Thursday, October 31, 2019

Business Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Management - Assignment Example An organization, whether big or small, is defined as a group of people working together to achieve common goals. The top management establishes the organizational goals. These goals are then redefined to obtain measurable performance targets. Such measurable parameters help the management monitor employees and ensure that they are on the right track. The management also develops strategies that will help the organization meet these goals. The implementation of these strategies requires a formal structure of authority and responsibilities. A well designed organization structure facilitates coordination among the activities of employees and enables an organization to accomplish its goals and objectives. Even the culture of an organization is defined by the structure of an organization. The culture of an organization can divided into 4 categories, namely: 1. Hierarchy Culture 2. Market Culture 3. Clan Culture 4. Adhocracy Culture As discussed above that structure, culture, objectives an d effectiveness of an organization are all inter-linked. So an organization needs to define its culture very effectively. ... As discussed above, the organization has proper hierarchical structure wherein there are ground staff that are there at the restaurants, restaurant managers, agency manager, area manager, regional managers and so on. The proper hierarchical structure maintains a proper reporting authority within the organization. Consider the example of McDonalds which has a decentralized structure in the company. Due to the importance of the quality, speed, and cost McDonald adopted decentralization methodology in its supply network, for example McDonald in China deal with over 50 suppliers which covers 95% of the raw materials, another example show the methodology of McDonald supply network is McDonald in United Kingdom, where McDonald rely on the local market for its supply for almost 60% of the raw materials. Although McDonald rely on outsource for most of its supplies but it maintained the quality part with aim to standardize the meal in all its branch locally and globally, thus McDonald spent m illions to found hamburger university, additional to the close training to the franchisers with aim to ensure that its franchisers will provide the oriented level of quality additional to the closely monitoring and supervision. In terms of location of capacity McDonald deal with Egypt Bakery Stores to supply part of African countries additional to Saudi market, Egypt Bakery Stores has selected by MacDonald due to the strong capacity, Egypt Bakery Stores has over 180 stores regionally, in terms of MacDonald in China, MacDonald selected to start its business in China market particularly in Shenzhen the economic zone of China due to the facilitates that Shenzhen offered to the foreign firms such as cheap power, freedom to hire and fire, cheap manpower, low

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Teaching as an Act of Love Essay Example for Free

Teaching as an Act of Love Essay Antonia Darder presents a portrait of why Freire’s work as an educator was so influential in creating an understanding of education as an art. Teaching truly became an art when educators like Freire began to understand the importance of education in the movement of social change. The presence of love in the classroom, the type of love that is lively, forceful, challenging, and inspiring was the type of love that Darder thought was a lasting influence that Freire had on the field. She emphasized the conviction that Freire held in liberating students through education, he believed in the humanizing aspects of education. Freire believed that education was the tool for contributing to the human-ness of our political and economic existence as social beings. The article says that, â€Å"Freire exposed how even well-meaning teachers, through their lack of critical moral leadership, actually participate in disabling the heart, minds, and bodies of their students –an act that disconnects these students from the personal and social motivation required to transform their world and themselves† (498). The author argues that his greatest contribution to the field of education was his ability to be compassionate and his regard and concern for his students. The articles that we read this week discuss the concept of fear, but more importantly the ability to overcome and use the fear as a powerful force in the classroom. He said that it is the fear of freedom that affects the educator and creates a barrier in the classroom from the liberating practices that many educators believe are important. The way he describes the fear of freedom is the fear of being free from the status quo, the fear of the oppressed classes to realize a freedom from the oppressing classes. Freire thought that the experience of fear was a symbolic fight against the struggle that the liberating educators believe in. Freire said the experience of fear was important because it is a chance to recognize where the fear comes from, what it means, and how it can be used. He said that fear can be transformed into courage; the courage to make a move away from the status quo, our fear can be harnessed into a motivation. Teachers are affected personally by the relationship between the oppressor and the oppressed; the dominant ideology has such an influence over the subordinate classes that it affects educators because of the fear that they hold within. Freire’s experiences with oppression developed his political purpose, he wanted to create a liberatory practice to challenge the conditions that limit the capacity in the oppressed class to change the world and right the wrongs of social injustice. Freire hoped that educators would confront their fears and use their beliefs about the social structure to teach liberating lessons and influence the future. He thought the way for educators to teach the lessons in which they believed in was to work together, he believed in the power of solidarity to empower a political movement. Freire