Psychopharmacology, drugs and addiction-heroin Essay

Psychopharmacology, drugs and addiction-heroin - Essay Example It is used both as a pain killer as well as a recreational drug. Some of its popular street names are – junk, dope Jenny, brown, diesel, smack, gear, dragon, hammer and ice-cubes. Heroin is a whitish brown powder or sometimes a sticky black substance called â€Å"black tar heroin†. It is usually injected, sniffed, snorted or smoked. An intravenous injection takes a very short time of 5 to 7 seconds for the drug to enter a person’s brain. It immediately metabolizes and gives the person a flush of â€Å"euphoria† (light headedness). The other methods take a longer time. Just like all other opiates, Heroin too is capable of creating high tolerance thresholds in the body. The great risk of heroin addiction is that the user can build a tolerance of the drug 3 to 4 times more than the lethal limit of a normal person. These high thresholds make heroin detoxification all the more painful and difficult for the heroin addict. Heroin withdrawal is not only painful but also frightening. The withdrawal phase lasts anywhere between 48 to 72 hours since the last dose of heroin intake. The withdrawal symptoms include – dilated pupils, Muscle cramps, Nausea and vomiting, periodic chills, panic spells, goose bumps, diarrhea, malaise, fever and profuse sweating.. Addicts who have undergone these withdrawal symptoms describe their experience by saying –â€Å"it was the worse case of the flu† they had ever had. An addict has alternate wakeful and drowsy spells with clouded mental functioning. An overdose may sometimes lead to death and using the needle used by an infected person could result in HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis. Death could also be the end result if the addict has a high tolerance of heroin withdrawal. Some addicts complain of a stressful condition called â€Å"itchy blood† which results in compulsive scratching causing bruises on the body. An overdose of heroin is usually counter acted

Nutrition for Health and Social Care Essay Example for Free

Nutrition for Health and Social Care Essay In this assignment, I will be making realistic recommendations for decreasing negative impacts on the health of one individual. The individual I will be making recommendations for and talking about in more depth is James. As it states in the case study, and James has a BMI above average, therefore, in this assignment, I will clarify in full detail what he could do in order to live a healthier lifestyle and lose some weight as James is 54 years old overweight. In addition, I will also be stating the advantages of acting upon and following the recommendations I have made as well as the disadvantages if he did not follow them and continued with his normal diet. â€Å"Food is essential for life but what we eat is subject to a wide range of influences. Recognising these and taking account of them when planning menus and preparing food can make the difference between and individual eating sufficiently for their needs or not†. James is 54 years old Chief Executive of an international company. He is single with no children, and admits to not paying much attention to his diet. Due to working long hours, he often skips meals, and ends up snacking. He sometimes grabs a takeaway on the way home because he’s not good at cooking, and hardly does food shopping and he lives miles away from the nearest supermarket, and so there’s usually nothing indoors to eat. At 6’1, he weighs 212 pounds and has a BMI of 28. He admits to feeling a little tired, recently. James dietary habits are impacting him negatively because he at an age where he is at risk of contracting some type of serious cardiovascular diseases, for instance problems with his heart or his arteries being clogged with fat because of consuming a lot of unhealthy foods, which could be fatal. James health factors are already beginning to have negative impacts on him because as it states â€Å"he admits to feeling a little tired, recently†. If James does not alter his behaviour towards his health for example taking more care and paying attention to his health, not only will he continue to gain a lot of weight but he will also have a hard time losing the weight as he will have a great amount to lose. I recommend that James goes on a diet and makes lifestyle changes. However prior to beginning his diet, I think it’s highly important that James visits his GP and research about dieting and losing weight the right way rather than doing it the wrong way to see faster results and be at risk of other health problems. After he has done his research, He should start off his diet slowly, for instance he could start by cutting out fizzy drinks and alcohol because they both contain great amounts of calories and fizzy drinks have a lot of sugar which is not good to constantly have, and replacing them with water. Water is extremely beneficial to the body because it refreshes your body and keeps you hydrated, and also drinking the recommended amount of water daily combined with a healthy diet, will contribute in weight loss and a healthier body. James should then begin to make food choice changes and portion control, for example cutting out fatty foods and consuming large portions of food. It states in the case study that he does not pay attention to his diet and because he works long hours, he often skips meals and that he is not good at cooking. James will have to now pay a lot of attention to his diet because it is putting him at risk of serious health problems and the first thing he should do is look on the internet for food recipes. If James does not want to cook at all, he should order his food from shops such as Marks and Spencer’s which have a variety of different healthy meals and also have home delivery so he could have the food delivered to him. Although he works long hours, it is vital that he does not skip any meals during the day, he should prepare a healthy meal at home and pack some to take to work and eat during his break, and he should also incorporate fruits for snacks and a bottle of water to take to work every day. This way he will not have to buy unhealthy take away meals to eat. In addition, James should attempt not to eat heavy meals before bed, he should have a light dinner and if he feels hungry late hours of the night, he should eat fruits and drink water to fill him up. After James has become accustomed to his new diet choices, he should now incorporate exercise to his diet. However it states in the case study that James works long hours which could be problem if he is trying to incorporate some exercise to his new lifestyle. The way to overcome this problem would be for James to have a plan. He should plan out his life for instance what ime he departs for work, what time he’s back home and the amount of hours he has free after work. Due to the fact that James works long hours, I think that he would benefit highly from buying aerobic DVDS and exercising in the comfort of his own home rather than going to the gym after a tiring day at work. He should start off by buying beginners DVD and gradually progressing to the more intense work out. However the DVDs must be suitable for his age and also he should consult his doctor prior to starting the exercising routine. The advantages of these strategies I have implemented above for James is that he will lose weight, he’ll be living a healthier lifestyle, he’ll become accustomed to not eating unhealthy foods and he would have the skills and knowledge about health and how poor diet contributes highly to health problems. The disadvantage would be if James decided not to act upon the recommendation and continued his bad habits of constantly eating take-away, skipping meals during the day and not exercising. The fact that he is 54 and is overweight is highly worrying because he is now at risk of getting diabetes, clogging up his arteries, suffering from a heart attack and other life threatening health problems. If he does not change his diet he is most likely to endure one of the health problems I have just mentioned and in worst cases it could lead to instant death. James lifestyle also has a huge negative effect on his health. This is because he has no wife or kids, whom could’ve helped James more, by for instance having a healthy cooked meal for him when he returns home from work. This way he would not need to always pick up takeaways on his way home as he would have a healthy cooked meal at home. Also the fact that James works long hours has also affected his health, the reason I believe this is because this could be the reason as to why he skips meals due to not having time to eat during work times which is also now making James feels often tired. James health is at risk, the fact that his working hours are so long may also be the reason to why James has not enrolled in gym, as I mentioned above he may feel extremely tired when he returns home from work and does not have the energy to exercise. Also the fact that he often skips meals does not help the situation because he is not receiving enough nutrients to give him energy he requires. I recommend that James starts off by possibly making slight alterations in his working hours and replace them with time for himself. The reasons for this is because James is clearly on a route to becoming obese and he needs to make some time for himself to exercise and better his health. As well as exercising, as I mentioned in the previous paragraphs, he has to change his eating habits as this is the main reason for his weight issues. I believe that a plan would be very beneficial for James to implement in his life because due to the fact that he’s a chief executive of an international company, means that he possibly has a lot of daily responsibilities at work and if he had a plan of what to eat and what time he has free to exercise, he will not become stressed and confused because it will all be written down. In this plan he should write down all the hours he works during the week and the breaks he has in between, he should also implement his new healthy diet in this plan and write the times he eats meals and snacks in between. I believe that after doing this and following through with the plan, he will adjust to the plan and begin to lose some weight and become healthier. Also more importantly James must always carry a packed lunch and fruits to work so he does not skip lunch and after lunch if he begins to get hungry again, he can snack on some fruits instead of buying unhealthy snacks. In conclusion, I believe that the recommendations I have made for James will only be advantages to him. This is because he will begin to lose the weight he has to lose in order to be healthy; his BMI will drop to average weight and also most importantly he will be living a healthier lifestyle and decrease the risk of having serious health problems. In addition, he will begin to have more energy throughout the day to cope with his every day routine without feeling as tired as he did when he did not pay attention to his diet and weight.

