results indicated there was no significant difference between participants completing CBT or exposure therapy, being similar to Tarrier et als (1999) findings. Criticisms of Paunovic and Ost (2001)s study are that participants did not use a self-report trauma measure, so although results are positive, there is no clear analysis of whether participants felt their trauma symptoms decreased as a result of the treatment. Further, it is not possible to generalise these findings to traumatised refugees in general, as this work is unique. Working with the use of an interpreter raises several ethical and sensitive issues, as the participant must be able to develop a therapeutic alliance with the therapist and trust the interpreter (Tribe, 2007). It could be argued that participants may have been experiencing a greater degree of trauma, not least because they had not yet learned the native language. Discussion The most successful CBT treatments seem to be those that involve repeated exposure to the traumatic memory (Foa et al., 1991; Foa et al., 1999; Foa Rothbaum, 1992) on cognitive restructuring of the interpretation of the traumatic event, (Ehlers Clarke, 2000) or a combination of these approaches, (Resick Schnicke, 1992). Importantly, studies have concluded that trauma focused CBT is more successful than supportive counselling (Blanchard et al., 2003; Bryant et al., 2003). Whilst the studies reviewed have helpfully added to our understanding of PTSD there are numerous limitations of the applications of the findings. One in particular is an over-reliance on non-clinical samples of participants such that many claims of clinically effective therapy have been made from research with participants who were not within mental health systems, and despite having PTSD symptoms had not actively sought treatment. In addition, dropout rates in studies are high, particularly for those studies that did not use a clinical sample. This might have skewed the evidence particularly with approaches that used exposure-based therapy. Furthermore, most of the studies reviewed screened out those individuals experiencing the greatest amount of distress, avoidance and co-morbidity. Therefore results are biased towards those clients who were able to tolerate treatment and whose symptoms were not as chronic. Indeed, inclusion and exclusion criteria appear to have a great impact on outcome of treatment. For example, studies with a strict inclusion criteria (e.g. no co-morbidity, substance misuse, self harm) appear to have significant improvements, whilst other studies i.e. Kubany et al., (2003), allowed participants to continue with other therapy while embarking on their therapy. This makes it methodologically difficult to ascertain exactly what has been effective in reducing PTSD symptoms. As inclusion and exclusion criteria are idiosyncratic across studies, it makes it difficult to draw general conclusions regarding treatment effectiveness with a clinical population across studies. Studies often chose to focus therapy on identified groups, e.g. police officers. However, clients who experience PTSD do not form a homogeneous group and further, the symptoms experienced may be diverse even within a sample of individuals who have experienced the same trauma. Treatment studies often do not control for other factors that may be important contributing factors in outcome such as the role of education, quality of the therapeutic relationship, therapeutic alliance and other nonspecific factors. The literature was generally from American, British or European sources although clearly trauma is intercultural. This raises issues about how different cultures interpret PTSD, an essentially Western concept, and also whether the treatments advocated would be effective cross-culturally. Previous research has strongly indicated that PTSD is not an appropriate term to use in non-western situations (Summerfield, 1997), hence therapeutic approaches need to account for this. It is not clear in the majority of studies when the participant experienced the trauma, and at what point therapy started. Frequently these characteristics are omitted from studies, therefore making it difficult to compare effectiveness of studies. It is essential to think about the types of individuals that have been represented in the research and to look at whether it is representative of those who seek treatment. Finally, very little has been reported on the impact of other difficulties an individual is experiencing as PTSD can have a broad ranging effect on an individuals quality of life and functioning and most often clients have more complex presentations. Only very few studies reviewed controlled for this variable (see Ehlers et al., 2005). This is an inherent difficulty when completing resea rch with a trauma population as within research it is important to obtain a sample that have a similar degree of difficulties in order to assess treatment efficacy. Several papers have evaluated different types of therapy according to particular groups. However, it appears that one size does not fit all in relation to PTSID. In particular the issues of culture and gender are of importance (see Liebling Ojiambo-Ochieng, 2000; Sheppard, 2000). Individual formulations of presenting problems and contexts, which informs therapy that is adapted to suit individual clients needs, may in fact be more helpful. It remains important to consider individual differences and client choice when offering trauma therapy. Trauma therapy outcome studies are limited by the fact that sufferers usually have other mental health problems alongside PTSD such as depression or social anxiety. Evaluation of effective treatment of trauma survivors therefore might need to go beyond medical diagnostic categories as most of the research excludes clients with co-morbid problems. A multifaceted intervention, based on clients own views, which addressed these other difficulties, could assist in decreasing relapse and greaten the long-lasting effectiveness of any PTSD intervention. As outlined in the methodological limitations section, much of the research reviewed has not used a genuine clinical sample, there are high dropout rates, widely variable inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the heterogeneity of PTSD has perhaps not yet been accounted for. It is therefore difficult to ascertain what is specifically helpful or effective within the treatment components. This seems to be the next area for consideration in resea rch. Further research into the optimal length of treatment and timing of therapy, the effect of co-morbidity and the differing effects of individual and group therapy approaches for traumatised clients are required. Further controlled research is needed to ascertain if the types of therapies reviewed can provide long term lasting effects in reducing PTSD symptomatology. At present the scientific evidence is mainly restricted to the evaluation of short term, focused treatment approaches, and it would be helpful to have controlled studies on longer-term interventions for more complex cases of trauma. Further research would benefit from considering the clients views and experiences of therapy, this perspective was lacking in the literature reviewed. Service user and carer perspectives are beyond the scope of this review, however they have been highlighted as an important consideration within the NICE guidelines and therefore require further consideration in future research. Conclusion There appear to be at least three approaches with exceptional empirical evidence for treating PTSD; exposure therapy, cognitive therapy or a combination of these methods. These three interventions have empirical validation in well-controlled clinical trials, demonstrate strong treatment effect sizes, and seem to work well across varied populations of trauma sufferers. However future research to examine the efficacy of these methods in clinical environments is necessary. There is much to be learned about the treatment of PTSD. It is certain there will be no simple answers for treating people who have experienced the most horrific events life offers. Undoubtedly, combinations of treatments as proposed by Keane et al. (1994) and Resick and Schnicke (1992) may prove to be the most powerful interventions. PTSD research in this area is only in the earliest stages of its development. Finally, an assumption about the uniformity of traumatic events has been made in the literature in general. Although it is reasonable to speculate that fundamental similarities exist among patients who have experienced diverse traumatic events and then develop PTSD, whether these patients will respond to clinical interventions in the same way is an empirical question that has yet to be addressed. Studies posing a question such as this would be a welcome addition to the clinical literature: Will people with PTSD resulting from combat, torture, genocide, and natural disasters all improve as well as those treated successfully following rape, motor vehicle accidents, and assaults? This is a crucial issue that requires additional scientific study in order to provide clinicians with the requisite evidence supporting the use of available techniques. Research on the prevalence of exposure to traumatic events and the prevalence of PTSD has mainly been carried out in the United States. Yet there are fundamental errors in assuming that these prevalence rates apply even to other Western, developed countries. Studies that examine the prevalence of PTSD and other disorders internationally are clearly warranted. Implicit in this recommendation is the need to examine the extent to which current assessment instrumentation is culturally sensitive to the ways in which traumatic reactions are expressed internationally. Much work on this topic will be required before definitive conclusions regarding prevalence rates of PTSD internationally can be drawn. Studies of the effectiveness of the psychological treatments across cultures and ethnic groups are also needed. What may be effective for Western populations may be inadequate or possibly even unacceptable treatment for people who reside in other areas of the world and who have different world views, beliefs, and perspectives. This issue will need to be more closely examined before we can draw definitive conclusions. It is suggested that despite the type of treatment provided to individuals with trauma there is ultimately a necessity for a flexible, integrative approach to treatment in order to address the multifaceted and changing requirements of individual trauma survivors. A range of outcomes has been revealed with the types of treatments outlined in this review, it is uncertain which individuals will respond greatest to various treatment approaches. Nevertheless, what is important in determining the effectiveness of any psychological treatment of PTSD is that it is reliant upon forming and upholding a therapeutic alliance that is strong enough for the client to experience as safe and trusting for positive emotional modifications to take place.

