Saturday, January 25, 2020

Difference Between Acclimation And Adaptation Biology Essay

Difference Between Acclimation And Adaptation Biology Essay Adaptation for an animal is any genetically heritable trait that allows an individual to reproduce and pass on its genes. Example (Camels adapting to be able to survive long periods of time without water in the desert) Acclimation for an animal is the process by which an animal gets used to a changing environment. Example (If a deer lives in a forest, and one year that forest experienced a colder, then the deal would have to acclimate get used to the cold or move to a different forest) 10/10 List 5 protein types and their roles (functions) in organisms. Antibodies defense Motor / Contractile Proteins provide help with movement Structural Proteins provide structure and support Hormones initiate chemical reactions Enzymes catalyze chemical reactions Transport Proteins Help transport substances across the membrane 10/10 List 3 significant differences between DNA and RNA. The secondary structure of DNA is a double helix, the secondary structure of RNA is a hairpin. In DNA the 4 bases are Thymine, Adenine, Cytosine, Guanine, in RNA the 4 bases are Uracil, Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine. The sugar in DNA is deoxyribose, the sugar in RNA is ribose 10/10 List 3 types of polysaccharides and their use in cells. Starch used to store energy in plants Glycogen used to store energy in animals Chitin used to provide structural support for the cell wall of bacteria, as well as the exoskeleton of crustaceans and insects Peptidoglycan used to provide structural support for the cell walls of bacteria Celluose used to provide structural support for the cell wall of plants 10/10 Give a detailed explanation of the two methods by which molecules move across lipid bylayers. Active Transport Active transport describes when a molecule uses energy to cross a lipid bilayer Passive Transport Passive transport describe the movement of molecules across a membrane that does not require energy or ATP 10/10 For each of the following, tell whether the component is an organelle and briefly describe its function. Ribosome not organelle (make proteins for amino acids are protein builders / synthesizers. Mitochondria organelle (produces ATP) Lysosome organelle (break up food, and other particles to make it easier for the body to digest the food or said particles Vacuole membrane bound organelle (digestion, and getting rid of waste) Nucleus organelle (stores genetic information) 10/10 Give examples of the diversification in animal development in the areas of feeding, movement and reproduction. Diversification in animal feeding = some animals like deposit feeders (sea cucumber, worms, etc) eat through the sediment that is around them to obtain their nutrition. Filter feeders (certain types of whales) filter through water in order to obtain tiny crustaceans like krill. Many types of insects use a proboscis to obtain food like nectar, Humans, and many other animals like dear, bears, lions, otters, snakes, some fish, etc. have the presence of a jaw which allows them to eat. Diversification in movement = some animals like worms move with the a hydrostatic skeleton. Many other animals use the presence of limbs like legs, fins, tails, wings and other appendages to move. Other animals like snakes make coiling actions with their spine to propel themselves forward. Diversification in reproduction = some animals reproduce asexually, some animals are able to reproduce by budding (sea stars), and other animals (humans, some fish, deer) reproduce sexually. 10/10 List the differences between protostomes and deuterostomes. Protosomes developed an anus first then a mouth Deuterostomes developed a mouth first then an anus 5/10 What are coeloms, pseudocoeloms and hemocoels? Coelom = A fluid filled cavity within the mesoderm Pseudoceoloms = An internal body cavity of some invertebrates. Homocoel = A cavity or space in most arthropods and mollusks between the organs where the blood or fluid flows through or bathes the organs. 10/10 What is a hydrostatic skeleton and how does it work? Give one example of a specimen with a hydrostatic skeleton. A hydrostatic skeleton is a skeleton that consists of fluid filled closed chambers, that generates movement as a result of muscle contractions. Examples worms 10/10 Describe the process of natural selection as postulated by Darwin. Darwins process of natural selection basically said that animals and species who dont have certain heritable traits or are unable to adapt to their surrounding will die out and species who have certain heritable traits or are able to adapt will live and produce offspring with those heritable traits. Natural selection doesnt affect the individual but the population. 7/10 Discuss the concept of behavior in which an animal sacrifices itself for the good of the species in the context of natural selection. (i.e. Does such behavior fit into Darwinian evolutionary models? Why or why not? Can you give or refute examples of it? Is this consistent with evolutionary models?) I think this question can be best answered with another question. Can animals (besides humans) feel emotion? Does another animal feel compassion towards other members of its herd enough so thats its willing to sacrifice its life? I believe the answer is yes. All mammals and most other animals have the natural tendency to protect their young and the young of the heard. For example in Africa when elephants are crossing the Serengeti and a young elephant is attacked by a lion or other predator, it is very common that many other members of the heard (not including his or her parents) will defend and in some cases die for that young elephant. We can also see this among dogs (whom I believe do have emotions for humans). In domesticated dogs there have been numerous incidents where the dog will defend their owners if they feel that their owner is threatened by another dog or what have you. This is because the dog feels the human as its own family or heard and would in some cases die for the greater good of his heard (human family). I personally dont believe that these examples dont fit into the Darwinian models, because theres no way to predict, or accurately count how many times an instance like this occurs. Darwinian evolutionary models show how animals adapt, die out, or reproduce depending on their surroundings. Sacrificing yourself for the greater good of your species / heard / family does not fit into that model. 12/15 List the differences between mitosis and meiosis. Meiosis = 2 cell divisions, chromosomes are halved, results in 4 haploid daughter cells, synapsis of homologs, different identical make up of chromosomes in daughter cell Mitosis = 1 cell division, chromosomes stay the same, results in 2 diploid daughter cells, no synapsis of homologs, identical make up of chromosomes in daughter cell 10/10 Asexual and sexual reproduction each have advantages and disadvantages. List one advantage and one disadvantage of each. The advantages of asexual reproduction are that it is more efficient than sexual reproduction. The disadvantages are that the offspring is going to have an identical genetic makeup which can possibly keep a bad gene in the in an offspring through generations of asexual reproduction The advantages of sexual reproduction are that with sexual reproduction you will get a variation on the genes with each offspring depending on the maternal and paternal genes. The disadvantage is that it far less efficient than asexual reproduction. In most cases of sexual reproduction you have to attract / get the consent of the opposite sex to mate via (songs, fighting over with other animals, displays, etc.) 10/10 Trisomy is the presence of an extra chromosome, while monosomy is the absence of a chromosome. Approximately 1 in 200 humans have a trisomic karyotype and about 1 in 5000 humans have a monosomic karyotype. What conclusions can you draw about the relative survivability of organisms with extra genes compared with those with missing genes? Explain why you think this would be so from an evolutionary prospective. From the number you have given me it would appear that the relative survivability of an organism with a monosomic karyotype is much lower than those with a trisomic karyotype. A monosomic karyotype is 50 times less likely to occur than trisomic karyotype, which causes me to believe that people with a monosomic karyotype would die out more quickly or be less able to reproduce, there for causing the gene to be less frequent in individuals. The fact that monosomic is becoming less frequent in individuals shows me that people are evolving to combat the issue, or the gene is dying / fading out. 15/15 The same genetic process is used to produce both sperm and egg cells, yet more than 90% of trisomies appear to be due to maternal errors. Give a hypothesis to explain why this might be so. How might one test this hypothesis? Its possible that there is a predisposition in all females that allow this error to occur. This could be similar to Tuner Syndrome where the end results are always sterile females. My guess is that the reason 90% of trisomies appear to be maternal errors is there is something in the female body or a slight different in the way something is produced that causes this error. However since 10% would appear to be a paternal error, the cause for the error in females must relate somehow the error in males. To test this hypothesis, I would run hundreds of tests in a laboratory to produce sperm and eggs and watch how each of them develop, exactly what goes into both of them, and see how they both develop under different conditions, and the exact conditions. From there I might be able to find the missing link to why this is happening. 15/15