Impact Of Climate Change On Mauritius Environmental Sciences Essay

Impact Of Climate Change On Mauritius Environmental Sciences Essay Mauritius is a small island in the Indian Ocean, which forms part of the Mascarene Islands. It is very famous as a beautiful tourist destination. The local climate is tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; there is a warm, dry winter from the month of May to November and a hot, wet, and humid summer from November to May. There are Anti-cyclones which affect the country during May to September and Cyclones affect the country during November to April. Today, the tourism industry is the first pillar of the Mauritian economy. In brief, Mauritius had about 18,000 visitors in 1970. Between 1985 and 2000 the size of its tourism sector, measured by the increase in tourist arrivals, grew by approximately 340%. Tourist arrivals in 2004 were almost 720,000. Tourist arrivals kept increasing every year, in years 2009 and 2010 we noticed a decrease in tourists arrivals due to the World financial crisis, H1N1, price and other factors. The Tourism industry is developing very rapidly and the go vernment is expecting 2 million tourists in year 2015. The tourism created 30,000 full time job equivalents in 2000 and is creating more direct and indirect jobs with new hotels, luxury villas and tourist attractions. According to forecasts Mauritius is expecting 920, 000 tourists in 2010 which represents an increase of 5.6 percent over the figure of 871, 356 in 2009. Tourist arrivals are forecast to be around 950,000, representing an increase of 3.3 percent over 2010 (Central Statistic Office). According to the Bank of Mauritius, tourism receipts for 2011 should be about 41 billion, representing an increase of 5.1 percent over 2010. Climate Change Climate change refers to a change in the state of the climate that can be identified by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer. It refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity (IPCC, 2007). Climate change is mainly caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the lower atmosphere, fossil fuels, deforestation, methane, pollution, waste of energies and by other factors. Climate change has several negative impacts such as a rise in temperature, rise in sea level, beach erosion, floods, storm surge, droughts, sun burn, melting of glaciers, extinction of species, and among others. Climate scientists are very certain that the Earths climate will change at an unprecedented rate over the 21st century (Houghton et al., 2001). Researches which were made on climate change mention that Global GHG emissions due to human activities have grown since pre-industrial times, with an increase of 70% between year 1970 and 2004. The Global mean sea level is likely to rise by 15 to 95 centimetres by 2100. Global mean temperature has increased by about 0.6 1 °C over the last 100 years. The years at the end of the nineties were the warmest over the last centuries; hence global temperatu re will increase in the future. All the above mentioned impacts represent a threat to the tourism industry and other sub industries. Mauritius and Climate Change The impacts of climate variability and extreme weather events are becoming a concern to the Republic of Mauritius. Though the GHG emission of Mauritius is insignificant, warming of the climate and its effects on the natural and ecological system are inevitable and already obvious. Analyses of temperature recorded at Mauritius and its outer islands show a distinct warming trend. Average temperature at all stations is increasing at the rate of 0.15 ËÅ ¡C per decade and has risen by 0.74 1.2 ËÅ ¡C when compared to the 1961-90 long term mean. At some urban stations the temperature has risen by even greater amounts. Sea levels in the southwest Indian Ocean based on reconstructed tide gauge data and Topex/Poseiden altimeter for the period 1950-2001 shows a rise of around 1.5 mm/yr at Port Louis which is the capital city of Mauritius (Church, et al., 2006). Analysis of Port Louis data for the period 1987-2007 gives a mean rise of 2.1 mm/yr for the last 10 years. Warming of the at mosphere has also impacted the hydrologic cycle over the southwest Indian Ocean. Long-term time series of rainfall amount over the past century (1905 to 2007) show a falling trend in annual rainfall over Mauritius. In fact the average rate of decrease per decade is around 57 mm. The overall decrease during the last ten years is about 8% when compared to the 1950s. There are other impacts which have been observed concerning climate in Mauritius, there is a lengthening of the intermediate dry season, the period of winter and summer has changed compared to previous years. There is a shift in the start of the summer rains which cause a problem to the increasing demand of water by sectors such as agriculture, tourism, industrial and domestic. Hence the number of consecutive dry days is increasing and the number of rainy days is decreasing. Even though there is a decrease in the number of rainy days, heavy rain falls leading to floods is being observed during the summer months of February and March. The concept of sustainable island is clearly defined by the Maurice Ile Durable programme which was presented in the parliament in June 2008. Since then, both public and private sector organisations are putting effort to develop in a sustainable way. As the tourism industry in vulnerable to climate change, hotels and other tourism businesses are trying to implement new strategies in order to mitigate climate change. Mauritius is known for its 3 s, that is the Sun, Sea and Sand. It is a great concern for the stakeholders of the tourism industry in order to preserve the 3 s. Why this research? The world is facing a major challenge. Climate change has increased the frequency, intensity and severity of disasters such as floods, droughts, landslides, famine, windstorms, and epidemics (Oxfam, 2008, AU, 2005). We cannot keep on using fossil fuels the way we do today. Scientists have laid out the risks we face and it has become clearer than ever that now is the time to take serious action on climate change. If we do not act today, the opportunity will not only slip out of our hands but it will also become much more costly to carry out the necessary low-carbon transition in the future. It is important for Mauritius to start acting now for the future generations, as Mauritius is dependent on the Tourism industry it is clear that both private and public organizations must cater for the landscape, environment, cultures, traditions, heritages and attractions to encourage tourists to keep choosing Mauritius as their holiday destination. What impact will climate change have on tourism? This can be through two means: directly through the changed climate and indirectly through the environmental changes brought about by climate change. In both cases, these impacts will occur at the origin country or region and at the destination country. This study is going to see the perception of tourism professionals on climate change, their knowledge on climate change, and their mitigation and adaptation measures. Moreover this study is going to conclude about how can climate change affects the tourism industry of Mauritius, and finally draw recommendations on how to reduce a change in climate and reduce impacts on the environment. As a result we will be able to develop in a more sustainable way without harming the nature of our island. Aims and Objectives of the study This study is designed to see the level of knowledge of tourism professionals concerning climate change and to what extent those managers think that their business is vulnerable to climate change. Moreover the questionnaire is going to collect data such as the perception of managers about the adaptation measures and about the threats that climate change represent to Mauritius. Purpose of this study The purpose of this project is to establish sufficient knowledge of climate change related changes in the research area to motivate the stakeholders to act now for the sustainability of the tourism industry of Mauritius. Thus it builds a bridge from scientific research activity to practical action. A fundamental assumption motivating this research is that with a joint, planned and coordinated commitment from the industry, the adverse social, environment and economic effects of these changes could be mitigated and rather turned positive. Methodology To our knowledge, this study is going to see the knowledge and actions of managers in the tourism industry concerning Climate Change. A sample of Tourism Managers was used