Impact of Unemployment on the Family Essay -- Economics, Unemployment E

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to understand the effects that unemployment has on the family as a whole. In today’s society being unemployed impacts greatly on almost every aspect of an individual’s life and depending on their personal circumstances, it is likely to impact on other family members lives too. Today, the possibility of loosing your job looms on the horizon for many of us. Up until a few months ago I was among the millions of people that is unemployed. Dealing with the loss of job is very similar to the emotions one feels when they experience loss through a divorce or death of a loved one. Unemployment carries an array of emotions ranging from stress, fear, anxiety, and depression. Unemployment contributes to low self-esteem and to family instability, decreased family relations, and in some cases family violence. Lessons can emerge from those who cope well with unemployment, but the immediate goal is to survive emotionally and financially until you have a clear direction for you and your family. In my research paper I will explore not just the individual directly, but the economical and psychological affects unemployment have on the family as a whole. Current Picture: A substantial number of workers living in families have experienced some type of lay off. The unemployment rate has skyrocketed, leaving families to deal with the economical and psychological effects of unemployment. According to the Illinois Department of Unemployment the ILLINOIS JOBLESS RATE increased to 6.5% in February. CHICAGO -- The Illinois unemployment rate rose from 6.3% to 6.5% (seasonally adjusted) in February, as payroll jobs dropped slightly from a year ago, according to statistics released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). â€Å"Employer payrolls, after adding jobs in January, posted a modest job decline in February, as businesses again postponed hiring due to uncertainties about the economy,† said IDES Director Brenda A. Russell. â€Å"While job gains were recorded in seven of the state’s 12 major industry groups, they were outweighed by continued losses in Manufacturing, and in the Transportation/Warehousing sec tor. These losses brought total payrolls down marginally from their year-ago count.† The total number of people working in the state fell 42,200 to 5,954,700 in February, a decline of 0.7%. The number of unemployed rose 9,700... ...ar greater than the cost of getting treatment. Consult your local mental health clinics, social services agencies or professional counselors for help for yourself and family members who are affected by your unemployment. Some assistance may be covered by your health insurance or, if you do not have insurance, counseling is often available on a "sliding scale" fee, based on income. Change is difficult: Denial: At this stage you will minimize or just deny what has happened. You may even pretend what happened is great! In which some cases this may be true, in order to give an individual a reason to go ahead and open a business, or switch careers that they have been wanting to do for a while. Resistance: Blaming others for what occurred. Experience: You’ll fully experience the change and the reality of it. You may feel a sadness that you can’t continue on in your old situation. (family and friends can help at this stage by creating a positive attitude during this stage). Acceptance: You start accepting the situation for what it is. This helps you to let go! And began to think about your next steps. Reference: http://64.239.109.64/advice/articles/layoff/default.htm