Friday, January 17, 2020

Nurseâ€Patient Ratio in California

a) Nurse-Patient ratio is the relationship of the number of patients that should be served by one nurse at particular moment of time. It was a working formula that was proposal in 1992 by the California Nurses Association (CAN), which was to cater for quality service to patients by their nurses in the hospitals. After varied controversial arguments about the proposal regarding the overall implication to the economic costs of the ratio, different proposal from the concerned parties were arrived at where; the state government proposed ratio was 1:6 for all the medical or surgical units in the hospital.   However this ratio was to lower to 1:5 in a period of one and one-half year. The California Nurse Union (CNU) had a proposal of 1:3 for the medical units and 1:4 for the surgical units. The California Hospital Association (CHA) had proposed a ratio of 1:10 for both medical and surgical units. The nurse-patient ratio was enacted in October 1999.   However, the results of the actual proposed ratios were released on 2002.   The CNU and CHA ratio requirement were thought to be stable all through and each of them parties sought for its own ratio implementation.   However, the state proposal consisted a series of development where, they were to be implement at 1:6 and later reduced to 1:5 after 1 – 1  ½ year. (Slack, Slack,2001, p.107) b) History The nurse-patient ratio was firstly proposed by nurses in California in 1992 (Russell, 2004) However it was enacted as a law in 1999 but its enactment was to be followed by a period of its implement, which was to be until January 2002.   This implementation gave the California Hospital Association upto a deadline of January 2003 to hire the right number of nurses for their hospital as required by the government proposal of 1:5   ratio which the government had stated would lower from the ratio of 1:6 in a period of 1 – 1  ½ years. However, due to the complains, from the CHA, the proposal was only enacted into a law in January 2004, requiring the hospitals to implement on the 1:5 ratio by June 2004.  Ã‚   But following an emergency proposal by the director of department of Health Services – Sandra Sherry, the 1:5 ratio laws would only be instituted in January 2008.   (Russell 2004) c) Ideally, this proposal would highly support a positive nursing work environment.   Although the Californian Hospital Association argues that this would be too costly, but this would on be argumentable for the short run.   However, the cost would be reduced in the short run period of their business cycle.  Ã‚   Since higher ratios would ultimately help to improve the existing state of patient care.   Either, Lower ratios would consequently call for more nurse to join the career, whose turn over was very low. Through lowering the ratios, then the profession would be more interesting to the young learners who will be able to join it.   Also, it was made to call back those nurses who had left the profession due to unappealing ratio. To defend, their argument, they argued that, lower nurse-patient ratio was to lower the possible costs by hospitals to hire other nurses.   This is because of the possible economies that would be arrived at through the savings in greater patient care and faster service delivery.   Either, hospitals would reduce the hire of the nurses who were temporary registered, and whose cost was higher than that of permanently employed nurses.   (Coombs, 2004, p. 83) d) However, different controversies were between different parties aligned to this proposal.  Ã‚   Firstly, the California Nurse Association felt that, this was a good move, as it enhanced better patient care and ultimately economies to the owners of the medical centers in the long run.   They believed that, by using lower ratios, the result would be an attraction of more number of young and others who had left to the nursing profession.   Either, this worked to reduce cost by the hire of temporary registered persons. However, the California Hospital Association argued that this was impractical in terms of cost of implementation.   They argued that these would only work to favour the nurses at the expense of their business.   The state government thought that, the proposals of the nurses were viable but could only work under stages of implementation. It believed this proposal worked for the good of the people.   Also, the union for Service Employees International was also in the view that, this proposal worked to improve the amount of care given to patient hence it was important for its implementation. (Ponton, Carrion, 2001, p.48) e) The proposal would be highly recommendable for the general service delivery to the patients.   Either, it was important since it worked to improve the conditions of both the patients, nurses and hospital owners. f. (I) Yes, they work to ensure that, there were a lesser number of patients for service by one nurse.   This helped to reduce the amount of service by the nurses hence they could give a better attention to the patients.   However this did not keep the attention of any possible risk cases where the number of patients may increase indefinitely. ii) The government enacted that the ratio that would remain as 1:6 in January 2004, and reduce to 1:5 by June the same year.   However, in a petition that was passed to the court, by the direction of California Hospital Association this would only to be active in January 2008.   However, the ratio of 1:6 has not been followed in some health centers where nurse are made to serve a bigger number than this ratio.   Else where, there has been a positive adherence to this law in most of the hospitals. (David, Baustica, p. 66) References David, E. & Baustista, H. (2004) La Nueva California LATINOS IN THE GOLDEN STATE. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Ponton, M. & Carrion, J. (2001).   Neuropsychology and the Hispanic Patient: A clinical Handbook; Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Coombs, M. (2004) Power & Conflict between Doctors and Nurses.   Breaking Through the Inner Circle in Clinical Care. London : Routledge. Slack, N. & Slack, C. (2001) Cyber Medicine: How Computing Empowers Doctors and Patients For Better Cared Revised and Updated Edition. San. Francisco: Jossey – Bass. Russell, S. (2004).   State Moves to Freeze Nurse Patient Ratio.   Nov, 05, 2005