for this study. The total survey sample consists of 30 managers, which were selected at random, in hotels, travel agencies, airlines, tourist attractions sites, diving centres and among others. A pre-test of the survey instrument was conducted and slight modifications were made to improve the clarity of some questions. The survey was conducted in English. Literature review There are a variety of potential impacts of climate change. A number of reviews have investigated these effects, including the IPCC Third Assessment Report (TAR), 2001; Bigio, 2003; McEvoy, 2007; Wilby, 2007, IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) 2007b; and Huq et al, 2007, and generally identify the most important effects of climate change as: Effects of sea level rise on coastal regions (including the effects of storm surges); Effects on health (heat and cold related mortality, food and water borne disease, vector borne disease) arising from higher average temperatures and/or extreme events; Infrastructure damage from extremes (wind storms and including storm surges, floods from heavy precipitation events, heat extremes, droughts); Effects on tourism, and cultural heritage; Effects on urban biodiversity; Effects on energy use (heating and cooling, energy for water); Effects on water availability and resources; Ancillary effects on air pollution. The IPCC TAR (2001) provided a comprehensive review of the physical climate impacts on cities, using the evidence available at that time. It concluded that: Climate change is more likely to have important impacts on the development of settlements in resource-dependent regions or coastal or riverine locationsU. Most of the concerns were of possible negative impacts on development (e.g., on the comparative advantage of a settlement for economic growth compared with other locations), although impacts on some areas were considered likely to be positive. The recently published IPCC 4th Assessment WG II Report (Parry et al [IPCC], 2007d and Chapter 7 on industry, settlements and society Wilbanks, et al 2007) provides an update, based on more recent evidence, but reinforces the earlier findings. Additionally, it addresses vulnerability more explicitly, places climate change directly in the context of socio-economic change and recognises the potential for adaptation. The WG2 summary for policy makers (IPCC, 2007b) concludes that Costs and benefits of climate change for industry, settlement, and society will vary widely by location and scale. In the aggregate, however, net effects will tend to be more negative the larger the change in climate. And Where extreme weather events become more intense and/or more frequent, the economic and social costs of those events will increase, and these increases will be substantial in the areas most directly affected. Climate change impacts spread from directly impacted areas and sectors to other areas and sectors through extensive and complex linkages Although numerous studies have focused on public or tourists attitudes towards climate change (see Henry, 2000; Becken, 2004 and 2007; Norgaard, 2006; Gà ¶ssling et al., 2006; Gà ¶ssling and Peeters, 2007), tourism managers perceptions and their strategies have been under-researched thus far. Becken (2004) found that, overall, tourism experts mostly academics were better informed about the effects of climate change than tourists. A previous study on tourism professionals attitudes towards climate change at the ITB Fair in Berlin (Lund-Durlacher et al., 2007) revealed that there was a high awareness of climate change among tourism professionals and strong impacts on tourism were expected. On the other hand, tourisms contribution to that problem was seen as only moderate. When asked about the specific causes and suitable mitigation strategies, it turned out that many of those surveyed had only limited and sometimes inaccurate knowledge. The study showed that the tourism sector is a ware of the challenge posed by climate change. Around 90 % of the interviewees believe that tourism will be affected by climate change. Yet there are few constructive ideas as to what could be done about it. When asked about responses to climate change, 34 % have no answer, and 56 % did not respond when asked if they had already developed adaptive strategies in their own area of business (Lund-Durlacher et al., 2007). Perhaps the tourism industry is ambivalent about adaptation to climate change, because the question of adapting tourism to climate change is ambivalent in itself. On the other hand, it is also evident that the tourism industry does not make any indispensable contribution to humanitys survival. Hence, in the light of the man-made problem of climate change the tourist industry comes under increased pressure to account for its ecological consequences. Several studies have pointed out that tourism is a source of negative ecological impact (Buttler, 1991, Gà ¶ssling, 1999, 2000, Gà ¶ssling et al., 2003, 2005, Neto, 2003, Shah et al., 2002, Welford et al., 1999). Tourism accounts for approximately 5 per cent of the total CO2 emissions (Davos Declaration, 2007). Especially air travel is detrimental to the global climate, since planes emit mostly in strata of the atmosphere most vulnerable to pollution (Gà ¶ssling, 2000). Previous investigation on perceptions of climate change had indicated that public consciousness of the issue is high (Defra, 2006) with the great majority in 2005 believing that the worlds climate is altering and that action should be taken against it (Poortinga et al, 2006). A research was made from January to march 2010 on Public Perceptions of Climate Change and Energy Futures in Britain (Alexa Spence, Dan Venables, Nick Pidgeon, Wouter Pourtinga and Christina Demski, 2010) The main aim of that research was to investigate how public views in relation to climate change have changed since the major survey conducted by the research team in 2005, (Poortinga, Pidgeon and Lorenzoni, 2006). The results showed that although the majority of respondents believe that climate change is happening, levels of concern have fallen since 2005, and less than one-third of the population currently consider it to be a purely man-made phenomenon. However most people consider that it is their responsibility to take action against climate change, and that they personally can help to make a difference. In addition, most people say they would be willing to pay more for renewable energy and for projects designed to tackle climate change. Another research was carried out in Europe looking at Europeans Attitude towards Climate Change (EUROBAROMETER, 2008). The respondents were invited to give their opinion on a number of statements linked to the problem of climate change. Their attitudes can be summarised as follows: the issue of climate change is serious but the process is not unstoppable. Nearly two-thirds of Europeans (65%) do not think that the seriousness of climate change has been exaggerated, but they are nevertheless predominantly optimistic and widely disagree (60%) with the statement that the process of climate change is unstoppable. However, just under a third of Europeans (31%) are rather pessimistic and believe that climate change is an unstoppable process. Around a quarter (26%) think that the seriousness of climate change has been exaggerated. According to a wide majority of Europeans (70%), alternative fuels should be used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 56% believe that fighting climate change can have a positive effect on the European economy. As far as the causes of climate change are concerned, a majority of citizens (55%) disagree with the statement that CO2 emissions have only a marginal impact on climate change. It is however noteworthy that a relatively high proportion of respondents have no opinion on these last two matters (20% and 15% respectively). Turning to citizens personal contribution to the fight against climate change, we see that a clear majority (61%) confirm that they have taken some kind of action in this cause. Scientists rarely cooperate directly with tourism managers. Studies that use transdisciplinary approaches to tourism are based solely on climate models (see for the case of Switzerland Mà ¼ller, 2007). There is a lack of different disciplines working on the successful implementation of adaptation strategies. The anticipatory adaptation to extreme weather events and expected climate change is an important aspect of sustainable development in the tourism sector, as it can change the patterns of traveller flow and create a new demand for products of the either regular or new tourists. A