Volume Variety Matrix

Volume-variety and design In Chapter 1 the four V’s of operations were described. These were volume, variety, variation and visibility. The first two of these – volume and variety – are particularly important when considering design issues in operations management. Not only do they usually go together (high variety usually means low volume, high volume normally means low variety) but together they also impact on the nature of products and services and processes which produce them. The volume and variety of an operation’s activities are particularly influential in determining the way it thinks about its performance objectives.The figure below illustrates how the definitions of quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost are influenced by the volume-variety position of the operation. [pic] Quality Quality in a low volume-high variety process such as an architects’ practice, for example, is largely concerned with the final aesthetic appearance of the building and the appropriateness of its detailed design. In an exceptionally high volume-low variety process, such as an electricity supply company, quality is exclusively concerned with error-free service – electricity must be constantly available in the correct form (in terms of voltage, frequency, etc. . The meaning of quality has shifted from being concerned primarily with the performance and specification of the product or service towards conformity to a predefined standard, as we move from low volume-high variety operations through to high volume-low variety operations. Speed Speed for the architects’ practice means negotiating a completion date with each client, based on the client’s needs and the architects’ estimates of how much work is involved in each project. Speed is taken to its extreme in the electricity utility where speed means literally instant delivery.No electricity company could ask its customers to wait for their ‘delive ry’ of electricity. Speed therefore means an individually negotiated delivery time in low volume-high variety operations, but moves towards meaning ‘instant’ delivery in some high volume-low variety operations. Dependability Dependability in processes such as the architects’ practice means keeping to each individually negotiated delivery date. In continuous operations, dependability often means the availability of the service itself. A dependable electricity supply is one which is always there.So dependability has moved from meaning ‘on-time delivery’ in low volume-high variety operations to ‘availability’ in high volume-low variety operations. Flexibility Flexibility in low volume-high variety processes such as the architects’ practice means the ability to design many different kinds of buildings according to its clients’ various requirements. With the electricity company’s process, the need for product flexi bility has disappeared entirely (electricity is electricity, more or less) but the ability to meet almost instantaneous demand changes through volume flexibility is vital if the company is to maintain supply.Flexibility has moved from meaning product flexibility in low volume-high variety operations to volume flexibility in high volume-low variety operations. Cost Cost, in terms of the unit cost per product or service, varies with both the volume of output of the operation and the variety of products or services it produces. The variety of products or services in low-volume operations is relatively high, which means that running the operation will be expensive because of the flexible and high skill levels employed. Further, because the volume of output is relatively low, a few products or services are bearing the operation’s high cost base.Also, and more significantly for the operation, the cost of each product or service is different. At the other end of the scale, high-volu me operations usually produce similar products or services, output is high, so that whatever the base cost of the operation, it is shared among a high number of products or services. Cost per unit of output is therefore usually low for operations such as the electricity utility but, more significantly, the cost of producing one second of electricity is the same as the next second. Cost is relatively constant. Copyright  © 1995-2010, Pearson Education, Inc. Legal and Privacy Terms | [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] LINE. When product demand is high enough, the appropriate process is the assembly line. Often, this process (along with continuous; both are in the lower-right quadrant of the matrix) is referred to as mass production. Laborers generally perform the same operations for each production run in a standard and hopefully uninterrupted flow. The assembly line treats all outputs as basically the same.Firms characterized by this process are generally heavily automated, utilizing special- purpose equipment. Frequently, some form of conveyor system connects the various pieces of equipment used. There is usually a fixed set of inputs and outputs, constant throughput time, and a relatively continuous flow of work. Because the product is standardized, the process can be also, following the same path from one operation to the next. Routing, scheduling, and control are facilitated since each individual unit of output does not have to be monitored and controlled.This also means that the manager's span of control can increase and less skilled workers can be utilized. The product created by the assembly-line process is discrete; that is, it can be visually counted (as opposed to continuous processes which produce a product that is not naturally divisible). Almost everyone can think of an example of assembly-line manufacturing (automobile manufacturing is probably the most obvious). Examples of assembly lines in services are car washes, class registration in universities, and many fast food operations.Because the work-in-process equipment is organized and sequenced according to the steps involved to produce the product and is frequently connected by some sort of conveyor system, it is characterized as flowing in a line. Even though it may not be a straight line (some firms utilize a U-shaped assembly line) we say that it has a connected line flow. Also, firms in the lower-right quadrant (line and continuous) are classified as having a product layout. Continuous manufacturing involves lot-less production wherein the product flows continuously rather than being divided. A basic material is passed through successive operations (i. e. refining or processing) and eventually emerges as one or more products. This process is used to produce highly standardized outputs in extremely large volumes. The product range is usually so narrow and highly standardized that it can be characterized as a commodity. Considerable capital investment is required, so demand for co ntinuous process products must be extremely high. Starting and stopping the process can be prohibitively expensive. As a result, the processes usually run 24 hours a day with minimum downtime (hence, continuous flow). This also allows the firm to spread their enormous fixed cost over as large a base as possible.The routing of the process is typically fixed. As the material is processed it usually is transferred automatically from one part of the process to the next, frequently with self-monitoring and adjusting. Labor requirements are low and usually involve only monitoring and maintaining the machinery. Typical examples of industries utilizing the continuous process include gas, chemicals, electricity, ores, rubber, petroleum, cement, paper, and wood. Food manufacture is also a heavy user of continuous processing; especially water, milk, wheat, flour, sugar and spirits.Read more: Product-Process Matrix – strategy, organization, system, examples, manager, company, business, c ompetitiveness, system http://www. referenceforbusiness. com/management/Or-Pr/Product-Process-Matrix. html#ixzz24d4V1uTD [pic] [pic] USING THE MATRIX The product-process matrix can facilitate the understanding of the strategic options available to a company, particularly with regard to its manufacturing function. A firm may be characterized as occupying a particular region in the matrix, determined by the stages of the product life cycle and its choice of production process(es) for each individual product.By incorporating this dimension into its strategic planning process, the firm encourages more creative thinking about organizational competence and competitive advantage. Also, use of the matrix provides a natural way to involve manufacturing managers in the planning process so they can relate their opportunities and decisions more effectively with those of marketing and of the corporation itself, all the while leading to more informed predictions about changes in industry and the firm's appropriate strategic responses. Each process choice on the matrix has a unique set of characteristics.Those in the upper-left quadrant of the matrix (job shop and batch) share a number of characteristics, as do those in the lower-right quadrant (assembly line and continuous). Upper-left firms employ highly skilled craftsmen (machinists, printers, tool and die makers, musical instrument craftsmen) and professionals (lawyers, doctors, CPAs, consultants). Hence upper-left firms can be characterized as labor intensive. Since upper-left firms tend to utilize general-purpose equipment, are seldom at 100 percent capacity, and employ workers with a wide range of skills, they can be very flexible.However, there is a difficult trade-off between efficiency and