Thursday, January 9, 2020

History of Women Inventors Who Filed Patents

Before the 1970s, the topic of women in history was largely missing from general public consciousness. To address this situation, the Education Task Force on the Status of Women initiated a Womens History Week celebration in 1978 and chose the week of March 8 to coincide with International Womens Day. In 1987, the National Womens History Project petitioned Congress to expand the celebration to the entire month of March. Since then, the National Womens History Month Resolution has been approved every year with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. The First Woman to File an American Patent In 1809, Mary Dixon Kies received the first U. S. patent issued to a woman. Kies, a Connecticut native, invented a process for weaving straw with silk or thread. First Lady Dolley Madison praised her for boosting the nations hat industry. Unfortunately, the patent file was destroyed in the great Patent Office fire in 1836. Until about 1840, only 20 other patents were issued to women. The inventions related to apparel, tools, cook stoves, and fireplaces. Naval Inventions In 1845, Sarah Mather received a patent for the invention of a submarine telescope and lamp. This was a remarkable device that permitted sea-going vessels to survey the depths of the ocean. Martha Coston perfected then patented her deceased husbands idea for a pyrotechnic flare. Costons husband, a former naval scientist, died leaving behind only a rough sketch in a diary of plans for the flares. Martha developed the idea into an elaborate system of flares called Night Signals that allowed ships to communicate messages nocturnally. The U. S. Navy bought the patent rights to the flares. Costons flares served as the basis of a system of communication that helped to save lives and to win battles. Martha credited her late husband with the first patent for the flares, but in 1871 she received a patent for an improvement exclusively her own. Paper Bags Margaret Knight was born in 1838. She received her first patent at the age of 30, but inventing was always part of her life. Margaret or Mattie as she was called in her childhood, made sleds and kites for her brothers while growing up in Maine. When she was just 12 years old, she had an idea for a stop-motion device that could be used in textile mills to shut down machinery, preventing workers from being injured. Knight eventually received some 26 patents. Her machine that made flat-bottomed paper bags is still used to this very day! 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition The 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition was a World Fair-like event held to celebrate the amazing progress of the century-old United States of America. The leaders of early feminist and womens suffrage movements had to aggressively lobby for the inclusion of a womans department in the exposition. After some firm pressing, the Centennial Womens Executive Committee was established, and a separate Womans Pavilion erected. Scores of women inventors either with patents or with patents pending displayed their inventions. Among them was Mary Potts and her invention Mrs. Potts Cold Handle Sad Iron patented in 1870. Chicagos Columbian Exposition in 1893 also included a Womans Building. A unique safety elevator invented by multi-patent holder Harriet Tracy and a device for lifting and transporting invalids invented by Sarah Sands were among the many items featured at this event. Traditionally womens undergarments consisted of brutally tight corsets meant to shape womens waists into unnaturally small forms. Some suggested that the reason women seemed so fragile, expected to faint at any time, was because their corsets prohibited proper breathing. Enlightened womens groups throughout the nation resoundingly agreed that less restrictive underclothing was in order. Susan Taylor Converses one-piece flannel Emancipation Suit, patented August 3, 1875, eliminated the need for a suffocating corset and became an immediate success. A number of womens groups lobbied for Converse to give up the 25-cent royalty she received on each Emancipation Suit sold, an effort that she rejected. Linking the emancipation of women from constrictive undergarments to her own freedom to profit from her intellectual property, Converse responded: With all your zeal for womens rights, how could you even suggest that one woman like myself should give of her head and hand labor without fair compensation? Perhaps its a no-brainer that women inventors should turn their minds to making better the things that often concern women the most. The Ultimate Home The ultimate convenience invention must certainly be woman inventor Frances Gabe’s self-cleaning house. The house, a combination of some 68 time-, labor-, and space-saving mechanisms, makes the concept of housework obsolete. Each of the rooms in the termite-proof, cinder block constructed, the self-cleaning house is fitted with a 10-inch, ceiling-mounted cleaning/drying/heating/cooling device. The walls, ceilings, and floors of the house are covered with resin, a liquid that becomes water-proof when hardened. The furniture is made of a water-proof composition, and there are no dust-collecting carpets anywhere in the house. At the push of a sequence of buttons, jets of soapy water wash the entire room. Then, after a rinse, the blower dries up any remaining water that hasn’t run down the sloping floors into a waiting drain. The sink, shower, toilet, and bathtub all clean themselves. The bookshelves dust themselves while a drain in the fireplace carries away ashes. The clothes closet is also a washer/drier combination. The kitchen cabinet is also a dishwasher; simply pile in soiled dishes, and don’t bother taking them out until they are needed again. Not only is the house of practical appeal to overworked homeowners, but also to physically handicapped people and the elderly. Frances Gabe (or Frances G. Bateson) was born in 1915 and now resides comfortably in Newberg, Oregon in the prototype of her self-cleaning house. Gabe gained experience in housing design and construction at an early age from working with her architect father. She entered the Girl’s Polytechnic College in Portland, Oregon at age 14 finishing a four-year program in just two years. After World War II, Gabe with her electrical engineer husband started a building repairs business that she ran for more than 45 years. In addition to her building/inventing credits, Frances Gabe is also an accomplished artist, musician, and mother. Fashion Forward Fashion designer Gabriele Knecht realized something that clothes makers were neglecting in their clothing designs—that our arms come out of our sides in a slightly forward direction, and we work them in front of our bodies. Knecht’s patented Forward Sleeve design is based on this observation. It lets the arms move freely without shifting the whole garment and allows clothes to drape gracefully on the body. Knecht was born in Germany in 1938 and came to America when she was 10 years old. She studied fashion design, and in 1960, received a bachelor of fine arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Knecht also took courses in physics, cosmology, and other areas of science that may seem unrelated to the fashion industry. Her broadened knowledge, however, helped her understand shapes and methods of pattern design. In 10 years she filled 20 notebooks with sketches, analyzed all the angles that sleeves can take, and made 300 experimental patterns and garments. Although Knecht had been a successful designer for several New York companies, she felt she had more creative potential. Struggling to start her own business, Knecht met a buyer from Saks Fifth Avenue department store who liked Knecht’s designs. Soon she was creating them exclusively for the store, and they sold well. In 1984 Knecht received the first annual More Award for the best new designer of women’s fashions. Carol Wior is the woman inventor of the Slimsuit, a swimsuit guaranteed to take an inch or more off the waist or tummy and to look natural. The secret to a slimmer look in the inner lining that shapes the body in specific areas, hiding bulges and giving a smooth, firm appearance. The Slimsuit comes with a tape measure to prove the claim. Wior was already a successful designer when she envisioned the new swimsuit. While on vacation in Hawaii, she always seemed to be pulling and tugging on her swimsuit to try to get it to cover properly, all the while trying to hold in her stomach. She realized other women were just as uncomfortable and began to think of ways to make a better swimsuit. Two years and a hundred trail patterns later, Wior achieved the design she wanted. Wior began her designing career at only 22 years old in her parents garage in Arcadia, California. With $77 and three sewing machines bought at auction, she made classic, elegant but affordable dresses and delivered them to her customers in an old milk truck. Soon she was selling to major retail stores and was quickly building a multi-million dollar business. At age 23, she was one of the youngest fashion entrepreneurs in Los Angeles. Protecting the Children When Ann Moore was a Peace Corps volunteer, she observed mothers in French West Africa carrying their babies securely on their backs. She admired the bonding between the African mother and child and wanted the same closeness when she returned home and had her own baby. Moore and her mother designed a carrier for Moores daughter similar to those she saw in Togo. Ann Moore and her husband formed a company to make and market the carrier, called the Snugli (patented in 1969). Today babies all over the world are being carried close to their mothers and fathers. In 1912, the beautiful soprano opera singer and actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Lillian Russell, patented a combination dresser-trunk built solidly enough to remain intact during travel and doubled as a portable dressing room. Silver