wanted educators to network and work with one another to emancipate students from the social inequalities of our time, through networking they could empower one another and give force to their beliefs. Darder introduces the term praxis – she describes it as the union of action and reflection. The teacher needs to have the ability to practice both of these aspects of education; only through action and reflection of the importance of the act of teaching will the ideas of critical pedagogy be realized. Reflection: This article made me feel a little better about the issues that we have been reading about throughout this course. The tone of most of the readings thus far has been negative and has made me feel pessimistic about the future of the educational system. The issues that our reading assignments have discussed seem to run so deep in our social consciousness that there is little hope in reversing the trends of social inequality. This fear makes becoming a teacher seem dismal; if all we have to hold onto on our road to teaching is the notion that the patterns of inequality are getting worse and the elites are becoming more powerful how are we as teachers supposed to do anything at all to help our students and ourselves. I enjoyed this weeks reading selections because it brought a defining focus upon the fear that teachers experience and gave a bit of advice on how to use the fear as a powerful force. I believe that the fear that Freire spoke of is one that is shared by many educators. It is a fear that does not diminish with time or experience, on the contrary, it eats at you as you plan your lessons, as you teach your students, and it goes home with you and stays with you outside of the classroom. Freire’s thoughts on the ability of the educator to channel the fear of being fired or being targeted as a radical into a powerful force was inspiring. It was great how he took something negative and turned it into a tool that can be used in a positive way, he encouraged educators to talk about it and network with one another to begin to express their political views about education. He said, â€Å"Acting alone is the best way to commit suicide† (485) and he hoped that instead of acting alone, teachers would work together in their fight. He argued that education is political in nature and this implies that the educator is a political being. I plan to sit quietly at meetings only long enough to have enough people on my side to be able to be heard when I want to speak up on an issue. Freire used the phrase â€Å"rock the boat† in this weeks readings, I use the phrase â€Å"rock the boat† all the time and I even used it in a recent conversation with my administrator. I was able to talk to her informally about a discrepancy I was having with the other members of my teaching team, and I told her, â€Å"I didn’t want to rock the boat. † She looked at me, smiled and laughed as she said, â€Å"Rock the boat! Rock the boat! † I was lucky enough to choose the right battle in this case and my administrator was on my side, I am so glad I did not let the fear of confronting the issue consume me.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Phonological Similarity Effect In Working Memory Psychology Essay

The Phonological Similarity Effect In Working Memory Psychology Essay A considerable amount of cognitive, behavioural research has been conducted on the working memory model and the role of the phonological loop and similarity effects on the serial recall paradigm. The purpose of this study was to extend the existing research available in support of the evidence for Baddeley and Hitch (1974) working memory model and the role of the phonological loop. A group of 18 undergraduate university psychology students were each subjected to two individual visual phonological tests to provide data on recall scores for a set of six similar and dissimilar letters. The data obtained was analysed separately before performing a using a two tailed paired related sample t-test. The results indicated that there was a statistically significant difference in scores obtained on recall of dissimilar and similar letters with higher scores being recorded on recall of dissimilar letters. Introduction The concept of a well-defined form of memory that is able to store information on a temporary basis whilst being utilised in the service of cognitive process is not new idea, but theories regarding the components that make up the short-term storage memory have evolved considerably during the last century (Gross, 2010; Myers, 2005). The proposal of the multi-store model (MSM) by Atkinsons and Shiffrin (1968) introduced the concept that short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) had differing and distinct modes of storing information. This led to a considerable amount of research being conducted on how STM operated (Baddeley Hitch, 1974). Particular attention has been given to auditory and visuospatial input along with acoustically similar or dissimilar associations in the information being stored and the affect this may have on information recalled (Conrad, 1964; Wickelgren, 1965; Schulman, 1971; Atkinson Shiffrin, 1968). In Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968) model, the function of STM is said to provide a means of controlling and enhancing information before it makes it into long-term memory. This is done through rehearsal and coding strategies (Atkinson Shiffrin, 1968). In 1974 Baddeley and Hitch introduced their Working Memory (WM) model, a more dynamic system, as opposed to the more passive Atkinson and Shiffrin MSM (Baddeley Hitch, 1974). A definition of working memory can be stated as the collection of cognitive processes that allows information to be held temporarily in an accessible state, whilst in the service of some cognitive task (Baddeley, 2001). One of the important characteristics that differentiate the WM model from the Atkinson-Shiffrin (1968) MS model is the use of two distinct short-term memory buffers, the phonological loop and the visuospatial sketch pad and the argument that the independence of these buffers allow for a greater