flexibility of operations. Most job shops tend to emphasize flexibility over efficiency. Since efficiency is not a strong point of upper-left firms, neither is low-cost production. Also, the low volume of production does not allo w upper-left firms to spread their fixed costs over a wide enough base to provide for reduced costs. Finally, upper-left firms are also more likely to serve local markets. Lower-right firms require production facilities that are highly specialized, capital intensive, and interrelated (therefore, inflexible).Labor requirements are generally unskilled or semi-skilled at most. Much of the labor requirement deals with merely monitoring and maintaining equipment. Lower-right firms are also more likely to serve national markets and can be vertically integrated. Hayes and Wheelwright relate three areas affected by the use of the product-process matrix: distinctive competence, management, and organization. DISTINCTIVE COMPETENCE. Distinctive competence is defined as the resources, skills, and organizational characteristics that give a firm a comparative advantage over its competitors.Simply put, a distinctive competence is the characteristic of a given product that causes the buyer to purch ase it rather than the similar product of a competitor. It is generally accepted that the distinctive competencies are cost/price, quality, flexibility and service/time. By using the product-process matrix as a framework, a firm can be more precise about its distinctive competence and can concentrate its attention on a restricted set of process decisions and alternatives and a restricted set of marketing alternatives.In our discussion, we have seen that the broad range of worker skills and the employment of general-purpose equipment give upper-left firms a large degree of flexibility while the highly specialized, high-volume environment of lower-right firms yields very little in the way of flexibility. Therefore, flexibility would be a highly appropriate distinctive competence for an upper-left firm. This is especially true when dealing with the need for flexibility of the product/service produced. Lower-right firms find it very difficult to sidetrack a high-volume operation because of an engineering change in the product.An entire line would have to be shut down while tooling or machinery is altered and large volumes of possibly obsolete work-in-process are accounted for. Upper-left firms, however, would have none of these problems with which to contend. It must be noted though that lower-right firms may possess an advantage regarding flexibility of volume. Quality may be defined a number ways. If we define quality as reliability, then lower-right firms could claim this as a distinctive competence. Lower-right firms would have the high volume necessary to quickly find and eliminate ugs in their product, yielding more reliability to the end user. However, if we define quality as quality of design (that is, â€Å"bells and whistles†Ã¢â‚¬â€things that embody status, such as leather seats in an automobile or a handcrafted musical instrument), then quality would be seen as a possible distinctive competence of upper-right firms. Service may also be defined in more ways than one. If one defines service as face-to-face interaction and personal attention, then upper-left firms could claim service as a distinctive competence. If service is defined as the ability to provide the product in a very short period of time (e. . , overnight), then service as a distinctive competence would belong to lower-right firms. Finally, remember that high volume, economies of scale, and low cost are characteristics of firms in the lower-right quadrant of the matrix. Upper-left firms produce low volumes (sometimes only one) and cannot take advantage of economies of scale. (Imagine, for instance, what you would have to pay for a handcrafted musical instrument. ) Therefore, it is obvious that price or cost competitiveness is within the domain of lower-right firms. MANAGEMENT.In general, the economics of production processes favor positions along the diagonal of the product-process matrix. That is, firms operating on or close to the diagonal are expected to out perform firms choosing extreme off-diagonal positions. Hayes and Wheelwright provide the example of a firm positioned in the upper-right corner of the matrix. This would appear to be a commodity produced by a job shop, an option that is economically unfeasible. A firm positioned in the lower-left corner would represent a unique one-time product produced by a continuous process, again not a feasible option.Both examples are too far off the diagonal. Firms that find themselves too far off the diagonal invite trouble by impairing their ability to compete effectively. While firms operating in the near vicinity, but not exactly on the diagonal, can be niche players, positions farther away from the diagonal are difficult to justify. Rolls Royce makes automobiles in a job shop environment but they understand the implications involved. Companies off the diagonal must be aware of traps it can fall into and implications presented by their position. Also, a firm's choice of roduct-process posi tion places them to the right or left of competitors along the horizontal dimension of the matrix and above or below its competitors along the vertical dimension of the matrix. The strategic implications are obvious. Of course, a firm's position on the matrix may change over time, so the firm must be aware of the implications and maintain the capability to deal with them appropriately. The matrix can provide powerful insights into the consequences of any planned product or process change. Use of the product-process matrix can also help a firm define its product.Hayes and Wheelwright relate the example of a specialized manufacturer of printed circuit boards who produced a low-volume, customized product using a highly connected assembly-line process. Obviously, this would place them in the lower-left corner of the matrix; not a desirable place to be. This knowledge forced the company to realize that what they were offering was not really circuit boards after all, but design capability . So, in essence, they were mass-producing designs rather than the boards themselves. Hence, they were not far off the diagonal at all.ORGANIZATION. Firms organize different operating units so that they can specialize on separate portions of the total manufacturing task while still maintaining overall coordination. Most firms will select two or more processes for the products or services they produce. For example, a firm may use a batch process to make components for products, which are constructed on assembly lines. This would be especially true if the work content for component production or the volume needed was not sufficient for the creation of a dedicated line process.Also, firms may need separate facilities for different products or parts, or they may simply separate their production within the same facility. It may even be that a firm can produce the similar products through two different process options. For example, Fender Musical Instruments not only mass produces electri c guitars (assembly line) but also offers customized versions of the same product through the Fender Custom Shop (job shop). Again, the matrix provides a valuable framework for diagnostic use in these situations.OTHER USES OF THE PRODUCT-PROCESS MATRIX Additional uses of the matrix include: †¢ Analyzing the product entry and exit. †¢ Determining the appropriate mix of manufacturing facilities, identifying the key manufacturing objectives for each plant, and monitoring progress on those objectives at the corporate level. †¢ Reviewing investment decisions for plants and equipment in terms of their consistency with product and process plans. †¢ Determining the direction and timing of major changes in a company's production processes. Evaluating product and market opportunities in light of the company's manufacturing capabilities. †¢ Selecting an appropriate process and product structure for entry into a new market. It should be noted that recent empirical resea rch by Sohel Ahmad and Roger G. Schroeder found the proposed relationship between product structure and process structure to be significant but not strong. In general terms, they found that as the product life cycle changes the process life cycle also shifts in the consistent direction, but not necessarily along the diagonal.Some 60 percent of the firms studied did not fall on the diagonal. The researchers propose that this occurred because new management and technological initiatives have eliminated or minimized some of the inherent trade-offs found on the Product-Process Matrix. They classify these initiatives as processing technology, product design and managerial practice (e. g. , TQM and JIT). Therefore, Ahmad and Schroeder recommend that the matrix be conceptualized as having three axes instead of two.They propose an x-axis (product life cycle stages), a y-axis (process life cycle stages), and a z-axis that represents an organization's proactive effort towards adopting and imp lementing these innovative initiatives. As a firm moves away from the origin along the z-axis, it becomes able to minimize some of the trade-offs seen in the Product-Process Matrix framework. Read more: Product-Process Matrix – strategy, organization, system, examples, manager, company, business, competitiveness, system http://www. referenceforbusiness. com/management/Or-Pr/Product-Process-Matrix. h tml#ixzz24d4lyOQ5 [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic]