Screen superstar Hedy Lamarr (Hedwig Kiesler Markey) with the help of composer George Antheil invented a secret communication system in an effort to help the allies defeat the Germans in World War II. The invention, patented in 1941, manipulated radio frequencies between transmission and reception to develop an unbreakable code so that top-secret messages could not be intercepted. Julie Newmar, a living Hollywood film and television legend, is a women inventor. The former Catwoman patented ultra-sheer, ultra-snug pantyhose. Known for her work in films such as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Slaves of Babylon, Newmar has also appeared recently in Fox Televisions Melrose Place and the hit feature-film To Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything, Love Julie Newmar. Ruffles, fluted collars, and pleats were very popular in Victorian-era clothing. Susan Knoxs fluting iron made pressing the embellishments easier. The trademark featured the inventors picture and appeared on each iron. Women have made many contributions to advance the fields of science and engineering. Nobel Prize Winner Katherine Blodgett (1898-1979) was a woman of many firsts. She was the first female scientist hired by General Electric’s Research Laboratory in Schenectady, New York (1917) as well as the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in Physics from Cambridge University (1926). Blodgett’s research on monomolecular coatings with Nobel Prize-winning Dr. Irving Langmuir led her to a revolutionary discovery. She discovered a way to apply the coatings layer by layer to glass and metal. The thin films, which naturally reduced glare on reflective surfaces, when layered to a certain thickness, would completely cancel out the reflection from the surface underneath. This resulted in the world’s first 100% transparent or invisible glass. Blodgett’s patented film and process (1938) has been used for many purposes including limiting distortion in eyeglasses, microscopes, telescopes, camera, and projector lenses. Programming Computers Grace Hopper (1906-1992) was one of the first programmers to transform large digital computers from oversized calculators into relatively intelligent machines capable of understanding human instructions. Hopper developed a common language with which computers could communicate called Common Business-Oriented Language or COBOL, now the most widely used computer business language in the world. In addition to many other firsts, Hopper was the first woman to graduate from Yale University with a Ph.D. in Mathematics, and in 1985, was the first woman ever to reach the rank of admiral in the US Navy. Hopper’s work was never patented; her contributions were made before computer software technology was even considered a patentable field. Invention of Kevlar Stephanie Louise Kwolek’s research with high-performance chemical compounds for the DuPont Company led to the development of a synthetic material called Kevlar which is five times stronger than the same weight of steel. Kevlar, patented by Kwolek in 1966, does not rust nor corrode and is extremely lightweight. Many police officers owe their lives to Stephanie Kwolek, for Kevlar is the material used in bulletproof vests. Other applications of the compound include underwater cables, brake linings, space vehicles, boats, parachutes, skis, and building materials. Kwolek was born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania in 1923. Upon graduating in 1946 from the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie-Mellon University) with a bachelor’s degree, Kwolek went to work as a chemist at the DuPont Company. She would ultimately obtain 28 patents during her 40-year tenure as a research scientist. In 1995, Kwolek was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Inventors NASA Valerie Thomas received a patent in 1980 for inventing an illusion transmitter. This futuristic invention extends the idea of television, with its images located flatly behind a screen, to having three-dimensional projections appear as though they were right in your living room. Perhaps in the not-so-distant future, the illusion transmitter will be as popular as the TV is today. Thomas worked as a mathematical data analyst for NASA after receiving a degree in physics. She later served as project manager for the development of NASA’s image-processing system on Landsat, the first satellite to send images from outer space. In addition to having worked on several other high-profile NASA projects, Thomas continues to be an outspoken advocate for minority rights. Barbara Askins, a former teacher, and mother, who waited until after her two children entered school to complete her B. S. in chemistry followed by a Master’s degree in the same field, developed a totally new way of processing film. Askins was hired in 1975 by NASA to find a better way to develop astronomical and geological pictures taken by researchers. Until Askins’ discovery, these images, while containing valuable information, were hardly visible. In 1978 Askins patented a method of enhancing the pictures using radioactive materials. The process was so successful that its uses were expanded beyond NASA research to improvements in X-ray technology and in the restoration of old pictures. Barbara Askins was named National Inventor of the Year in 1978. Ellen Ochoa’s pre-doctoral work at Stanford University in electrical engineering led to the development of an optical system designed to detect imperfections in repeating patterns. This invention, patented in 1987, can be used for quality control in the manufacturing of various intricate parts. Dr. Ochoa later patented an optical system which can be used to robotically manufacture goods or in robotic guiding systems. In all Ellen Ochoa has received three patents, most recently in 1990. In addition to being a woman inventor, Dr. Ochoa is also a research scientist and astronaut for NASA who has logged hundreds of hours in space. Inventing Geobond Patricia Billings received a patent in 1997 for a fire resistant building material called Geobond. Billings’ work as a sculpture artist put her on a journey to find or develop a durable additive to prevent her painstaking plaster works from accidentally falling and shattering. After nearly two decades of basement experiments, the result of her efforts was a solution which when added to a mixture of gypsum and concrete, creates an amazingly fire resistant, indestructible plaster. Not only can Geobond add longevity to artistic works of plastic, but also it is steadily being embraced by the construction industry as an almost universal building material. Geobond is made with non-toxic ingredients which make it the ideal replacement for asbestos. Currently, Geobond is being sold in more than 20 markets worldwide, and Patricia Billings, great grandmother, artist, and woman inventor remains at the helm of her carefully constructed Kansas City-based empire. Women care and women care as inventors. Many female inventors have turned their skills on finding ways to save lives. Invention of Nystatin As researchers for the New York Department of Health, Elizabeth Lee Hazen and Rachel Brown combined their efforts to develop the anti-fungal antibiotic drug Nystatin. The drug, patented in 1957 was used to cure many disfiguring, disabling fungal infections as well as to balance the effect of many antibacterial drugs. In addition to human ailments, the drug has been used to treat such problems as Dutch Elms disease and to restore water-damaged artwork from the effects of mold. The two scientists donated the royalties from their invention, over $13 million dollars, to the nonprofit Research Corporation for the advancement of academic scientific study. Hazen and Brown were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1994. Fighting Disease Gertrude Elion patented the leukemia-fighting drug 6-mercaptopurine in 1954 and has made a number of significant contributions to the medical field. Dr. Elions research led to the development of Imuran, a drug that aids the body in accepting transplanted organs, and Zovirax, a drug used to fight herpes. Including 6-mercaptopurine, Elions name is attached to some 45 patents. In 1988 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine with George Hitchings and Sir James Black. In retirement, Dr. Elion, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991, continues to be an advocate for medical and scientific advancement. Stem Cell Research Ann Tsukamoto is co-patenter of a process to isolate the human stem cell; the patent for this process was awarded in 1991. Stem cells are located in bone marrow and serve as the foundation for the growth of red and white blood cells. Understanding how stem cells grow or how they might be artificially reproduced is vital to cancer research. Tsukamotos work has led to great advancements in comprehending the blood systems of cancer patients and may one day lead to a cure for the disease. She is currently directing further research in the areas of stem cell growth and cellular biology. Patient Comfort Betty Rozier and Lisa Vallino, a mother and daughter team, invented an intravenous catheter shield to make the use of IVs in hospitals safer and easier. The computer-mouse shaped, polyethylene shield covers the site on a patient where an intravenous needle has been inserted. The IV House prevents the needle from being accidentally dislodged and minimizes its exposure to patient tampering. Rozier and Vallino received their patent in 1993. After fighting breast cancer and undergoing a mastectomy in 1970, Ruth Handler, one of the creators of the Barbie Doll, surveyed the market for a suitable prosthetic breast. Disappointed in the options available, she set about designing a replacement breast that was more similar to a natural one. In 1975, Handler received a patent for Nearly Me, a prosthesis made of material close in weight and density to natural breasts.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