flexibility in memory storage (Baddeley Hitch, 1974; Baddeley, 1986) These short term memory buffers are two of the four components that make up the WM model (Baddeley, 1986). At the core is the central executive hub, which processes data and cognitive tasks, followed by the two memory subsystems; the visuospatial sketch pad, which processes information received in either visual or spatial form and the  phonological loop  the area within the WM that deals with language information in auditory or visual form. The final component is the episodic buffer, which was introduced 20 years after the model was first proposed, which links all the components of WM with long-term memory to enhance function (Baddeley Hitch, 1974; Baddeley, 1986; Baddeley, 2000) According Baddeley (1986) the phonological loop is comprised of two individual subcomponents; the phonological store, sometimes called the inner ear which holds auditorily presented verbal information and the articulatory control process (ACP), sometimes called the inner voice. Although limits to working memory are easily observed, ever since George Miller (1956) suggested people can recall approximately seven independent, items or chunks of information at a time, it has been more difficult to determine what specific cognitive faculties underlie these observed limits. It has been proposed in several studies (Conrad, 1964; Wickelgren, 1965) that observed limit recall depends upon details of the stimuli. For example, immediate memory retrieval for lists of serial presented verbal information is better when the lists that contain letters or words that are dissimilar as indicated in the experiments performed by Conrad (1959) and Wickelgren (1965). Consequently it is claimed there is a correlation between phonologically similar and dissimilar information input and memory span, specifically that the recall for dissimilar words or letters would be greater than that for the similar ones presented either auiditorable or viusally (Conrad, 1964; Wickelgren, 1965; Muller, Seymour, Kieras, Meyer, 2003; Eysneck Keane, 2010). The aim of this study was to examine the evidence for Baddel and Shiffrins (1974) WM model with the hypothises that there is a greater ability to recall letters that are dissimilar in nature to those that share common phonological similarities. Method Participants A total of 18 participants were recruited from within a group of undergraduate students, enrolled on the Swansea Metropolitan Universitys Psychology Joint Hons degree course. The participants ages ranged between 18 and 51 years, (M =26.89, R=33, SD=10.26). The participant group was comprised of six males whos ages ranged between 24 and 51 years, (M=35.5, R=27, SD=11.47) and 12 females whos ages ranged between 18 and 38 years, (M=22.58, R=20, SD=6.5). Materials The study materials consisted of two sets of six sequence cards one set for the similar letters and one for the dissimilar letters. The similar letter set comprised of the letters P, E, V, T, C and G with the dissimilar letter set comprising of the letters J, H, P, V, X and F. Each participant was given a blank recall sheet to record their answers with researcher using a score sheet to record their individual scores for each set of letters. Design This quantitative within-subject study sought to investigate the scores obtained between two variables using the paradigm of serial verbal recall. The independent variable (IV) being the similar and dissimilar letter sets used and the dependent variable (DV), being that of the recall scores of each participant. Scores were recorded between 0 and 6 for each of the tests; with only letters recalled in their correct positions being positively scored. All the data obtained was analysed using a two tailed paired related sample t-test within a SPSS package. Procedure Both the participants and researchers were all part of the undergraduate psychology course and due to the study being performed as part of their studies, no consent for was required to be signed. Participants were informed of the requirements for the study before each researcher selected two individuals from the participant pool in order to carry out the experiment, with each participant being tested individually and in isolation of the other. The experiment procedure was explained to each individual participant prior to testing, with a test run being conducted in order to assure full understanding was reached. Each set of six similar and dissimilar letters were presented to the participant separately, with each letter card being presented visually for 1 second, with a 2 second delay between the presentations of each new letter. After all of the six letters had been shown a 5 second delay was counted down by the researcher to allow for rehearsal, before the Recall Now card was shown. The participant then attempted to recall the letters shown in their correct sequence of display on the recall sheet. This was repeated for the next set of letters, with the same procedures being repeated. There was no preference of order for the similar or dissimilar letter sets to be shown first. The recall sheets were returned to the researcher who calculated their scores on each of the tests with all scores for each pair of participants collected by the researchers and collated together to give an overall data set of 36 sets of scores. Results Table 1: Comparison of recall scores between similar and dissimilar word sets Test Type Total Score Mean Participants (n) Std Deviation t df Sig. (2-tailed) Similar 130 3.66 36 1.66 2.38 35 0.23 Dissimilar 158 4.39 1.5 Table 1 shows the mean scores obtained for each of the conditions being tested; similar recall test (M=3.61, SD=1.66) and dissimilar recall test (M=4.39, SD=1.5). As the table indicates the participants scored higher on the dissimilar recall test by correctly recalling more letters in the right order of display than when tested on the similar letter set. Analysis of these results show a significant difference in the recall scores, t (35) = 2.38, p Discussion The results obtained in this study has shown that there is a significant difference in the