strategically oriented tourism policy and business is therefore challenged to integrate climate change into their decision-making processes, in order to minimize socio-economic risks and take advantage of new opportunities. Individual activities made by single players are not sufficient enough to develop adjusted infrastructure and facilities for tourism. Besides the competition between tourism players and an innovation of products for a sustainable development in destinations, there is a need for learning cooperation processes. Current tourism-based analyses stress the importance of collective learning for the future of tourism destinations (Saretzi et al., 2002). Social and scientific complexity of adaptation strategies (diversity of partners, correlations of impacts, uncertainty of future trends) are to be considered for cooperation processes in tourism. To achieve this collaboration, a link between tourism as well as climatic knowledge and operating experience, concerns and perspectives is needed. In order to stimulate social learning to allow proactive action under uncertainty, scientists and players have to be involved into a transdisciplinary research, design and development process. Both the tourism industry and researchers have identified a threat to tourism resulting from climate change, especially in alpine areas, small island states, and developing countries (World Tourism Organisation, 2003). Climate change is also likely to affect global tourist flows as a result of the changing attractiveness of both destinations and countries of origin (Hamilton et al., 2005). The factor of seasonality is also a component of the tourism industry. Seasonality can be influenced by climatic changes in the future. To support this fact, a research was made in Canada, the study examined the relationship between climate and visitation in order to understand the potential impact of climate change on the volume of visits and seasonal pattern of tourism in Canadas national parks. Results indicated that Canadas national parks could experience an increase in visitors under climate change due to a lengthened and improved warm-weather tourism season. In the 2020s, overall visitation levels were projected to increase 6% to 8%, with a number of parks projected to experience larger increases (+12% to 30%). The largest increase in visitation occurs during the spring and fall months. Visitation is projected to increase between 9% and 29% system-wide in the 2050s and between 10% and 41% in the 2080s. As a result this shows a positive impact on certain attractions which will r eceive an increasing number of visitors in the future. This may apply to Mauritius, noting that there can be an increase in tourist arrivals due to climate change, but this will bring mass tourism, which will definitely cause other negative environmental impacts while injecting more revenue in the Mauritian economy. Climate can have physical, physiological and psychological effects for visitors to a destination. For example, the air temperature can make the potential activities of visitors to the Caribbean less enjoyable due to the share discomfort of going outdoors. Indeed, Lise and Tol (2002) in an examination of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) group of countries reported that visitors tend to prefer temperatures of around 21 °C at their choice of holiday destination and they suggested that global warming could therefore lead to a shift away from some destinations that either become too hot or too cold. Many tourism activities are dependent on the weather conditions, and as most tourists have a high flexibility to adjust their holiday destinations then it is expected that climate change would be important to the tourism sector. Several studies have shown that climate significantly influences the tourist behaviour and it is one of the keys for tourists when selecting their travel location and activities (Murphy et al., 2000; de Freitas, 2003; Matzarakis et al., 2004; Tzu-Ping Lin and Andreas Matzarakis). Although developing countries are not the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, they will be most adversely affected by the changing climate (Pavoola and Adger 2006) and most in need of adequate adaptation strategies (Fà ¼ssel 2007). Developing countries often have, however, other priorities such as poverty eradication and economic growth than climate change (Mimura et al. 2007). The region to suffer most is predicted to be Africa (Brown et al. 2007) as African countries are dependent on climate-sensitive sectors (agriculture, fisheries, tourism), which are forecasted to face considerable changes in the future (Climate change2008; Brown et al. 2007; Osman-Elasha 2007). Some predictions depict sea-level rise of 18-59 cm by the year 2100 in Africa (IPCC 2007), which would imply threats to coastal infrastructure, communities and ecosystems. Small islands states and low-lying coastal areas are especially vulnerable for climate change induced impacts and their adaptive capacity for adaptation measures is relatively low as they are limited by their size and geographical setting (Pelling Uitto 2001; Nicholls and Lowe 2004; Mimura et al. 2007). The most significant effects of sea-level rise are the long term recession of the shorelines, increasing inundation and flooding, and salt water intrusion. This would result in the direct loss of economically, ecologically and culturally valuable land (Dubi 2000). Although the impacts of climate change itself may not be the largest threat, they become serious threat when coupled with anthropogenic impacts. Non-sustainable resource use and development therefore reduce the adaptive capacity of the natural systems (Dubi 2000). Furthermore, sea-level rise has specific significance for small islands as coastal zones are often densely populated; furthermore, coastal erosion and natural hazards are predicted to increase in magnitude and number in the future. Moreover, as Ragoonaden (2006) notes, sea-level rise is the far greatest challenge for the small island developing states in the near future. Multiple actors cause pressures on the coastal and marine environment in island settings when diverse actors utilise the same resources (Vaitoti 2008) and these actions have also significance in relation to climate change impacts. For example, the destruction of coral reefs will reduce coastal protection against storm surges and erosion (Lewsey et al 2004; Middleton 1999); in addition there is a strong correlation between coral reef destruction and climate change due to rising temperatures. An increase in sea water temperature and sea-level coupled with destructive fishing methods adversely affect the growth potential of coral, which will in turn reduce the protective ability (Dubi 2000). In addition, coral reefs cannot keep up with sudden sea-level rise due to their fixed growth pace and rising water temperature can advance coral bleaching (Reading et al. 1995). Moreover, coral reefs acts as a buffer against waves and reduce coastal erosion (Cesar et al. 2000; Ragoonaden 2006) and t herefore their role in protecting the shoreline cannot be underestimated. While the wider climate change debate has until recently mainly focused on mitigation (Burton et al., 2002; Wilbanks, 2003; Nicholls and Lowe, 2004), the sparse research specifically dealing with tourism and climate change has largely concentrated on tourisms vulnerability and adaptation to climate change (e.g., Elsasser and Buerki, 2002; Scott, 2003; Scott et al., 2003). Both the tourism industry and researchers have identified a threat to tourism resulting from climate change, especially in alpine areas, small island states, and developing countries (World Tourism Organisation, 2003). Climate change is also likely to affect global tourist flows as a result of the changing attractiveness of both destinations and countries of origin (Hamilton et al., 2005). Despite an inherent interest in protecting the tourism industry, there is increasing awareness that tourism is an important contributor to climate change through its consumption of fossil fuels and resulting greenhouse gas emissio ns (Becken, 2002; Go ¨ ssling, 2002). The wider literature on climate change now emphasises that neither adaptation nor mitigation should be implemented independently, but that an integrated framework for sustainable development should be envisaged (IPCC, 2001; Nicholls and Lowe, 2004). In the same way, research on climate change and tourism will benefit from taking into account the multiple interactions between climate, tourism, and the wider environment (Dubois, 2003; Viner and Amelung, 2003).