How the HUD Anti-Flipping Rule Protects Homebuyers

In May 2003, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a federal regulation intended to protect potential homebuyers from potentially predatory lending practices associated with the process of flipping home mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Thanks to the rule, homebuyers can â€Å"feel confident that they are protected from unscrupulous practices,† said then-HUD Secretary Mel Martinez. â€Å"This final rule represents a major step in our efforts to eliminate predatory lending practices,† he said in a press release. In essence, â€Å"flipping† is a type of real estate investment strategy in which an investor buys houses or property with the sole intent of reselling them for a profit. The investor’s profit is generated through increased future sale prices that occur as a result of a rising housing market, renovations and capital improvements made to the property, or both. Investors who employ the flipping strategy risk financial losses due to price depreciation during declines in the housing market. Home flipping becomes an abusive practice when a property is resold for a large profit at an artificially inflated price immediately after being acquired by the seller with little or no appreciable improvements to the property.  According to HUD, the predatory lending happens when unsuspecting homebuyers either pay a price far higher than its fair market value or commit to a mortgage at unjustly inflated interest rates, closing costs or both. Not to Be Confused With Legal Flipping The term â€Å"flipping† in this instance should not be confused with the completely legal and ethical practice of buying a financially distressed or rundown home, making extensive â€Å"sweat equity† improvements in order to truly raise its fair market value, and then selling it for a profit. What the Rule Does Under HUD’s regulation, FR-4615 Prohibition of Property Flipping in HUDs Single Family Mortgage Insurance Programs,† recently flipped homes are not allowed to qualify for FHA mortgage insurance. In addition, it allows FHA to require persons attempting to sell flipped homes to provide additional documentation proving that the home’s appraised fair market value had truly increased significantly. In other words, prove that their profit from the sale is justified. Key Provisions of the Rule Sale by Owner of Record Only the owner of record may sell a home to an individual who will obtain FHA mortgage insurance for the loan; it may not involve any sale or assignment of the sales contract, a procedure often observed when the homebuyer is determined to have been a victim of predatory practices. Time Restrictions on Resales Resales occurring 90 days or less following acquisition will not be eligible for a mortgage to be insured by FHA. FHAs analysis disclosed that among the most egregious examples of predatory lending was on flips that occurred within a very brief time span, often within days. Thus, the quick flips will be eliminated.Resales occurring between 91 and 180 days will be eligible provided that the lender obtains an additional appraisal from an independent appraiser based on a resale percentage threshold established by FHA; this threshold would be relatively high so as to not adversely affect legitimate rehabilitation efforts but still deter unscrupulous sellers, lenders, and appraisers from attempting to flip properties and defraud homebuyers. Lenders may also prove that the increased value is the result of rehabilitation of the property.Resales occurring between 90 days and one year will be subject to a requirement that the lender obtains additional documentation to support the value to add ress circumstances or locations where HUD identifies property flipping as a problem. This authority would supersede the higher expected threshold established for the above-mentioned 90 to 180 day period and will be invoked when FHA determines that substantial abuse may be occurring in a particular locality. Exceptions to the Anti-Flipping Rule The FHA will allow waivers to the property flipping restrictions for: properties acquired by an employer or relocation agency in connection with the relocation of an employee;resales of foreclosed, bank-owned property by HUD under its real estate owned (REO) program;sales of property by other U.S. government agencies;sales of properties by nonprofit organizations approved by HUD to buy single-family properties at a discount with resale restrictions;sales of properties that are acquired by the seller by inheritance;sales of properties by state and federally-chartered financial institutions and Government-Sponsored Enterprises;sales of properties by local and state government agencies; andsales of properties within Presidentially Declared Major Disaster Areas (PDMDA), only upon issuance of a notice of an exception from HUD. The above restrictions do not apply to builders selling a newly built house or building a house for a borrower planning to use FHA-insured financing.

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Essay on tuition - 2308 Words

College Education nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;College education is a highly talked about subject among the presidents. For many years college education was not highly sought after or looked for, then when people who did go to college started getting better paying jobs than everyone else more and more people started to go to college. Since college is such a hot commodity these days the price of a college education is on a steady rise. Some experts have a very strong opinion as to why college education is on a rise and some believe that that it is not on the rise. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;To begin to understand this issue, we have to first examine the history and the context from which it arose. The rise of tuition is mainly due in†¦show more content†¦Later on in the same article the author states, â€Å"But while both candidates have offered an array of new financing plans, many analysts worry that neither man’s proposals will come close to what is necessary to make college more accessible and affordable for everyone.† If the candidates can’t make college more affordable then the proposals don’t make any sense. They should come up with proposals that will actually help student and parents pay for college instead of just making proposals for the sake of making proposals. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Bush has made a lot of promises, but one that I hope he holds to is one made in the article Opening the College Gates where it says, â€Å"Bush pledges to increase student aid by six percent and will try to link federal aid more closely to academics by offering a one thousand dollar scholarship to Pell recipients who take college-prep classes in high school, along with five thousand dollars more in aid to students who study math and science in college.† If he holds up this claim then a lot more people will be able to hopefully afford college and keep enrollment rates up. On the other hand, â€Å"Kerry plans to give tax credits on the first four thousand dollars of tuition to all college students whose parents earn less than one hundred thousand dollars. 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The first part of this paper is going toRead MoreRaising Tuition Rates1074 Words   |  4 PagesRaising Tuition Rates Tuition rates have been rising exponentially since â€Å"World War II and the GI Bill†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which allowed for, â€Å"†¦an explosive increase in the number and proportion of Americans who go to college† (Nathan 148). This change, though largely due to inflation, has been rising past what families can afford to pay, and has led to difficulties for students exiting high school. These difficulties have been seen by campuses, and many already have a plan to help these students pay for the rocketingRead MoreThe Debate On College Tuition Essay951 Words   |  4 PagesThe Debate on College Tuition In our country, several young students in pursuit of a higher education, must work overtime at the local McDonalds, flipping burgers, to pay for their college tuition; while trying to juggle school work and study time during their limited free time. Meanwhile these students live in a country who has buried itself trillions in debt with no end in sight. Sadly, this is the environment that sets up the impassioned debate on whether college tuition should be free in ourRead MoreShould State Tuition Be Regulated?1670 Words   |  7 PagesShould State Tuition be Regulated? In 2003, the 78th Legislature of Texas passed House Bill (HB) 3015, also known as the â€Å"Tuition Deregulation† bill. This bill, which took effect on September 1, 2003, transferred authority over the regulation of tuition of state universities from the Texas Legislature to the University Board of Regents. This exchange decreased state funding for Texas Universities, but allowed the individual institutions to compensate for the deficit by increasing tuition. This authorityRead MoreCollege Tuition Should Be Regulated915 Words   |  4 PagesAs a freshman college student I believe that college tuition is much higher compared to what it used to be. One reason why it continues to increase is mainly because of the significant amount of loans that are borrowed by college students but are not getting paid back; however, does anyone ever wonder where does the money that is put into colleges go to? College professors are not the reason that college cost so much; in addition to, the m oney also goes towards sport teams, scholarships, and constructionRead MoreCollege Tuition Should Be Regulated897 Words   |  4 PagesAs a freshman college student, I believe that college tuition is much higher compared to what it used to be. One reason why it continues to increase is mainly because of the significant amount of loans that is being borrowed by college students but is not getting paid back. However, does anyone ever wonder where does the money put into colleges go to? College professors are not the reason that college cost so much; in addition to, the money also goes towards sport teams, scholarships, and construction