A Beautiful Mind takes place over the course of forty seven years in John Nash’s life

A Beautiful Mind takes place over the course of forty seven years in John Nash's life. It is based on a true story. The film begins with John Nash as he is entering into graduate school at Princeton in the late 1940's and lasts through the reception of his Nobel Prize in 1994. During his schooling he lives on campus alone, but a few years after he graduates, he meets Alicia Larde. Eventually he marries her, and they move in to together and have a son. Throughout the span of the film he develops schizophrenia and his condition progresses, until he is diagnosed, after which treatment is implemented. He seems to suffer from schizophrenia paranoid type, because of the prominence of his delusions, as well as his numerous interpersonal problems. The first symptom that John Nash displays which can be used to classify him clinically as schizophrenic is disturbance of language. When he is working on a difficult mathematics problem, or walking from one place to another, he mutters unintelligible things to himself. Often when coming out of one of his hallucinations he is under a lot of stress and begins talking nonsense, such as when he was giving his infant son a bath. When his wife returned to find the baby nearly drowning, John Nash insists, even though he is alone in the room, that his old college roommate, who doesn't exist, was watching the baby. Further, he claims that Charles was injected with a sort of serum that made him invisible. The meaning of his claims doesn't make sense within the context of the situation. Also, at the beginning of the movie, in response to a challenge, he tells his classmate that he is â€Å"terrified, mortified, petrified, and stupefied,† by him, which could be a form of clanging, although it actually makes sense. His disturbance of language mainly results from his disruption of perception, which includes rather complex hallucinations. The first hallucination he has, which follows him for the rest of his life, is his roommate, Charles Herman, whom he ‘meets' in graduate school. Soon after, John Nash is introduced to six year old Marcee, Charles' niece. After graduating, and being appointed to a position at Wheeler Lab, his work with the government prompts another hallucination-this time of a top secret government investigator, a William Parcher, who goes on to give Nash an assortment of ‘assignments. The many delusions that he suffers can be classified under disturbance of thought. First of all he exhibits delusions of grandeur. He estimates himself at such a high importance level that he feels as though he is invincible, and should not be capable of losing-even in a board game. Also after doing minor work with the government, he thinks he's a spy, allowing him to work with top secret government documents, but that is just a part of his delusions of grandeur. Really believing he is a spy has to do with his confused sense of self. Being a spy is a position he has created for himself. Even after being forcibly admitted to the psychiatric hospital, he continues to believe they are his enemies, that they hospital staff are merely Russians trying to trick him into divulging his secrets. He's so paranoid, that when his wife, Alicia, comes to visit at the hospital, he warns her that ‘they' may be listening through microphones. John Nash feels persecuted by his friends and the doctors. He thinks they are simply out to get him, because he cannot realize the condition he is in. There are two clear examples of inappropriate emotion that Nash exhibits in this film. When he is studying in the library at Princeton, he casually mentions how he watched a woman get mugged, and then continues to display the mathematical equation he drew depicting the event. As his hallucination of Charles Herman points out to him, it's not normal to sit by calmly and watch as a woman's purse gets stolen. Second of all, when his baby nearly drowns because of his carelessness, he does not seem very upset, and cannot understand why his wife is so distraught. John Nash can be considered abnormal by evaluating him under several characteristics. All of these symptoms that he displays throughout the movie fit the criteria perfectly. First off he shows a deviation from normal and ideal mental health. People in his life began to notice that something is just not right with John. His wife finds herself in denial, but near the end she sees it, too. Because of his condition he suffers from nearly constant personal distress and discomfort. His classmates taunt him, and even losing a simple game with one of them upsets him and sends him off running, mumbling to himself in a disturbed way. His frustration with himself at not being able to solve math problems or come up with a topic for his doctorate thesis, interfere with his functioning in everyday life. He spends the majority of his time obsessing over his work-real and imagined. Hours and hours every night he pores over magazines for his government â€Å"boss† (one of his hallucinations) trying to discern top secret codes and patterns, but in reality he is just idling away his time that should be spent with his family or performing his job. He can't seem to control his obsession with following the instructions his hallucinations give him to the point where it impairs his functioning as an instructor, a husband, and a father. He's a danger to himself, as well as to others. In graduate school in a fit of frustration he cracks his head against a glass window, cutting his head open, and once committed to the psychiatric hospital he digs a hole in his arm until he starts bleeding, trying to find the secret code he believes is implanted in his skin. Dr. Rosen, the psychologist, after a careful examination of John Nash, gives him the professional diagnosis of schizophrenia. Of the two types of schizophrenia, reactive and process, John Nash is most likely suffering from process schizophrenia, because of factors involving the way the disease progressed. His symptoms developed gradually, beginning as early as graduate school in Princeton, when he first started ‘seeing' his college roommate, Charles Herman-rather than resulting from a specific precipitating stressor. The symptoms began, as noted, supposedly close to the time when he begins graduate school, and continue to get progressively worse as time passes, lasting throughout his entire life. This type of schizophrenia has a poorer prognosis compared to the sudden-onset Reactive schizophrenia, and even though the doctors administer insulin shock and prescribe pills for John Nash, his symptoms still persist into his old age. This film begins simultaneously with John Nash's entrance into graduate school, and that is also when development of his schizophrenic symptoms began. Despite the fact that the film does not give evidence of his pre-morbid personality, it can be inferred that Nash has always had social problems. At one point he informs his ‘roommate' that he doesn't much like people, and neither do people much like him, which leads the audience to believe that he has struggled with social relationships for most of his life. In the several bar scenes, he attempts conversations with women, but finds himself lacking the social skills necessary to keep any of their favors the moment he opens his mouth to speak. In his opening line to one girl he proposes â€Å"intercourse,† in addition to mentioning something regarding â€Å"the exchange of fluids. † And his best friend in the world turns out to be a hallucination. John Nash manages to maintain only one close relationship during the entire film, and that is to his wife, Alicia-and even that tie becomes stressed when his symptoms began to increase in severity. To put John Nash's behavior into a theoretical framework, both of his methods of treatment can be taken into account. His doctors at the psychiatric hospital administer him a vigorous program of insulin shocks to begin treatment. After which he is put on a prescription of drugs to control his symptoms. According to the Biological theory his schizophrenia had to be caused by some abnormality in his genes, resulting in either a dysfunction in his nervous or endocrine systems. To correct for this Dr Rosen, his doctor, prescribed a course of medical treatments, which seemed to work, because Nash's hallucinations, as well as other symptoms, went away. The medicine had unpleasant side effects for Nash-interfering in his work because he could not focus on equations, and disrupting his personal life, because he could not respond to his wife sexually, nor interact with his son-so he decided quit taking the medication and to try a different method. John Nash's personal opinion was that he could learn to control his symptoms on his own. He felt that life wasn't worth living if he couldn't do it on his own terms, if he couldn't work, relate to his wife, or raise his son. He took on an Existential perspective, holding to beliefs that he had the freewill to be responsible for his own condition. He decided that he did not have to pay attention to his hallucinations, and while they never left him completely, he was able to live day to day without getting caught up in them to the point where it would interfere with his functioning. He chose to get better, and thought the symptoms did not go away, he was able to develop discipline on his own to ignore them. My question is how the lack of social skills is related to his development of schizophrenia. Did he suffer from poor social skills, and as a result, his condition was catalyzed by the consequential lack of meaningful relationships? Or were his poor communication proficiency and lack of perception early warning signs of the disease to come? For the paranoid type of schizophrenia, there are automatically interpersonal problems taken into account, because of the bizarre behavior, regarding interaction with their hallucinations. People suffering from negative symptoms-and thus having few social skills-tend to have a smaller social network to support them throughout the difficulty of their disease, which deprives them of the ability to function independently (Macdonald, 1998, p. 275). Lack of social skills and appropriate social responses has been determined to be caused by the slowing down of visual processing in schizophrenics. By administering a test of visual apprehension, it was shown that schizophrenics take longer to visually register gestures and facial expressions, and often the social clue lasts too briefly to be understood (Sergi, 2002, p. 239). John Nash, to begin with, has a very difficult time operating in social situations. Even his third grade teacher commented that he was give two brains, and only half a heart, so apparently his lack of social skills stems from his childhood. Since he was not able to build up a social support network prior to the development of his disorder, it was more challenging for him to be able to function normally within society again on his own. Eventually, though, it is his relationship with his wife, and his desire to be there for her, which helps him in dealing with the ongoing symptoms so that he can survive from each day to the next without giving in. Research has found that neurocognitive functioning, or a dysfunction in neurocognitive functioning-due to a biologically based disorder, like Schizophrenia-may have an effect on specific social skills. In turn, the hindrance of those skills could then indirectly affect the level of social functioning in an individual (Addington, 1998, p. 65). Thus, the disorder is not the cause or the social dysfunction, but neither is the lack in social skills a risk factor for developing Schizophrenia. While these two factors do not have a causational relationship, they do seem to have a correlational relationship-meaning the presence of one would indicate a higher probability of also detecting the other.