Choosing Between Low-Fat and Low-Carb Diets Essay -- Energy and Intake

Kay’s compromise is setting her up for troubles. She is doing the acceptable thing by researching the issue however she has missed some finer points. While fats at 9 calories per gram do in fact yield more calories per gram than carbohydrates which are 4 calories per gram and as such do indeed have a greater potential for energy use she is misguided in her thinking and taking an approach where she drops her carbohydrates low and takes in high fat in her diet is perverting the facts. A diet of the energy-dense fats will not be better for her in this event. She needs to trust and listen to her coach and their recommendation for her to see a sports nutrition professional. It will take following a properly guided meal plan for her to be competitive in this event and remain healthy. As Fink points out, Carbohydrates, in the form of glucose, are the main source of fuel for all physical activity. Fats on the other hand are primarily used as a fuel source while resting and when performing moderately to low intensity exercises. (Fink, 2012, p.3) It’s these facts that are so significant. The event she participates in will be fairly short yet very intense with that in mind as an 800-meter track athlete the Carbohydrates are going to serve her the best. She will require immediate as well as a short sustained use of energy for her event. While she will be using both energy systems Fink states she will mainly be using anaerobic energy system which â€Å"is a major contributor to intense activities that last from 1 to 3 minutes.† (Fink, 2012, p. 50) Undoubtedly Kay must be experiencing some undesired results during her races which she wants to correct. She is managing to do the correct thing by seeking nutrition as the answer. She is cur... ...etermine which adjustments actually need to be made. If Kay is currently truly following a well planned high carbohydrate diet then her issue will be her training. Works Cited AERENHOUTS, D., DERIEMAEKER, P., HEBBELINCK, M., & CLARYS, P. (2011). Energy and macronutrient intake in adolescent sprint athletes: A follow-up study. Journal Of Sports Sciences, 29(1), 73-82. Fink, Heather Hedrick., Alan E. Mikesky, and Lisa A. Burgoon. (2012). Practical Applications in Sports Nutrition,3rd edition. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Hunt, J. (2011). We Can Raise American Distance Runners To Gold Medal Levels. Track Coach, (196), 6239-6247. Rosenkranz, R. R., Cook, C. M., & Haub, M. D. (2007). Endurance Training on Low-Carbohydrate and Grain-Based Diets: A Case Study. International Journal Of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism, 17(3), 296-309

Evaluating a Business Code of Ethics Essay

Businesses in today’s society share a purpose, a vision, that relates philosophy and principles of ethics to better meet the needs of the organization and stakeholders, including customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, and communities. Without professional ethics, businesses and its programs would not have the ability to be successful. This paper will examine Humana, its business code of ethics, and its mission statement that assists in organizational values and goals of the company. The type of ethical system used by Humana will be explored, along with examples that support this system and its attributes. In addition, how the code of ethics is identified and used within the company will be addressed as it pertains to employees, management, and its board of directors. Upon further evaluation, this paper will explore the need for modification, if any, to their existing code of ethics. Reactions to the code of ethics, its effects of organizational culture on the code of ethics, and its effects on the organization will be defined. Lastly, this paper will provide an analysis of Humana’s business code of ethics and how the analysis exhibits significant key concepts to maintain and promote ethical decision making and business success. Business Code of Ethics and its Mission Statement Businesses developed codes of ethics starting back in the early 1970s within the United States. Business ethics â€Å"is the study of standards of business behavior which promote human welfare and good† (Santa Clara University [SCU], 2011, para. 1). Humana, a company that provides and administers health insurance plans, established its formalized code of ethics in 1995 and since established a 24-hour access to their ethics assistance hotline demonstrating its commitment and accessibility to business ethics (Humana, 2011, para. 1). Humana’s code of ethics was developed as a means of understanding Human’s ethical standards and promoting open communication and the well-being of members as it pertains to these standards. Humana’s code of ethics stresses its mission and vision of the company: â€Å"to become the most trusted name in health solutions. To foster a successful environment, Humana’s code of ethics is designed to educate each associate to contribute to the company’s success through ethical behavior and by doing the right thing in the right way for the right reasons† (McCallister & Catron, 2011, p. 1). Defining the purpose of the business’s code of ethics allows for better understanding of ways to promote ethical business behavior. Deontological Ethical System Ethical systems in business are the â€Å"contexts for making decisions in ethics, much like rules in an athletic competition,† giving significance and meaning to the performance and conduct of employees within an organization (Ulrich, 2010, para. 2). Ethical systems can be broken into subcategories depending on its purpose. Humana demonstrates a deontological, also known as a duty-driven ethical system. â€Å"Deontological comes from the Greek deon, meaning, duty. Deontologists base their decisions about what’s right on broad, abstract universal ethical principles or values such as honesty, promise keeping, fairness, loyalty, rights, justice, compassion, and respect for persons and property† (Trevino & Nelson, 2007, p. 98). Humana’s business code of ethics lays out its purpose and mission statement and supports these objectives by establishing ethical principles that employees and stakeholders are to follow to ensure compliance, quality, and business success. Within Humana’s business code of ethics, it discusses the key to integrity. The guidelines that are incorporated and integrated into Humana’s ethical code address several key issues that exemplify the business’ duty and obligations to ensure ethical standards are followed. For example, the key components of Humana’s code of ethics focuses on: â€Å"Honesty: act fairly and â€Å"honestly with those that are affected by our actions; compliance with laws: comply with laws, regulations, and act in such a manner that the full disclosure of all the facts would reflect favorably; business responsibility: adhere to the highest ethical standards of conduct; and responsibility for reporting violations: promote elationships based on trust and respect and reference policies, ethics hotline, and the ethics intranet within Humana’s website that further addresses compliance with Humana’s business code of ethics† (McCallister & Catron, 2011, p. 4). These components provide examples of a duty-driven, deontological ethical system. Th e code of ethics defines the ethical standards and expects employees and stakeholders to abide by these regulations in order to ensure the highest ethical standards and decision-making abilities. How the Code of Ethics is Used Humana’s code of ethics defines its mission and goals and how stakeholders can actively participated in ethical decision making within the organization. Employees, for example, are provided with Humana’s business code of ethics on the first day of employment. The purpose of this is to clearly define the organization’s ethical standards and address how employees can adhere to these standards through Humana’s vision. Employees are required annually to view and complete an ethical compliance training course. This reinforces Humana’s ethical standards and resources that are available when confronted with these ethical dilemmas. For example, one particular part of the code discusses how employees have the right to report workplace violence and harassment. The code lists several examples of unacceptable and unethical behavior that attributes to workplace violence. In addition to the 24-hour ethics hotline, the code of ethics provides additional resources and people to contact if this is occurring. Furthermore, if violence is occurring outside of the workplace, affecting any one of Humana’s employees, they are also encouraged to discuss this with Employee Assistance. Employee assistance provides Humana employees with support services and resources when faced with violence whether at home or in the workplace. Humana discusses how employee performance and success can be affected both internally and externally and feels each employee should be given the resources and support no matter where employees encounter violence. In addition to Humana’s business code of ethics, management and its board of directors also have another code of ethics, specifically addressing the ethical guidelines for leaders and managers, and directors within the company. The purpose of a corporate level code of ethics is to â€Å"maintain the highest standards in Humana’s financial reporting with governmental agencies† (Humana, 2004, p. 1). Management has responsibilities that require interaction and relationships with businesses, regulating and governing boards, and many stakeholders that participate in Humana’s business entities. The corporate code of ethics was defined for this reason and discusses standards such as conflicts of interest, accurate reporting, and compliance with these ethical guidelines. In addition, guidelines that address â€Å"avoiding personal activity or association with people that could interfere in making good judgment concerning Humana’s best interests† (Humana, 2004, p. 2). The corporate code of ethics is additional resource and tool that managers can refer to when faced with ethical dilemmas such as these. Code of Ethics and Modification Upon analysis of Humana’s business code of ethics, the guidelines are clear. Humana’s code of ethics is current, accessible, easily understood, and