Monday, December 16, 2019

Impact of Culture on the Spread of Hiv/Aids in Kenya Free Essays

string(84) " divisions in a way that the people cannot be checked at all border-crossing zones\." bdalla A. Bafagih Professor Trent Newmeyer Sociology of AIDS Soc 309Y1F June 21, 2004 Impact of Culture on the Spread of HIV/AIDS in Kenya a national culture is not a folklore, nor an abstract populism that believes it can discover the people’s true nature†¦. a national culture is the whole body of the efforts made by a people in the sphere of thought to describe, justify and praise the action through which that people has created itself and keeps itself in existence (Fanon, Frantz). We will write a custom essay sample on Impact of Culture on the Spread of Hiv/Aids in Kenya or any similar topic only for you Order Now Introduction Culture, even in the twenty first century, has numerous denotations. In various parts of the world, it has been and is still considered to be important for the development of civilization and of people’s minds; a particular society or civilization is considered in relation to its beliefs, ways of life and values. In short, culture plays a crucial role in a groups’ quest for identity and is therefore at the centre of the socio-cultural development of a people, region or even county in terms of identity and politics-it serves as a code of life that must be followed under any circumstances even with an HIV/AIDS epidemic. These observations help illuminate responses to our central thesis: that cultural barriers and the ensuing gender bias have not only perpetuated the spread of HIV/AIDS among women, but are also hindering an effective HIV/AIDS prevention campaign in Kenya. Our position is that HIV/AIDS prevalence is a gendered issue because women in most parts of the developing world, due to the repressive cultural practices women have no power. Furthermore women continue to be betrayed by outdated traditional norms such as widow inheritance, widow cleansing, polygamy and gender inequality, as is the case in parts of Kenya. When these issues may seem to differ, in reality they are intertwined and date back to generations. To make matters worse those infected with HIV, both women and men blame witchcraft as the source of death (McGeary, J. Time Magazine, p, 30). Moreover as Madhu Bala Nath states â€Å"myths are also rooted in the nature of denial that is associated with HIV/AIDS. Because HV/AIDS is so frightening, there is a temptation to deny the existence of the disease (2001, p, 32). Such denial plays a large part in sustaining such outdated practices. We should point out from the outset that the current risky practices were at one time seen as strength (pre HIV/AIDS era) since they were really helpful and appropriate for their communities. Among the merits of such traditional practices were, among others, the widow’s security within the household was guaranteed and the orphaned children were guaranteed the extended family support and therefore survival within the community. It was meant to ensure the widow and children never became homeless. According to the Washington Post, In Western Kenya, the custom known as wife inheritance once held an honorable promise: A community would take care of a widow and her children. She did not remarry. Her husband’s family simply took responsibility for her. If a brother-in-law could not care for her, then a cousin or a respected outsider would. The inheritor made sure that the widow and her children were fed, clothed, sheltered, educated, protected, kept (Buckley, Stephen. Washington Post, November 8, 1997). For the purpose of this paper, we take a position that the spread of HIV/AIDS has rendered what were once cultural assets into deadly liabilities particularly towards women and children. That is why there is a need to be creative and embrace alternative rituals that do not involve risky sexual behavior. Our position is that inheritance per se is not bad, but widow inheritance and cleansing that endanger the lives of the widow and the inheritor/cleanser should be discarded. Wife inheritance or wife cleansing involves an inheritor who has his own family. As reported by the Washington Post â€Å"he infects his first wife and the widow he has inherited. Then he dies, and two other men inherit the women he leaves behind. Those men die. And then their widows are inherited† (ibid. ). It is this vicious circle that explains the rising HIV rates in Kenya. Kenya has vibrant and diverse cultural groups but some groups elevate ethnicity above nationalism. This makes it sometimes problematic to deal with intra and inter cultural norms or to undertake reforms of certain entrenched traditions. On one hand you have believers in Christianity who are more willing to abandon certain outdated traditions such as those discussed in this paper. For instance, a Kenyan bishop, called on widows to take a stand against wife inheritance (Gonza, Sam. 2000, p, 1). On the other hand you have the rigid traditionalists who are not open to any reforms or changes within traditions. There is usually no middle ground and unfortunately it cuts across class lines. We agree with the position put forward by Human Rights Watch in their report entitled Double Standards: Women’s Property Rights Violations in Kenya that â€Å"as important as cultural diversity and respecting customs may be, if customs are a source of discrimination against women, they like any other norm-must evolve† (2003, p, 2). Kenya has approximately forty tribes, which are co-related to the four greater ethnic groups (Buckley, Stephen. Washington Post, November 8, 1997): Bantu, Nilo-Hamitic, Nilotic and Hamitic (see figure i). Because of it’s neighboring, cultures are related to each other within Kenya and in the border countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Sudan. [pic] Figure: i Source: http://www. lib. utexas. edu/maps/kenya. html It will be imperative for this paper to provide short historical events in Kenya so as to provide a proper understanding of both the internal and external dynamics of this country. Kenya attained its independence from Britain in 1963 and has a population of thirty two million (32 million). [1] Kenya like other Sub-Saharan countries is a creation of European scramble for Africa. [2] As a result same ethnic groups are presently dispersed across different countries. The boundaries are like artificial divisions in a way that the people cannot be checked at all border-crossing zones. You read "Impact of Culture on the Spread of Hiv/Aids in Kenya" in category "Papers" [pic] Figure: ii Source: http://www. lib. utexas. edu/maps/kenya. html The point, which we want to discuss, is that it is difficult to try to onvince these communities to abandon some of their practices, because they feel that at the end, abandoning their customs, would completely wipe out their culture and eventually loose their identity. In some African countries, various ethnic groups are the minorities and would want to keep intact their culture for the purpose of their own identity, so as to enable them to negotiate any political power in the government (Kanyiga, Karuti. 1998, p, 7)). On the other hand the ethnic groups, which are the majority, would want to maintain their hegemony and are not ready to change their traditions (ibid). Thus why dealing with health issues such as HIV/AIDS creates profound consequences. Current HIV/AIDS Situation in Kenya The synopsis about Kenya is not good at all. United Nations AIDS (UNAIDS) reports that over 2 million out of a total population of 29. 5 million (2000) were infected with HIV and a cumulative number of 1. 5 million people had died due to AIDS. The high prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS have negatively impacted life expectancy to the extent that it has dropped by approximately 13 years to 51 years (1998); while GDP reduced by -0. in 2000 and is expected to worsen in coming years. The average literacy rate is estimated at 78% (1995) and total fertility rate in Kenya is about 4. 4 (1998). Approximately 30% of the population lives in urban areas and more than half of the population live under the poverty line, women constituting the majority. UNAIDS estimates that about 500 persons died of AIDS each day in the country in 1999. (www. unaids. org/Unaids/EN/geographical+area/by +country/kenya. asp). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the estimated number of adults and children living with HIV/AIDS, in Kenya end of 2001 stands as follows: Adults and children 2,500,000, Adults (15-49) 2,300,000, Women (15-49) 1,400,000 and Children 220,000, current living orphans, 890, 000, estimated number of death due to AIDS (2001), 190, 000 and the current adult rate of 15. 0 percent (www. who. int/hiv/pub/epidemiology/pubfacts/en/). Furthermore, the Human Rights Watch Report (2001) indicates that an estimated 2. million adults and children live with HIV/AIDS, representing about 14 percent of the sexually active population. The scary statistic is that Kenya has the ninth highest HIV prevalence rate in the world to the extent that the U. S. Census Bureau projections indicate that by 2005, there will be about 820 deaths per day from AIDS in Kenya. (http://www. hrw. org/reports/2001/kenya/kenya0701-03. htm#P144_18884). Factors behind the Gendered HIV/AIDS rates in Kenya. Through cu lture and society, we are able to transmit skills and other systems of social relations to modify our environment. But that has not been possible with women in Kenyan in both rural and urban areas even in the event of a HIV/AIDS epidemic with no cure in sight. Since our beliefs and ways of life are inseparable from our particular cultures, it is common for people to reject a behavior if it is not signified in their culture’s social code. It is however much harder for the marginalized groups like women and girls to reject what is supposedly part of their culture as is the case among the Luo and Luhya[3] of Kenya where they practice their culture to a fault. In such cases, individual behavior patterns alone are not responsible for the observed high-risk activities that cause HIV/AIDS. Needless to say, HIV/AIDS transmission in parts in Kenya is mostly through heterosexual relations. Because of [blind] loyalty to their culture, many within the group (most educated women with the economic means to support themselves are now increasingly defiant against certain regressive policies like widow inheritance) in a society which has its own subculture, often face social risks, such as wife (widow) inheritance, to the extent that failure can result in exclusion from participating in communal events. For example, women who refuse to be inherited among the Luo and Luhya automatically lose their right to remain within their households, because their behavior is considered odd. Consequently women are frequently subject to violence, abuse, scorn and ridicule and other expressions of hate (HRW, 2003, pp, 16-21). Similarly, when it comes to apportioning blame as to who is the responsible party for bringing HIV/AIDS among married couples; it is usually women who are blamed even though in most cases, it is the men who have multiple partners. That goes to show that in the name of culture, women in Kenya find themselves in subordinate positions to men and are socially, culturally, and economically dependent on them. Because of the cultural biases, women are largely excluded from decision making, have limited access to and control over resources, are restricted in their mobility, and are often under threat of violence from male relatives (that is why many women have no choice when it comes to certain oppressive rituals, because they have no where else to return to should they be evicted from their late husband’s property) (ibid). In many cases, women in many parts of Kenya are perpetual minors subject to the guardianship of their male relatives and husbands. As a result, not only are their statuses lower than that of men, but also their condition is also dependent on that of their men folk. This subordination of women is connected to the distribution of power in society. In Kenya, economic, social and political power accrued to men partially as a result of their control of women, even though the thinking was and still is that a prosperous homestead depended on female reproduction and production. This keeps such oppressive rituals like widow inheritance in practice. Additionally, the gendered HIV/AIDS prevalence rates illuminate how gender as a constitutive element of social relationships. The Human Rights Watch of 2003, stated that of the 1. 4 million were women and girls with HIV positive, between the ages of fifteen and forty nine, this clearly shows how differences between sexes-power relationship within and between different women, urban versus rural and single versus married is very much embedded within society. Furthermore, the violation of fundamental human rights, and especially reproductive rights of women, plays an important part in perpetuating gender inequity and the observed HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Kenya. As discussed in some parts of Kenya certain groups have taken Fanon’s dictum above about culture to new levels (p, 42), which have resulted in the discrimination, violation of women’s rights and have placed women at great risk of contacting HIV. The impact has been traumatic on women as members of a community that continues to marginalize them in alls aspects of life. Yet women continue to provide care as wives, mothers, daughters, nurses, teachers, and grandmothers towards the sick, the dying and the orphaned children, many of whom are traumatized by the loss of their loved ones from AIDS. Unfortunately, in most parts of Kenya as evident elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, as Fanon further argued, societies have not acknowledged the totality of culture and its vital role within the context of culture and history (p, 43). What we know and will be shown in this essay is that an examination of cultural practices allow us to know the nature and extent of the imbalance and conflicts (economic, social and cultural) which characterize the evolution of a society: culture allows us to know the dynamic synthesis which have been developed and established by social conscie nce to resolve these conflicts at each stage of its evolution in search for survival and progress (ibid). In the case of Kenya, and elsewhere as it was made clearer in this course, the quest for in Kenya such attitudes pervade all aspects of social life to the detriment of girls in particular and women in general. Evidently, the recurring theme in Kenya is the conflict between modernity and tradition that is often treated in terms of its relevance to women and men, rural versus urban or what it means to belong to a particular ethnic group. This goes to the heart of gender equity, property rights, agrarian reform and its problematic impact on women. In parts of Kenya, those who believe that culture is stagnant rather than vibrant to the extent that oppressions against women are presented in terms of cultural harmony and the survival of entire ethnicities have hindered the process of social liberation by women. Some of the cultural traditions discussed include wife (widow) inheritance, widow cleansing and polygamy all of which contributed to the lack of secure property rights that result into the violation of human rights for women, and the observed disparity in HIV/AIDS rates between men and women in Kenya. 