An Overview of the Drug Development Process essayEssay Writing Service

An Overview of the Drug Development Process essayEssay Writing Service An Overview of the Drug Development Process essay An Overview of the Drug Development Process essayMany people would agree that the issue of illegal drugs is the issue of public concern. The use of illegal drugs has become a national problem as it affects both the U.S. society and the country’s economy. Researchers have identified a number of categories of illegal drugs. These categories provide important information regarding the existing social problems that influence people’s decision to purchase illegal drugs.   According to the law experts, â€Å"the possession and use of illegal drugs is a criminal offence and a matter of serious public concern† (Lunney Oliphant, 2010, p. 798). The use of illegal drugs is not only a social problem, but it is a social problem that makes other social problems worse. Drugs are illegal if they have some addictive characteristics that have negative impact on human health. Moreover, drugs may be illegal in one country, but legally manufactured in another country. According to researchers, production and distribution of some types of illegal drugs can be viewed as an economic activity in many countries of Latin American and Asia (Lunney Oliphant, 2010). Besides, prescription drugs are legally manufactured in the U.S., but brought to the U.S. illegally from other countries because of the lower price. Illegal drugs make other social problems worse. Some of these social problems include criminal activity, low economic level and financial problems that prevent conducting scientific experiments and invent new drugs.The use of illegal drugs makes many social problems worse, including the problem of increased criminal activity in the cities and towns. Illegal drugs are distributed by criminals involved in criminal activity on distribution of cocaine, marihuana, heroin and other illegal drugs. The increased criminal activity has negative impact on the development of society, including cultural and social development (Tonkens, 2005).Moreover, the use and distrib ution of illegal drugs has a strong impact on the economic level of people. Drug dealers do not pay taxes as they are unemployed. This fact means they do not help our country. The U.S. citizens do not have any economic benefits from drug dealers.In addition, illegal drugs make the problem of HIV/AIDS more crucial for our society. The use of illegal drugs leads to the spread of various infectious diseases, including sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, etc. People face this problem in all parts of the U.S.Besides, illegal prescription drugs brought to the U.S. from other countries have a strong impact on the U.S. economy. The U.S. citizens, who prefer to buy prescription drugs in Canada, Mexico and Asian countries at lower prices, do not contribute to the U.S. economy. As a result, the U.S. scientists have no opportunity to perform scientific experiments to invent new effective drugs. It has been found that â€Å"it costs about $1.8 billion to take a new compound to market a nd success is quite limited† (Tonkens, 2005). So, illegal prescription drugs prevent the invention of new effective drugs.Thus, illegal drugs are a serious social problem that makes other social problems worse. The U. S. Government is focused on finding the proper solutions to address this problem and eliminate the negative impact of illegal drugs on the U.S. economy and society.

Good Manufacturing Practices

Good Manufacturing Practices Introduction Good manufacturing practices are the set guideline that outlines the process of manufacturing and testing to enhance on the quality of the pharmaceutical drugs (Moynihan 2003). This set of regulations and guidelines must be strictly followed although in some areas, to encourage innovation there is some latitude offered as long as the following steps are followed and documented:Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Good Manufacturing Practices specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ensure raw materials are of quality. Record detailing the whole process of manufacturing should be kept High standards of cleanliness should be maintained Confirm the qualifications of the manufacturing personnel. Do in house testing immediate after manufacture. Ensure that high standards are maintained in the production processes. Maintain proper channels of storage as well as of distribution (Finn 1999). The process involved in changi ng of the drugs The actual stage of manufacture is the last stage in the pharmaceutical drug production. Thus to change the profile content of an existing drug is treated the same as manufacturing because the side effects of this new ingredients are not yet known. This process requires strict and rigorous documentation for the drug to comply with the good manufacturing process. Recording of the entire manufacturing process is mandatory because the records can be used in the case of a problem or when challenged by legal hurdles (Leape 1994). The first documents involved are the research documents. Before any pharmaceutical drugs are manufactured for public use, research must be undertaken. First in the labs to ensure that, they will work for the intended purposes. This is done by testing the compounds that are thought to contain substrates that can help to combat or help to alleviate the symptoms of the disease the drug is intended. The process is complicated and can be achieved usin g many methods including use of computer simulation or testing the combinations nature if different compounds. At this point, the research findings must be documented and the total RD funds used in the process documented as well. The handling of the new material should be handled with care and should be treated as raw materials until all the tests have been concluded. The raw materials should be tested to ensure that they comprise of the required substrates The QC manager should be able determine their origin and method of manufacture. This is because the sources could be natural or synthetic (Rang, et al. 2003). This is because most of the raw materials that had been produced naturally in the past now are now being produced synthetically. Their production process production should be investigated by the QC manager to ensure that it is up to all the standards set out by the drug controlling body of the respective country. He should ensure that the raw materials are also inclusive of active pharmaceutical ingredients that are pharmaceutically safe and that they contain the desired effects on the body (Ray 2003).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More After being certain that, the raw materials are well according to standards, the next step should be the production of the sample of the drugs so that they can be used for testing and for obtainment of a license. After the manufacture of the sample, the testing of the drug is ready and can be done (Ray and Alan 2005). Testing of the drug The testing of the drug is carried out through drug trials where a sample of people are administered the drugs and the effects it has on the people recorded for further analysis. The first step in the testing is the use of preclinical studies. These are done in vitro tubes or on animal and cell structure experiments (Ruesch 1991). The next step is the use of a small numb er of volunteers to investigate whether the drug has any therapeutic effect on the human body as was expected. This stage does not deal with safety or even the efficacy of the drug (Ruesch 1992). Phase 1 involves using groups of about 20-100 healthy volunteers to establish the safeness of the drug and also the total time the body can absorb and make use of it. The stage also include dose ranging so that the exact amount of dose that be used for therapeutic purposes is established. Payments of the volunteers are done according to the agreed amount and the time spent on the testing facilities. The other stage of testing involves the use of a large number of patients’ volunteers. They test on the drug to establish how effective it is against the symptoms of the disease, the amounts of the doses that are effective and the side effects that might occur. The final stage involves the use of a large number of volunteers to test the drug. At this point the effective nature of the drug is investigated as well as the side effects that can occur in the event of the usage of the drug. After the success of this stage, then the drug is licensed and given a trademark name ready to be sold to the public ( Burgos 1986). Impurity profiles Impurities are common in drugs because they are also part of the ingredients used in their manufacturing process and purity tests must be undertaken to ensure their complete elimination. The most famous and effective is the use of chromatography that separates the impurities from the real ingredients if they are any available (Braithwaite 1984).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Good Manufacturing Practices specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More After the impurities have been identified, ways should be formulated to ensure their removal and also to minimize their effects on the drug. This should be by elimination of some of the manufacturing practices that are practiced in the f irm. There should be manufacture of fine crystals while the process of isolation, the drying of the tablets should be done by a vacuum dryer and finely stability studies should be undertaken and detailed investigations on the process of preparation (Barnett 2003). How to ensure high quality products are produced To ensure that high quality products are produced, quality control should be applied at every stage of manufacture. This is to make sure that there is early identification of any production problems especially the weakness of the drugs. If a problem is identified then, production should stop and the problem determined (Baker 1994). Conclusion Good manufacturing practices are guidelines which are set for the safety of the public while using the pharmaceutical drugs. The entire process should be adhered to ensure that only quality kinds of drugs are available to the public. There have been cases of some pharmaceutical companies using undue methods to get their drugs approved b ut later these drugs cause some un repairable damage or even death. The governing body such as the FDA in the United States should that the process is strictly followed and only quality drugs are licensed for sale. References Baker, A., 1994. Awakening Our Self-Healing Body A Solution to the Health Care Crisis. California: Self Health Care Systems, LA. Barnett, A., 2003. Revealed: how drug firms hoodwink medical journals. London: The Observer.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Braithwaite, J., 1984. Corporate Crime in the Pharmaceutical Industry. London: Routledge Kegan Paul. Burgos, J., 1986. Hidden Crimes (Film), SUPRESS. California: Pasadena. Finn, R., 1999. Cancer Clinical Trials: Experimental Treatments and How They Can Help You. Sebastopol: OReilly Associates. Leape, L., 1994. Error in medicine. Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 272 (23), p. 1851. Moynihan, R., 2003. Who pays for the pizza? Redefining the relationships between doctors and drug companies. 2: Disentanglement. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 326 (7400), pp. 1193–1196. Rang, et al., 2003. Pharmacology 5 ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. Ray, M., 2003. Drug company sponsorship of education could be replaced at a fraction of its cost. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 326 (7400), p.1163. Ray, M. and Alan, C., 2005. Selling Sickness: How Drug Companies are Turning Us All Into Patients. Allen Unwin. New York. Ruesch, H., 1991. Slaughter of the Innocent. Hartsdale N Y: CIVITAS Publications. Ruesch, H., 1992. Naked Empress the Great Medical Fraud, CIVIS. Switzerland: Massagno/Lugano.