it provides a plethora of useful tools and resources that govern these ethical standards and offer support for Humana employees when face with ethical issues. In addition, a code of ethics is to: provide framework of acceptable behavior, promote high standards of practice, enhance a sense of community, create transparency in business activities, and offer guidelines to comply with government laws and regulations† (Fieser, 2008, para. ). Humana’s business code of ethics not only addresses the significant portions of a code of ethics, but also has 24-hours access to these ethical resources and guidance. When establishing a code of ethics, it is imperative to address key components of a company’s mission and company goals, along with clear guidelines that support a business’ vision. Reactions to a Cod e of Ethics When businesses prepare a code of ethics, consideration to addressing this code to ensure compliance is significant to ethical and organization success. A code of ethics should be addressed immediately upon hire or the establishment of a business relationship. Addressing it early promotes the significance of the code of ethics along with guidelines that employees and business partners should be informed up early on to ensure they are able to support these guidelines while maintaining the business relationship. Employees and business partners can either react negatively, stating that this code of ethics tells an employee what to say and how to act. Others react in a positive and constructive manner and understand the need for ethical guidelines within a business to ensure compliance, yet more importantly, ethical decision making in accordance within Human’s mission and vision, to ensure continued business success and growth. The organizational culture promotes the highest ethical standards that are directly in line with Humana’s mission and its guidelines that support the key to business integrity. The Effect of a Code of Ethics  Businesses are aware of downfalls and economic disasters that attribute to the lack of ethic performance and decision making. Humana’s business code of ethics affects employees, the organization, its stakeholders, and the surrounding communities in a way that displays moral and ethical importance, integrity, and success, attributed by the development of this code of ethics. Furthermore, Humana’s code of ethics promotes business responsibility, honesty, and fairness. These characteristics affect business and community relationship by promoting trust, a significant behavior in organizational and community success. Summary of Ethical Analysis In reviewing Humana’s business code of ethics, it is apparent that this 52 page code of ethics was not established merely to put it in place. It was established as a way of making clear and important ethical guidelines that support business growth and success. From its mission statement and supporting regulations, Humana’s business code of ethics supports high ethical standards, promotes trusting relationships, and keys to integrity. Addressing these key components and how employees can support these guidelines, along with several support tools, resources, and 24-hour access to ethical support, Humana provides a business code of ethics that supports ethical decision making and high ethical standards.

The Unsung Heroes of the Birmingham Campaign

When one thinks about the civil rights movement, the first name that comes to mind is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He contributed greatly to the advancement of African American people in the U. S. ; however, in the case of the Birmingham Campaign, it was a collective group effort from numerous local leaders and MLK that peacefully protested for, and eventually gained, the rights that all American citizens deserve. Few mention the efforts of local leaders like Fred Shuttlesworth’s work with Project â€Å"C†, James Bevel’s orchestrating of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade, Wyatt Tee Walker’s organizing confrontations with city officials.MLK’s own brother A. D. King, who played a part in the eventual success of the movement, is often left out of these conversations as well. None of the rights that African Americans gained after the movement would have been possible without the cooperation of President John F. Kennedy and the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In a public address to the nation, President Kennedy stated, â€Å"It ought to be possible for American consumers of any color to receive equal service in places of public accommodation†¦without being forced to resort to demonstrations in the street. He continued with, â€Å"It ought to be possible for American citizens of any color to register and to vote in a free election without interference or fear of reprisal,† which was in fact a goal of the Birmingham campaign. 1 There were many factors that brought the civil rights movement to Birmingham. Although it was a city with a forty percent black population in 1960, Birmingham remained one of the most segregated communities in America. 2 The fact that African Americans had been free from slavery for nearly one hundred years did not mean anything to a majority of whites in the South.Segregation of both communal and commercial facilities was required by law and enforced strictly in Birmingham. 3 Africa n Americans had gained the right to vote ninety years before the beginning of the Birmingham Campaign, but that did not seem to mean much in the South. Whites used several methods including poll taxes, literacy exams, and the grandfather clause to prevent blacks from exercising their constitutional right to vote. In 1960, only ten percent of the African American population in Birmingham registered to vote. Some might wonder why the white community was so opposed to desegregation. One answer is the that they simply had nothing to gain except increased competitions for jobs. 5 The unemployment rate for blacks was two and a half times higher that it was for whites. Also, a vast majority of whites had been raised thinking they were superior to African Americans based solely on the color of their skin. It was this stubborn and ignorant way of thinking that made it so difficult for blacks to attain equality in the south.Although the white and black communities of Birmingham would have nev er been considered to be at peace, tension between them began to mount early in 1963. On January 14, Governor George C. Wallace was inaugurated. In his speech he stated he believed in â€Å"segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever. †6 It was at this time that the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which was founded in 1957, made plans for the Birmingham Campaign. 7 Originally it was scheduled for March of the same year. However, the SCLC chose to wait until after the run-off election for Mayor of Birmingham on April 2.Albert Boutwell, who was moderate compared to his segregationist opponent Theophilus Eugene â€Å"Bull† Connor, won the election. Connor remained the Commissioner of Public Safety, and would later play an instrumental part in the Campaign. 8 They believed this would be the best time to bring the civil rights movement to Birmingham in full force. The Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, a group created in 1956 when A labama outlawed the NAACP, released a statement entitled the â€Å"Birmingham Manifesto† explaining the reasons for the demonstrations that would take place in the following months. It also entailed how black citizens have tried â€Å"petitioning for the repeal of city ordinances requiring segregation† as well as how they have â€Å"turned to the system of the courts. † It is clear that those involved in writing this document believed that demonstrations in Birmingham were their last resort. Fred Shuttlesworth and N. H. Smith were the only men brave enough to sign their names at the bottom of the document that declared the black communities future resistance to the discriminatory laws in Birmingham. 10 The Birmingham Campaign officially began on April 3, 1963, the day after the release of the Birmingham Manifesto.Some of the things those behind the movement hoped to accomplish included desegregating public facilities, releasing non-violent protestors from jail, and reopening of parks that were closed in order to fight segregation. On April 3, black citizens gathered in downtown Birmingham to protest for racial equality in hiring. Smaller groups staged sit-ins at white only lunch counters; however, the lunch counters were closed and around twenty people were arrested. The following day, MLK attempted to lead a march to the Birmingham City Hall. The march did not last long due to a lack of followers. 1 After the protests on the first two days of the campaign saw no results, Fred Shuttlesworth and Wyatt Tee Walker, who were both very active in the SCLC, organized Project â€Å"C† (for confrontation. It involved a series of sit-ins and nonviolent protests that would begin on April 7. Shuttlesworth and Rev. Charles Billups, another local leader, staged a march that was supposed to reach the Birmingham City Hall. Police stopped the march and twenty-six people, ranging in age from seventeen to seventy-eight, were arrested. 12 Nine of those arrested were female. Both Shuttlesworth and Billups were in the front of the march and were arrested.The following day, A. D. King led a group of over two thousand people to protest Shuttlesworth and Billups’ incarceration. The demonstration was quickly put to an end when Circuit Court Judge William Jenkins issued a court injunction that forbade public protests. 13 Very early in the campaign, African Americans gained one small victory. On April 11, 1963, the Birmingham Public Library voted to desegregate. 14 On this same day, a court-ordered injunction against â€Å"boycotting, trespassing, parading, picketing, sit-ins, kneel-ins, wade-ins, and inciting or encouraging such acts,† was issued.MLK and Ralph Abernathy were arrested for parading without a permit the following day, Good Friday. 