4] Unfortunately westerners including many of our classmates sometimes do not seem to understand that countries like Kenya have very poor laws that govern human freedoms and rights like the Canadian Charter of Freedoms and Rights. Women in Kenya are routinely discriminated against in most cases with the connivance of the state. [5] While personal freedom and choice have certainly played a role in the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS elsewhere, where laws are enforced, in the case of Kenya, the interplay of culture and gender roles is to a great extent responsible for the statistics cited above in this essay. Although awareness of HIV/AIDS is reasonably high in Kenya this is not reflected in sexual behavioral changes, given the high prevalence and incidence of HIV/AIDS (Rosenvard, C and T. Campbell, 1996, p, 11). This finding reflects our thesis; the entrenched cultural biases against women and girls can explain such behavior to the extent where awareness is high yet infections rates are also rising. It is not that Kenyans in general or women in particular are not rational, they are but they have become victims of outdated cultural traditions and gender biases. What this rather contradictory finding shows is the need to view the HIV/AIDS pandemic through, multiple lenses but most importantly through the lens of power inequality in society that are rooted in gender. Gender norms pervade all aspects of Kenyan culture and society to the extent that culture dominates anything else among the Luo and Luhya of Western Kenya. The marginalized status of women plays a key role in the spread of HIV/AIDS in Kenya as reflected in the UNAIDS and WHO figures. It is thus important to recognize the complex underlying factors influencing the role of women and how such roles affect African societies and behavior. In the traditional Kenyan society, women are expected to be submissive and to provide for their household at all times (Caldwell, 1989, p, 185). In Kenya especially in the rural setting, the woman’s marital status does not end when the person who married her dies; she is by all accounts married to the clan in the sense that under certain ‘invented’ customary traditions, the clan has the right to inherit her. Traditionally, Luo or Luhya women have little or no say in such matters of inheritance including the retention or sharing of resources such as land and property. According to Human Rights Watch: Widows are often evicted from their homes as in-laws rob them of their possessions and invade their homes and lands. These unlawful appropriations happen even more readily when the husband died of AIDS†¦ In some places, widows are forced to undergo customary, sexual practices such as â€Å"wife inheritance† or ritual â€Å"cleansing† in order to keep their property. Wife inheritance† is where a male relative of the dead husband takes over the widow as a wife, often in a polygamous family. â€Å"Cleansing† usually involves sex with a social outcast who is paid by the dead husband’s family, supposedly to cleanse the woman of her dead husband’s evil spirits. In both of these rituals, safer sex is seldom practiced and sex is often coerced. Women who fight back are routinely beaten, raped, or ostracized (Double Standards: Women’s Property Rights Violations in Kenya) (http://www. hrw. rg/reports/2001/kenya/TopOfPage). While the quotation above tells us sufficient story about the problems facing Kenyan women, Human Rights Watch report entitled, Double Standards: Women’s Property Rights Violations in Kenya captures the agony of Kenyan women in their own voices. It is thus important to reproduce just three of their experiences below to capture what Human Right Watch calls â€Å"the heinous nature of women’s property rights violations: through personal interview. Human Rights Watch of 2001, reports, â€Å"AIDS exacerbates those hardships†. †¢ Jiwa, a fifty-five-year-old widow from western Kenya, said that after her husband died, her brother-in-law brought a â€Å"cleanser† to her home to have sex with her. She objected, saying: â€Å"I don’t know this man’s HIV status, and if I die my children will suffer. † Her brother-in-law and four cousins pushed the cleanser into Jiwa’s hut and he raped her. She screamed but the cleanser covered her mouth and the in-laws stood guard outside. The brother-in-law paid the cleanser with a cow, chickens, and clothing. Jiwa was then forced out of her home and into a shoddy, makeshift hut. Her brother-in-law took over her land and furniture. She reported this to the village elder, who did nothing. Jiwa now has a persistent cough and has lost much weight. She fears she contracted HIV from the cleanser but has not been tested and cannot afford medical treatment. †¢ Adhiambo, a thirty-year-old widow from Nairobi, said that when her husband died of AIDS in 1998 he left her HIV-positive with five children. She quickly went from being relatively affluent to destitute after her husband’s family took her property. Her in-laws grabbed household items from her Nairobi home and took over a rural home, land, and livestock even though Adhiambo helped pay to construct the house. Her father-in-law called a family meeting, told her to choose an in-law as an inheritor, and ordered her to be cleansed by having sex with a fisherman. Adhiambo refused, and fled when her in-laws threatened her. She now struggles to meet her children’s basic needs, and her slum landlord has threatened to evict her. †¢ Imelda, a twenty-five-year-old widow with AIDS, lost her home, land, and other property in Kenya when her husband died in 2002. She told her in-laws that she had AIDS and wanted to stay in the house. They snatched her property anyway and wanted her to be â€Å"inherited. She recalled: â€Å"I told my in-laws I’m sick . . . but they took everything. I had to start over . . .. They took sofa sets, household materials, cows, a goat, and land. I said, ‘Why are you taking these things when you know my condition? ‘ They said, ‘You’ll go look for another husband. ‘ My in-laws do not believe in AIDS. They said that witchcraft killed my husband. (http://www. hrw. org/reports/2001/kenya/TopOfPage). The above tribulations capture the victims in their own words and show how widow’s inheritance and cleansing devalues the dignity of women. While case law establishes that family property may be evenly divided upon separation or divorce in practice, the captured words of the three widows above, seems to differ. But above all, as has been our point of argument throughout this paper, under the very oppressive and discriminatory customary laws that are extremely influential in Kenya, it is the men who are accorded greater property rights than women. Other discriminatory practices are usually sexist customary tradition that obstruct women’s equal rights to property and also prevent women from seeking redress for violations of these rights. Additionally, the problem is made worse by unresponsive authorities that ignore women’s woes regarding property violations, and ineffective courts that are biased against women. However the greatest setback is the fact that many Kenyan women and men too have land problems where squatters are routinely evicted even though they have lived on such land for generations. The other is low level of awareness of their rights, the time and expense of pursuing claims, violence, and the social stigma of being considered greedy or cultural traitors if they assert their rights. www. hrw. org/campaigns/women/property/factsheet. htm). Evidently, what the discussion above illustrates is that in Kenya, women’s rights violations must be understood and combated in the context of Africa’s AIDS epidemic. In Kenya, 15 percent of the population between the ages of fifteen and forty-nine is infected with HIV, more than half of whom are women, and one out of eight adults in rural Kenya and one out of five adults in urban areas is infected, though most do not know it. AIDS has reduced life expectancy from sixty-five to forty-six years ((http://www. rw. org/reports/2001/kenya/TopOfPage). These figures are quite telling in that in Kenya, HIV/AIDS is worse among urban dwellers than is the case among rural dwellers. According to Dyson, the higher urban incidence rates are due to â€Å"relatively high rates of social interaction and crowded urban living conditions and squalid living conditions† (p, 427). Similar results for Sub-Saharan African in general, has been documented by Caldwell who found that â€Å"urban levels of HIV infection rates are typically four to ten times those of rural areas† (p, 44). In countries with a substantial level of urbanization, and home to some of the largest slum areas in Africa, the numbers are certainly depressing. Moreover as noted by Bollinger et al, Sometimes traditional practices that occur in Kenya, particularly in the rural areas, can contribute to the spread of HIV. For example, a director of the Kenyan governments AIDS efforts attributed the high prevalence rate in some parts of western Kenya to the practice of wife inheritance that exist there (5-6). These findings do illuminate our thesis. Furthermore given the feminization of poverty due to Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) policies (Cooper, 2002, 87), women in urban areas and also in rural areas find themselves on the economic margins where they are forced to engage in risky behaviors like prostitution. Moreover, because of SAP polices and the introduction of user fee in hospitals; women are disadvantaged with regard to health and health care (ibid), a clear indication that gender inequalities have led to a systematic neglect of women’s health and the gendered incidence of HV/AIDS in Kenya. It is not our intention to call such traditions as ‘uncivilized’ or extreme. It would be naive to make this assumption and one has also to try to understand the dynamics of Africa and its communities at earlier times. Caldwell captures the reality that â€Å"it is clear that lifestyle plays a dominant role in determining individuals’ chances of infection, and it seems probable that level of the disease over the coming decades is more likely to be decided by changing lifestyles than by medical breakthroughs. Those changes will be more successful, and least damaging to the society, if behavioral factors in the spread of the disease are well understood† (p, 186). Conclusion This essay has outlined and argued that the disparity in HIV/AIDS prevalence rates between men and women are rooted in the cultural biases against women and girls such as widow inheritance in parts of Kenya. Our position in this essay has been that the cultural barriers and the ensuing gender bias have not only perpetuated the spread of HIV/AIDS among women, but are also hindering an effective HIV/AIDS prevention campaign in Kenya. We have shown the linkages between cultural biases against women and girls and the spread of HIV/AIDS. The challenge has been to decouple the notion that addressing women rights in Kenya is a western value or that concerns of equity must take a back seat in the struggle against HIV/AIDS epidemic. We recognize that eliminating all forms of discrimination against women in Kenya will take time, but the government must start to enforce existing laws to protect women against repressive cultural practices like widow inheritance. The people must be told that culture is not static but rather dynamic, and should be encouraged to discard risky cultural traditions and activities that expose women to HIV/AIDS and thus endanger their lives. From this course (Sociology 309), we know the relationship between safe and improved reproductive rights such as increased condom use and the health status of women are crucial in fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS. As shown in this paper there is a positive correlation between women’s precarious health status and their susceptibility to HIV/AIDS particularly in urban areas, inequitable gender relations and women’s poverty and powerlessness in society especially in rural areas. Finally, the Kenyan stakeholders – politicians, church leaders, civil society, NGOs, women leaders, youth groups, cultural and traditional leaders, must deal urgently with the existing power inequality among the sexes, that accounts for the excessive burden of HIV/AIDS transmission and the consequences on women in general who have so far been hit most by the spread of HIV/AIDS. That trend needs to be reversed if Kenya is to stem the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS epidemic and its distressing impact on the Kenyan society at large. How to cite Impact of Culture on the Spread of Hiv/Aids in Kenya, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Business Society and Planet of Bridgestone - Goodyear Companies