Accounting Standards Boards Essay Example for Free

Accounting Standards Boards Essay ? Increased globalization in the business world has brought to fore some of the issues and challenges that multinational businesses face in financial recording and reporting of foreign based operations. With operations based in different countries that operate under different accounting principles and with varying currencies, there has been a need for the accounting principles and standards to be converged. This has in the past nine years seen the accounting policy making suggesting a complete overhaul in the way financial statements are reported and a convergence between the US’s generally accepted accounting principles (US GAAP) and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). This has been through various meetings between the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), two boards which determine these accounting standards. This paper therefore evaluates the history of the two boards and their relationship and looks at IASB equivalents to FASB original pronouncements. It also describes how a Master of Science in Accounting would prepare a student for an accounting profession. History of the Relationship between FASB and IASB US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is a board which is responsible for setting and improving financial accounting standards in the US and for governing and fostering preparation of financial reports by non-governmental organizations (Financial Accounting Standards Board, 2012).International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) on the other hand is also an independent board responsible for setting international financial reporting standards (IFRS Foundation, 2011). Whereas IASB and IFRS takes a principle based approach to accounting standards setting, FASB’S GAAP does this through pronouncements which are based or rules. They both put a lot of emphasis on income statements, balance sheet, statements of changes in equity and cash flow statements as key reports that are important in financial reporting. Over the past decade these two boards which determine the accounting standards in the world have been working towards ensuring that the financial reporting all over the world converges. The convergence concept first took root in the 1950s in response to the cross border capital inflows that were as a result of the economic integration after world war two. These efforts initially focused on reducing difference in accounting principles between major capital markets globally otherwise referred to as harmonization of the accounting principles. By 1990s the concept had changed into convergence which sought to build high quality financial reporting standards to be applied internationally (Financial Accounting Standards Board, 2012a). Both developed in the 1970s, FASB and IASC (international Accounting Standards Committee) a predecessor to IASB, set a trend for expanding international accounting standards and with the reorganization of IASC into IASB in 2001, the use of IFRS among various countries has progressed rapidly. For instance, over 100 countries and the European Union use these standards issued by IASB. The U.S. mainly uses its own issued US GAAP (Progress Report, 2011; Cain, 2008). IASB and FASB have been working together towards converging the IFRS and the US GAAP since 2002. Even China and Japan have been working to bring together their accounting standards with IFRS as at 2009. Over the past decade the pace of convergence has been very fast with the internationalization of standards growing rapidly. In 2010, Securities and Exchange Commission in the US issues a report supporting the convergence of these standards through incorporation of â€Å"the IFRS in the US financial system† (Financial Accounting Standards Board, 2012a). This implies that the US has been increasing exploring adopting IASB’s IFRSs, although there have been issues such as the fair value issues in IFRS and the cost of implementation that have slowed the progress. The IASB equivalents of the FASB original pronouncements As noted above, IASB’s IFRS takes a principle based approach to accounting standard setting as compared to FASB’s pronouncements which are viewed to be much stricter. In essence therefore, though IASB and FASB may address similar accounting concepts their approach to it may be different. It is these IASB’s equivalents to FASB’s pronouncements that bring the differences between GAAP and IFRS standards. Evaluating the FASB’s original pronouncements and IASB, the manner in which accounting concepts are approached can be noted. These are: whereas IASB’s IFRS requires that inventory costs of spoilage and idle capacity be excluded from the cost of inventory, FASB’s GAAP does not; IFRS requires yearly comparison of financial statements unlike US GAAP which only views comparisons as â€Å"desirable† but require three year comparisons; IFRS permits but does not require reporting of â€Å"comprehensive income† unlike US GAAP which requires it; IFRS classifies liabilities as non-current if refinancing is complete before the date of the balance sheet unlike GAAP which classifies it as so, if refinancing is completed before the financial statements are issued; and prohibition of extraordinary items from the financial reports by IFRS unlike GAAP which permits but to a restricted items which affect profit and loss (Deloitte, 2004; FASB Report, 2002). Other accounting concepts that differ between IASB and FASB’s original pronouncements are that IFRS requires that LIFO method of determining inventory cost be prohibited in IAS 2, unlike US GAAP which permits LIFO in SFAS 151, and that IFRS requires reversal of inventory write downs if given criteria are met unlike US GAAP which prohibits it. In addition FASB permits that inventory at net value be measured even if it is above cost unlike IFRS which restricts this to producers and broker-dealers inventories. FASB classifies the interest received and paid as operating activity in the cash flow statement unlike IASB which may classify it as financing, investing or operating activity. This leaves room for a number of interpretations. Furthermore, though FASB excludes overdrafts from cash, IASB includes it if it forms a critical and integral part of an organization’s cash base or cash management (Deloitte, 2004; FASB Report, 2002). Other IASB equivalents to FASB pronouncements are enumerated as shown below (Deloitte, 2004; FASB Report, 2002): -IFRS restates previous financial statements in the event of non-mandated changes in accounting policy, unlike FASB which includes cumulative effects current financial statement’s net loss and profits -IASB uses change in estimated method to evaluate changes in depreciation of assets, unlike FASB which used change in accounting policy that is the net profit or loss cumulative effect. -IASB uses cost recovery method for construction contracts when the completed percentage cannot be determined for sure unlike the USA GAAP which uses completed contract method -IASB does not recognize deferred tax due to the an asset or liability transaction that doesn’t affect accounting or taxable profit and is not a business combination in IAS 12 unlike the US GAAP recognizes this these through its lack of â€Å"initial recognition exemption† as addressed in SFAS 109. -US GAAP has special exemptions due to the provision of deferred tax such as leveraged leasing, intangible developments in the gas and oil industry and undistributed earnings -IASB uses a tax rate that is â€Å"substantially enacted† to measure deferred tax liabilities and assets, which can be left to a lot of interpretations, unlike FASB’s enacted tax rate which is sure and consistent -IASB uses rate applicable to undistributed earnings of an organization to measure the deferred tax on those earnings , unlike FASB which uses the higher of the tax rate between the one applicable to undistributed profits and the one applicable to distributed profits as addressed in SFAS 109 -IASB recognizes expense for share-based payment based on fair value of the payment whereas FASB recognizes this based on intrinsic value at grant date -IASB measures business combinations on the date of the acquisition whereas FASB does this on the date of consummation or closing date -IASB requires that recognizing a liability prior to acquisition restructuring be only if the one being acquired recognizes it under IAS 37, this is unlike FASB which recognizes it if the acquisition has already began -IASB recognizes in process R&D as an intangible finite asset or good will, unlike FASB which recognizes it as expense How MSA Program prepares student for professional Accounting A Master of Science in accounting program is very important for anyone who intends to pursue an accounting career in the future. This program prepares a student by providing knowledge on the various accounting principles that need be applied in accounting profession. It also makes a student be aware of the various accounting standards that are existing in the world, how each differ, and how accounting records and done in each. In addition such a program provides analytical and critical thinking abilities. In addition, it offers a global perspective on accounting practices and business issues and provides a framework for effective development for team building and leadership skills, and ethical decision making in business. Lastly it will enhance interpersonal and communications skills through interactions which seek to learn ways of solving problems and issues in the accounting and finance realm. All these are critical for a career as an accountant. Conclusion This paper has discussed the history of the FASB and IASB boards and their relationship and has looked at IASB equivalents to FASB original pronouncements. It has shown that standardized management accounting and controlling concepts that transcend national boundaries are increasingly needed with concern on the need of an internationalized Accounting and financial reporting standard to help in comparing of financial statements of countries from different countries and also to make it efficient and less costly for multinational companies when they are conducting financial reporting of their performance. IASB and FASB have made tremendous progress thus fur in their bid to converge the global accounting standards. Accounting Standards Boards. (2016, May 05).