15 16 Many were outraged that the biggest leader in the national civil rights movement was unjustly arrested for a peaceful protest in Birmingham. Following MLK and Abernathyâ€℠¢s arrests, eight white clergymen released â€Å"A Call for Unity,† an article that was intended for African Americans in the Birmingham community who had been protesting in the past weeks. The article used words like â€Å"impatient† to describe blacks and also warned about joining â€Å"outsiders† in their demonstrations, referring to MLK. 7 While in jail, MLK wrote a direct response to his â€Å"fellow clergymen† entitled â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail. † The first issue he addressed in the letter was his reason for being in Birmingham. MLK says, â€Å"[I] am here because I was invited here,† and also, â€Å"I am here because injustice is here. † These were direct responses to the questions posed by the clergymen in â€Å"A Call for Unity. † Next, he explained the four basic steps of any nonviolent campaign: collection of facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action.MLK believed the people of Birmingham had gone through all of these steps. Also, he addressed the injustices that African Americans had faced in the Birmingham courts, as well as the numerous unsolved bombings. MLK then explained why his associates and he â€Å"[did not] give the new city administration time to act. † He states that the new city administration must be pressured early in order for them to act. Also, he states that although Boutwell is a â€Å"much more gentle person the Mr. Connor†¦we are sadly mistaken if we feel that the election of Albert Boutwell will bring the millennium to Birmingham. Later in his letter, MLK explained that he believes segregation is a sin because is denies African Americans their basic human rights. He also says that one has a â€Å"moral responsibility† to disobey unjust laws. Then, he explains the difference in a just law and an unjust law. â€Å"A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God . An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law†¦One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. MLK also discusses that he is upset with the white moderate because they are more concerned with keeping order than attaining justice. The main focus of the letter is to help spread the message of civil disobedience. MLK believed this was the best way for African Americans to achieve their goals. Throughout the letter, he used strong language but was never offensive. The response was widely published and has since become very famous. 18 The Campaign continued throughout April with various demonstrations that achieved little success.However, James Bevel, a minister who played a big part in the Nashville Student movement and who had been called in to work alongside MLK, had been planning a big series of events. For weeks Bevel had been meeting with local elementary and high school students in the Birmingham sc hool districts. He had been teaching children how to protest without using violence. If students did not demonstrate an ability to handle verbal, and sometimes physical, assault without retaliating, they were not allowed to join Bevel’s cause.When he finally felt his students had been trained well enough, Bevel instructed them to march from the 16th Street Baptist Church to Birmingham’s City Hall to protest city segregation laws. Bevel chose to use kids to help his cause because he believed most people would have the decency to not harm the children; however this was not always true. The demonstrations began on May 2, which earned the nickname â€Å"D-Day† from many. Over the next five days, thousands of student protestors where arrested which filled the jails to maximum capacity. This did little to diminish their spirits. Thousands more lined the streets. Bull† Connor, the Head of Police at the time, ordered the use of fire hoses and police dogs to help p ut an end to the Children’s Campaign. 19 20 On May 5, Fred Shuttlesworth was hospitalized after being knocked off of his feet by a blast from a fire hose. Connor was quoted saying that he was upset that he had missed seeing this happen and that he wished â€Å"he had been carried away in a hearse. †21 One white man attempted to run his car into demonstrators and was arrested. 22 When pictures of fire hoses and police dogs being used on children were released in newspapers, the incident gained national attention.Ironically, by defending segregation so fervently, â€Å"Bull† Connor actually drew national attention to the civil rights movement and hastened the passage of major civil rights legislation. After hearing of what had happened during the Children’s Campaign, President Kennedy asked MLK to stop using children in his protests. When King relayed the message to Bevel, he refused. He then instructed the student’s to prepare to March to Washington . This caught JFK’s attention. The president and his team began collaborating with the SCLC on a comprehensive civil rights bill, considered by some as a step in the right direction for America.A March was still organized in Washington, however it was not to protest. Instead, over two hundred and fifty thousand people came to Washington in August of 1963 to show their support for the bill. 23 On May 8, the SCLC met with many local business leaders to form a compromise to end the Birmingham Campaign. Fred Shuttlesworth was so disgusted with the agreement he checked himself out of the hospital in order to confront the leaders of the SCLC for giving in. He believed the compromise was unacceptable because it lacked any serious concessions from Birmingham’s white community.The SCLC met again with the business leaders and a modified compromise was agreed upon. On May 10, at the A. G. Gaston Motel, MLK announced the end of the Birmingham Campaign while Shuttlesworth fielded q uestions. 24 Although the Birmingham Campaign was over, the local civil rights movement continued. Birmingham’s white community did not embrace the compromise that ended the campaign. For example, public parks were not reopened for nearly two months. 25 One of the stipulations of the compromise involved releasing of non-violent protestors from jail, including A.D. King. After his release on May 11, King returned to his home. Later that night, members of the Ku Klux Klan bombed his residence, but the family was able to escape. Another bombing at the A. G. Gaston Motel occurred the same night, and riots began in the streets of Birmingham. 26 The African American citizens were outraged by the bombings. Nearly three thousand rioters gathered in downtown Birmingham after the bombing of the motel. Wyatt Walker arrived quickly and pleaded with the citizens to disperse to their homes.Several rioters began throwing rocks at policemen, making this one of the few events where African Am ericans were violent. Walker and A. D. King asked all those who would not protest peacefully to leave. They knew that if policemen got hurt, it would be bad news for the black citizens. By 4:00 A. M. fifty people were harmed in the riots, including one police officer that was stabbed. 27 The civil rights movement continued in Birmingham throughout the summer. On June 11, JFK announced in an address to the nation that he was committed to the Civil rights movement.His attention had previously been focused on the Cold War, however the local leaders as well as MLK had pushed the issue. In Birmingham however, little progress had been made. Governor Wallace, in an attempt to fight segregation, ordered all city schools to be closed. 28 JFK called in the National Guard to reopen and integrate the schools. 29 Although it took nearly two months, Birmingham City Parks were reopened. On September 15, Ku Klux Klan member Bobby Frank Cherry bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church, which had been a rallying point for the movement, and four African American girls were killed. 0 Many considered this to be the turning point in the national civil rights movement. An article in the Milwaukee Sentinel read, â€Å"The Birmingham church bombing should serve to goad the conscience. The deaths†¦in a sense are on the hands of each of us. †31 Both the city of Birmingham and Governor Wallace offered a reward for the arrest of the bombers. Many would argue that the Birmingham Campaign had little impact for several reasons. Many of the integration efforts that were proposed in the compromise that ended the Birmingham Campaign were overturned.There were numerous bombings after the campaign had ended, which showed the white community would not embrace the attempted changes without a fight. However, others would argue that the Birmingham Campaign was successful not because of what it accomplished in Birmingham, but for what it accomplished on the national level. The campaign gained national media attention, which helped spread the message of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights to other areas of the nation.The campaign was instrumental in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Wyatt Tee Walker wrote that the Birmingham Campaign was â€Å"the chief watershed of the nonviolent movement in the United States. †32 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did play a major role in the national civil rights movement; however, in the case of the Birmingham Campaign, it was a collective group effort from numerous local leaders and MLK that peacefully protested for, and eventually gained, the rights that all American citizens deserve. Fred Shuttlesworth and Wyatt Tee Walker organized Project â€Å"C†.Shuttlesworth was even hospitalized after being hurt during a protest. James Bevel organized perhaps one of the most successful demonstrations of the Birmingham Campaign with the Children’s Crusade. Thi s helped gain attention and support from across the nation. Without the help of these men, as well as other local leaders, MLK would have accomplished very little in Birmingham. Although â€Å"Bull† Connor’s ordering the use of police dogs and fire hoses during protests was cruel and violent, it gained national media attention, which contributed greatly to the success of the Birmingham Campaign.President Kennedy’s cooperation was also crucial in the success of the movement. After the numerous violent acts in Birmingham, JFK announced his commitment to the civil rights movement and was instrumental in the passing of the Civil Rights act of 1964. As one can see, it was a combination of efforts from numerous leaders in Birmingham, the President, and MLK that lead to the eventual desegregation of not only Birmingham, but also the entire nation.