Question: Discuss about the Identification and Description of Bridgestone and Goodyear Companies? Answer: Bridgestone Company is among the leading multinationals dealing in auto and automobile spare parts incepted in 1931 byShojiro Ishibashiin Kurume City,Fukuoka, located in Japan. The Bridgestone Group supplies a broad assortment of tires to purchasers around the globe, such as tires for trucks, aircraft, mining vehicles, passenger cars, buses, construction, motorcycles, and so forth. The Company manufactures and wholesales a range of rubber commodities and other differentiated products (Cooke, 2001). Many of these merchandises and technologies are employed in a diversity of everyday applications. The Bridgestone Group upholds an optimal equilibrium between short-term administration methodology and mid- to long-term administration measures, with an accentuation on Lean in the short-term and Strategic in the mid- and lingers to execute management reorganizations, rendering uppermost precedence to optimization on a group and worldwide basis. The primary vision of this Group as stated (Pla ceholder1) is "Comprehending that Serving Community with the Best Quality is our legacy and our core Purpose, and taking on our accountability to forthcoming generations as an international spearhead in our industries, Bridgestone Inc. and its co-players around the globe apply modernization and technology to advance the way individuals work, live, move, and play (Bridgestone Corporation, 2017)." Goodyear Company The Goodyear Tire Rubber Corporationis a USA-based multinational tire producer company established in the year 1898 byFrank Seiberlingand headquartered inAkron, Ohio. The Company fabricates tires for airplanes, race cars, light trucks, motorcycles, SUVs, commercial trucks, farm equipment, automobiles, and heavy earth-mover machinery. Goodyear was named after Charles Goodyear, an American discoverer of vulcanized rubber (Norbert Majerus; James Morgan; Durward Sobek, 2016). The initial Goodyear products emerged prevalent since they could be detached easily and needed diminutive maintenance. From Goodyear's inception in 1898, the Firms benchmark for success has been grounded on its pledge to unremitting enhancement and innovation. Since then, the Corporation has developed into one of the globes prime tire companies, with one of the utmost renowned brand names. They employ approximately 66,000 conglomerates in various localities around the globe-every one of them endeavoring to deliver the maximum quality in everything that the business does (Goodyear Corporation, 2017). Evident differences between the two companies in terms of the range of issues dealt with in their social reports and the depth of coverage on specific issues Bridgestone Company As an international organization, Bridgestone touches a differing cluster of groups all over the world. By upgrading how individuals live, learn, and work, the organization endeavors to positively affect the groups in which it works at the worldwide and local levels. It aids in building more secure, healthier communities and makes education more open and comprehensive ( Bridgestone Corporation, 2016). For instance, in relationship with Fleet Watch magazine and other industry accomplices, Bridgestone South Africa (Pty) Ltd. has taken an interest in Brake and Tire Watch; a program designed for enabling traffic authorities to recognize unroadworthy vehicles on the streets, and also to expand transport administrator familiarity with a proficient braking and tire checking. Traffic officials are trained on the significance of safe tires, tire shortcomings, utilitarian brakes and other visual safety segments. Trucks or buses found to be unroadworthy are then expelled from the street and iss ued discontinuing notices. Until now, the program has prepared more than 1,200 traffic authorities and scrutinized more than 400 vehicles, of which 60% were not in roadworthy condition. Through these exercises, Bridgestone adds to a more secure society. Moreover, since 1970, the company unceasingly contributes to the healthy life of local communities. This is archived through blood donations, training, medical contributions, and colloquiums on job-related medicine (Wayne Visser; Ileana Magureanu; Karina Yadav, 2015). Recently, the company introduced defibrillators (AED) and skilled employees how to make use of them. Employees working with Bridgestone Company also benefit from health amenities, for example, echography and other therapeutic examinations, preventive health campaigns (aiming at cancer, hypertension, corpulence, and so forth.), ergonomics programs, and psychosocial care. Through these and other exercises, Bridgestone strengthens the healthy life of local people. Besides, alongside with Bridgestone Cycle Company and Bridgestone Sports Enterprise, they hold the Bridgestone Children's Eco-Art Contest. This competition was established with the aim of conserving natural environment for a forthcoming generation, and it accentuates on the appreciation for an environment which is seen through children's drawings. This contest has been held since 2003, and a total of 313,199 magnificent drawings have been contributed hence expressing a variety of skills amongst the children. So we can conclude that Bridgestone Company aims at serving society with superior services and also it embraces its duty for an imminent generation(Bridgestone Corporation, 2014). Goodyear Company Unlike Bridgestone Company which aims at serving the society through the building of healthier communities, Goodyear Company focuses more on satisfying themselves first and is intended to use their assets to build and sustain concerted programs within a community venture focus areas. Their key is to an emphasis on areas that reflect the international and local nature of their business and where Goodyear Company can have the greatest influence including: upholding safe movements to make their people stronger and more secure (Dirk Morschett; Hanna Schramm-Klein; Joachim Zentes, 2010). Motivating individuals to achieve their potential in school and get ready for smart careers, reducing waste and preserving sustainable energy for their world. Related engagement serves as the foundational component of all of Goodyears corporate social accountability efforts (Swanson, 2014). Goodyear Company puts into consideration by ensuring that their manufacturing facilities are safe and harmless to th e health and wellbeing of associates, workers, the surrounding inhabitants and the environment as a whole. Goodyear Company only participates in a program as community volunteers, unlike Bridgestone Company who views it as their responsibility to take back to the society( The Goodyear Tire Rubber Company, 2017). Extent to which can these differences be explained by the country or industry differences An organization without a goodmanagement is bound to extinction. That is why it is tremendously significant to select the right managing style that would counteract such dreadful fate, as well as convey a coveted success to an organization (John O Okpara; Samuel O Idowu, 2013). Although Bridgestone and Goodyear companies manufacture similar products (tire and rubber products), they have different management. This is because they are located in different countries which adapt differentmanagement styles. To start with, Japanese companies belief that an individual should contribute to the society as a whole, on the contrary, USA organizations focuses more on satisfying themselves first and then subsequently concentrates on the community (Samuel O Idowu; Walter Leal Filho, 2008). Moreover, in terms of employment, Japanese organizations hire someone who is cheerful, enthusiastic, vigorous and willing to dedicate herself or himself to the corporation. So they hardly employ workers based on their education and skills. Conversely, USA companies specifically hire employees who are suitable for the job based on proper education and abilities. Besides, USA companies have a tendency of making quick decisions in order to archive abrupt results. As a result, decision making is obligated to USA managers only. The decisions made are then conversed to the subordinates. In Japan, on the contrary, corporations make a decision using two approaches. The first approach involves seeking approval from the lower level of management up to the top most management. The second method of decision-making process conducting meetings with the employees' where they all agree on what should be implemented (USA International Business Publications, 2015). This is advantageous because every employee is able to participate and contribute their points of view and also their opinions are considered. Due to all these differences in the two countries, the two companies, Goodyear and Bridgestone though t hey belong in the same tire and rubber industry they differ when it comes to corporate social responsibility (CSR) (Wayne Visser; Ileana Magureanu; Karina Yadav, 2015). Assessment Of The Apparent Quality Of The Social Accounting Approach Utilized By Each Company According To Zadek Et Al.S (1997) Criteria The suggestion that corporations ought to be held responsible for their social performance has turned out to be progressive over the last five to ten years(William B Werther; David Chandler, 2011). This has produced significant debate about how organizations ought to establish their corporate social responsibility (CSR) and about what institutes best practice in social accounting, recording and reviewing (Zadek et al., 1997). Key ideologies are that socially responsible organizations should take part in discourse with their partners and create a social report that is a record of their social enactment (Dorothe?e Baumann-Pauly, 2013). As supported by Zadeks in his work, Bridgestone and Goodyear, through their initiatives aim at ensuring inclusivity mainly by bringing on board individuals who for various reasons are marginalized or excluded. Besides, accounting information provided by these MNCS is comparable in the sense that all principles employed are consistent from one fiscal period to another and as well, from region to another. In addition, the annual financial publications contain all essential and appropriate parts, an aspect the theorist referred to as completeness. On the same breath, it is worth noting the significance of external verification in these firms. External verification according to various theoretical works involves the confirmation of all transactions by an independent third party by use of the support documents. Bridgestone, for instance, hires qualified auditors to carry out this crucial function. It is clear from the discussions in this section that these companies apply management policies and systems that ascertain evolution since they are both managed to bring about a general positive influence on the cultures and communities where they have conglomerates. The firms in the industry often collaborate to ensure a continuous improvement of these particular host communities (Samuel O Idowu; Stephen Vertigans, 2017). Extent to Which the Social Reports Provided By These Companies Reflect Their Stated Values The Bridgestone Principle, its shared viewpoint, directs the stakeholders towards building not simply better brands, but also better societies. The firm believes in observing ethical and moral values in its actions. This stress on integrity promotes a business culture that respects a variety of abilities, life experiences as well as backgrounds. Bridgestone Inc. never settles for the status quo. They are continuously challenging themselves to come up with novel inventions that will retort to consumer requirements and further benefit the entire society. Moreover, it is a common believe in this MNC that investing the time and energy essential to substantiate facts benefits not only the internal publics but also external interested parties. They use these clarifications to make and implement up-to-date decisions that lead them to the best possible results. Bridgestones pledge to distinction motivates them to put into consideration all possibilities and the full array of options before d eciding on a course of action. Then, they move forward without hesitancy. These stated values are reflected in the social and sustainability reports availed by Bridgestone. It is evident from the discourse that the company puts the welfare of all and sundry and heart when formulating and implementing their decisions(Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC, 2017). As hinted beforehand, Goodyear's primary Mission is to provide high-quality goods motivated by integrity, teamwork, and innovation. For about 100 years, this Company has endeavored to deliver the unsurpassed products. Goodyear's management is devoted towards making certain that business is carried out in a manner that encourages a principled code of conduct and legal conformity. The Goodyear companions strive hard to nurture an environment which values reciprocated respect, transparency and discrete integrity. Just like Bridgestone, leadership in Goodyear, values and accommodates diversity and inclusion. Among the imperative aspects of Goodyear's Diversity Inclusion Policy is ensuring that its labor force is reflective of the societies and clienteles they serve. On the inside, their sundry and inclusive culture at the company enables their companions to contribute at their level best in an environment that is intended to be rational and nondiscriminatory. Goodyear Inc. comrades are fortified to make audacious resolutions and converse amenably and efficiently with others. Aforementioned attributes in this company are reflected in their publications in social sustainability reports which as explained beforehand elaborate on the robust connection between the firm and the external interested publics (Goodyear Corporation, 2017). Conclusion While consideration of the environmental and social influences of intercontinental business (IB) is not novel, the past centuries have realized transformed concern due to various unrelenting global challenges such as poverty and climate change. Multinational Corporations (MNCs) are viewed as taking an explicit role given their international impact and undertakings in which they are challenged with an assortment of issues, interested parties, and institutional contexts, in both motherlands as well as host nations. Their prospective in becoming not only part of the problems but also possibly part and parcel of the solution is progressively recognized and has come to the forefront in investigation interest in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) accomplishments and sustainable development implications of international business. However, organized research and inclusion in this or related works have been lacking. This paper has taken into consideration two examples of MNCs and referred to them to depict the importance CSR in the contemporary competitive business environment. It is clear that stringent philosophical practices meant to take back to the society, as opposed to the outlooks of the majority do not deprive the business of its primary economic goal of making a profit. CSR enables organizations to build and maintain an excellent corporate image which goes a long way in creating a splendid position and name of the MNC. Bibliography Bridgestone Corporation. (2016, 5 25). 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