Interactive Interface Technology (DHTML based widgets) Essay

Interactive Interface Technology (DHTML based widgets) - Essay Example Widgets created in DHTML can take the form of various on-screen tools such as event countdowns, clocks, auction tickers, daily weather, stock market tickers and flight arrival tickers (Teague, 2007). There are some web page effects that are normally hard to achieve. DHTML, however, makes it possible for the page author to create a wide variety of effects as he wishes. DHTML based widgets eliminate many kinds of limits for enhanced client functionality (Teague, 2007. This technology makes it possible to perform on any kind of application such as audio playing, on-screen drawing. It also makes access to hardware such as the mouse and keyboards much easier (Singh and Gupta, 2009). One of the main disadvantages of DHTML is its difficulty in developing and debugging (Goodman, 2002). This may be attributed to the fact that there are many different degrees of support that are available among different web browsers. This combined with the fact that there are different screen sizes for different computer models makes it hard and sometimes impossible for the end look to be in tune with a certain browser or screen size (Barron and Barron, 2000). This means that certain DHTML based widgets can only be used or fine tuned on specific combinations of browsers and screen sizes. My evaluation criteria for this technology will be based on efficiency in terms of ease of development and efficiency. The primary use of widgets in interactive interface technology is to enhance personal web experiences for both the developer or web owner and the end user or visitor to a website (Barron and Barron, 2000). The functionality of any technology determines its efficiency. For the Interactive Interface Technology (DHTML based widgets), there is a high level functionality that enables the web author as well as the end use to use multiple applications interactively. Since DHTML does not rely on a single type of technology, I can say that development should not be

Business Operations of Ford Motor Company Essay - 1

Business Operations of Ford Motor Company - Essay Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that today, Ford Motor Company is the second largest vehicle manufacturer in America and ranks fifth in the world. The company initially introduced Ford Fiesta in the American market during the 1970s. However, this new product failed to grab a large percentage of the automobile market. Although Ford Fiesta did not sell in the American market, the product grabbed a place in the market of Europe and its sales volume has been good for more than four decades now. The Fiesta car is changing the preference of buyers in fairly quicker rate. Particularly, in Britain, Fiesta car model has the largest market compared to other car models. Based on the results of recent researches that customers are more willing to buy low CO2 automatic and low-cost vehicle, Ford has used Fiesta strategy to accommodate these preferences. The Fiesta’s gearbox is different from traditional torque converters. It is a dual-clutch transmitter and t his enables it to drain less power, thus having a decent fuel economy. The Ford Fiesta car has a kinematic design. Ford Company uses this design to ensure minimal noise, harshness, vibration, and smooth ride. This product also has many features like 6-Speed Powershift Automatic Transmission (SPAT), Ti-VCT Engine (Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing), ESP (Electronic Stability Programme that has TSC (Traction Control System), fuel efficiency, easy fuel, seductive center console, and Bluetooth that has voice control. The company represents this new brand with a better warranty and services. The buyers of Ford Fiesta are given a 3-year warranty that is only valid when the vehicle is in the appropriate condition prescribed in the owners’ manual that is authorized by Ford Service Center.

Technology in the Tire Sector Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Technology in the Tire Sector - Essay Example The industrial age of the early 20th century is rapidly giving way to the age of technology, which has also brought with it, added conveniences and freedoms which would never have been possible before. The most noticeable sphere where this phenomenon may be observed is in the transport industry. When Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber way back in 1844, little did he realize that he was sowing the seed that would endow man with â€Å"wheels on his feet† and herald his entry into a world of freedom of movement with an ease that he would never have imagined. The very same vulcanized rubber is the standard material for tires today – those tires that help man to move around in the vehicles of his choice. Today, tire technology has evolved to such a point that they even contribute to lowering the pollution that is present in the atmosphere. Technology has made it possible for tires to be so engineered that they lower emissions from cars and thereby enhance fuel econo my and reduction of toxic pollutants of the atmosphere.[Fraschini, 2005]. These new tires are ecologically friendly because they work on the principle of lowering rolling resistance, which essentially means that the friction between the tires and the road is reduced. The tires have a lightweight high strength construction which aids in smooth rolling on the roads, producing a more fuel efficient engine and less emissions.[Fraschini, 2005]. Industrial development has already taken a toll on nature and the alarming increase in pollution levels due to vehicle emissions is a serious issue today. Therefore, developments in technology such as the ecologically friendly Potenza RE92 and the Bridgestone Ecopia tires[Fraschini, 2005] are welcome, because they represent an acceptable compromise between man’s urge to be on the move and the need to conserve the environment. Therefore, this is one instance where technology is beneficial and such

Freedom in Colonial American Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Freedom in Colonial American Society - Essay Example The American civil war went on until 1865 when it was unanimously declared through the emancipation proclamation that stated that all slaves in the confederate states were free. Through state action and through the thirteenth amendment to the American constitution all slaves in the union and the Border States were freed. The American civil war transformed societies not only in the 'union' but also in the confederate states as well as in Canada. This was because all persons of all walks of lives in the three regions were affected. It is claimed that the civil war claimed more than 600,000 lives. On top of this, millions of people were wounded; more millions were left homeless especially in the confederate states, as well as massive destruction of properties in the confederate states. The American civil war also led to wide changes in the American as well as the Canadian way of life. Since slavery, was the backbone that had supported the south's political and social elites, the destruction of it thus meant a backdrop in economic activities To the average southerner the results of the war were poverty, homelessness, and emotional trauma as almost all economic and agricultural infrastructures was destroyed. In addition, the south would have to adopt the north's mode of production specializing in mechanics and industrialization. On the part of the federal state, the outcome of t