Right to Work Policy

Right to Work Policy Generally, the â€Å"right to work† policy is defined as a regulation allowing employees to join labor unions at will. It is not mandatory for an employee to join any union as a condition to get or hold a particular job. Unions are created to negotiate with employers on issues such as pays, preeminence, working conditions, welfares, and benefits related to work (Vargas 164).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Right to Work Policy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In most cases, employers do not become part of the union. This policy makes it unlawful for employees and employers to negotiate an agreement demanding everybody (benefiting from a union agreement) to pay any charges for administration. However, this policy does not force any individual to be part of the union. Currently, the federal law already provides an assurance that no individual should be obliged to join any union, or to pay any charges or subscriptions to a political or social organizations they do not advocate for. Actually, right to work policy lets some employees to get the benefits of a union agreement such as fortification against haphazard discipline, higher salaries and other compensation benefits without having to pay any charges related to negotiation on these issues. There continues to be lots of debate on the advantages and disadvantages of the policy. In this research paper, both the major arguments for and against the use of this policy is presented. In addition, an honest opinion about right to work policy is also described at the end of the paper. Right to work policy implies that an employee cannot get dismissed from his or her job for failure to pay union charges or agency fees even if they continue to enjoy the benefits of the union’s aptitude to collective bargaining. The proponents of this policy cite several advantages. First, right to work policy provides more in-state job opportunities for younger employees. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, between 2000 and 2011, there has been a growth of approximately 11.3% in the number of individuals, whose ages range between 25 to 34 years (staying in the states) that have adopted right to work policy. Conversely, states that have not embraced this policy reported an increase of only 0.6 % over the same period. This indicates that younger employees are settling in these states because they find more opportunities there than in non-right to work states. This could be attributed by several advantages that this policy offers to an employer. For instance, a right to work policy offers an increased suppleness to institute wages as well as compensation levels since the corporation is not mandated to use the compensation levels as fixed in a collective bargaining contract. This implies that employers have freedom of managing their company without any external interference thereby increasing the opportunities for business activities (Holley 53)Advertising Looking for research paper on labor law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another advantage of right to work policy is that there is an increase in wages. The data obtained from Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that inflation-attuned worker compensation of the private sector in states that have adopted right to work policy increased by 12% between 2001 and 2011. However, over the same period there was only an increase of 3% in the non-right to work states. This is because right to work policy does not require any assets, on the part of employer, devoted labor negotiations or issues like obligatory disciplinary procedures. Besides, the fact that workers are not forced to pay part of their income to union implies that their remuneration is increased by the margin they should have paid to the union. This provides employees with freedom of spending their hard earned cash and improves their overall living standards. Greater employment opportunities and employment fortifications regulated by the state laws results into low unemployment. Actually, according to national Institute for labor relations research, there was an employment increase of 3.7% in right to work states between 1999 and 2009 while a decline of 2.8% was experienced in non-right to work states. In overall, right to work states accounted for 72% of employment growth in the United States from 2009 to 2012. Other advantages of right to work policy include conservation of workers choices and employees have freedom of deciding their own representation (Gall 43). However, some labor activists argue that the policy derails the unions, hurt workers, destabilizes the middle class, and impedes the growth of local economies. According to them, this policy does not create jobs in spite of the proponent’s claim to the opposite. For example, unionization escalates the labor costs hence making some regions less attractive for investments. This implies that the major objective of the right to work policy is to weaken unions and consequently lower pays in a state, therefore drawing more corporations there. However, what it does is hurting employees by reducing their pays and benefits and thus making workplaces more precarious for all employees regardless of whether they are unionized or not by waning unions. Unions play vital roles in negotiating not only better terms of work but also working conditions. Generally, unionized workers have the capacity to bargain better salaries, welfares and work conditions as compared to individual bargaining. Without unions, employees will not have a strong collective bargaining power and thus companies will not offer better working terms and conditions for their workers (Vanti 18).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Right to Work Policy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Contextually, this policy also derails the prosperity of the middle class in diverse contexts. Unions provide well-built middle class by negotiating for viable compensations/benefits, heartening residents to vote, supporting social security, and advancing family-leave welfares. This provides workers with a ‘voice’ in only in their democracy but also in the labor market. In right to work states, where most employees are not unionized, there are relatively weak middle class. The ratio of income apportioned to the middle class, defined as middle 60% of the total population, in these states falls lower than the domestic average. Additionally, right to work policy also affects small companies. Since few trivial companies are ever unionized, altering union conventions will not affect them. When right to work lower salaries and benefits of employees from these regions, they also loom to decrease the number of employments in the economy by declining consu mer demand (Paz-Fuchs 64). In analyzing these arguments, even though right to work policy could seem to have advantages, there is no strong relation of how it creates employment and improves the welfare of employees. Instead, right to work policy weakens unions that push for better terms and work conditions of employees. In overall, the consequence of this weakens the middle class and economy in the long run. Accordingly, it is vital to agree that these policies will create job opportunities and fortify local economies. This policy is against the democracy and rights of employees. Gall, Gilbert. The Politics of Right to Work: The Labor Federations as Special Interests, 1943-1979. New York, NY: Greenwood Press, 1988. Print. Holley, William. The Labor Relations Process. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2012. Print. Paz-Fuchs, Amir. Welfare to Work: Conditional Rights in Social Policy. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2008. Print.Advertising Looking for research paper on labor law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Vanti, Aerschot. Activation Policies and the Protection of Individual Rights: A Critical Assessment of the Situation in Denmark, Finland and Sweden. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2011. Print. Vargas, Ines. The Right to Work and the Situation of Workers. Oslo: International Peace Research Institute, 1985. Print.