number of letters recalled in correct sequence between similar and dissimilar sets of letters, with dissimilar letters being recalled better than phonologically similar acoustic sounding letters. These results support previous acoustic similarity recall effects in STM research (Conrad, 1964; Wickelgren, 1965; Muller, Seymour, Kieras, Meyer, 2003; Jones, Macken, Nicholls, 2004; Page, Cumming, Norris, Hitch, McNeil, 2006) and in turn support the concept of the phonological loop as proposed by Baddeley and Hitch (1974) WM model. The study also supports the findings of Smith, Wilson, and Reisberg (1995) in that the visual presentation of the letters sets were processed indirectly into the phonological store component of the phonological loop through the ACP allowing the participants to rehearse the letters observed acoustically using the inner voice. However, there are some concerns on the effects of phonological complexity related to word length including the number of syllables or phonemic length of the letters within words, which suggests that the word length effect in the serial recall task may be better explained by differences in linguistic and lexical properties of words (Jalbert, Neath, Bireta, Surprenant, 2011). It can be argued that studies of this nature have a low ecological value, as they dont represent the real world. Baddeley, Gathercole, Papagno (1998), claim that the function of the phonological loop has evolved in order to facilitate the learning of unique phonological forms of new words. They propose that this is its primary purpose, to store unfamiliar acoustic patterns while more permanent memory records are being fabricated. Despite this study supporting the hypothesis that there is a phonological effect that influences the ability to successfully recall more letters that are dissimilar in nature as opposed to those that share common phonological similarities, the use of the phonological loop in retaining sequences of familiar letters/words is, it is argued secondary to its primary function of learning language (Baddeley, Gathercole, Papagno, 1998). References Atkinson, R. C., Shiffrin, R. M. (1968). Human memory: A proposed system and its control processes. In K. Spence, J. Spence (Eds.), The Psychology of Learning and Motivation (Vol. 2, pp. 90-191). New York: Academic Press. Baddeley, A. D. (1986). Working Memory. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Baddeley, A. D. (2000). The episodic buffer: A new component of working memory? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 4(11), 417-423. Baddeley, A. D. (2001). Is working memory still working? American Psychologist, 1-31. Baddeley, A. D., Hitch, G. (1974). Working Memory. In G. H. Bower (Ed.), The Psychology of Learning and Motivation: Advances in Research and Theory (Vol. 8, pp. 47-89). New York: Academic Press. Baddeley, A. D., Gathercole, S., Papagno, C. (1998). The phonological loop as a language learning device. Psychological Review, 105(1), 158-173. Conrad, R. (1964). Acoustic confusions in immediate memory. British Journal of Psychology, 55(1), 75-84. Eysneck, M. W., Keane, M. T. (2010). Cognitive Psychology: A Students Handbook (6th ed.). Hove, East Sussex: Psychology Press. Gross, R. (2010). Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour (6th ed.). London: Hodder Education. Jalbert, A., Neath, I., Bireta, T. J., Surprenant, A. M. (2011). When does length cause the word length effect? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 37(2), 338-353. Jones, D. M., Macken, W. J., Nicholls, A. P. (2004). The phonological store of working memory: Is it phonological and is it a store? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 30(3), 656-674. Miller, G. A. (1956). The maigical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review, 63(2), 81-97. Muller, S. T., Seymour, T. L., Kieras, D. E., Meyer, D. E. (2003). Theoretical implications of articulatory duration, phonological similarity and phonological complexity in verbal working memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 29(6), 1353-1380. Myers, D. G. (2005). Exploring Psychology (6th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers. Page, M. P., Cumming, N., Norris, D., Hitch, G. J., McNeil, A. M. (2006). Repitition learning in the immediate serial recall of visual and auditory materials. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 32(4), 716-733. Schulman, H. G. (1971). Similarity effects in short term memory. Psychological Bulletin, 75(6), 399-415. Smith, J. D., Wilson, M., Reisberg, D. (1995). The role of subvocalization in auditory imagery. Neuropsychologia, 33(11), 1433-1454. Wickelgren, W. A. (1965). Acoustic similarity and intrusion errors in short term memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 70(1), 102-108.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Young People, sexuality and relationship Essay -- Essays Papers

Young People, sexuality and relationship So what should teens be taught about sex? In the article, â€Å"Young People, Sexuality and Relationships,† by Peter Aggleton, the author describes how sex isn’t used as something great in a relationship but gives the true reasons teens are having sex. The article was published in the year 2000 in the Journal of Sexual and Relationship Therapy. This article was published to explain to young people some of the consequences of having sex. More young people are having sex these days without looking at what really can happen. Aggleton shows an overview of the pregnancies, STD’s, and other emotional things that can stick with someone the rest of their lives. Aggleton shows teens the truth about sex instead of something seen as romantic and a risk, and they seeing themselves as people who are experimenting with new things. However, to others it is not a sign of romance but a risk that keeps haunting teenagers with AIDS and pregnancy. Even though young people are stereotyped as being more negative when it comes to the issue of sex, not all teenagers are that concerned with it. The author states more teenagers are looking at the outcome of having sex and thinking about the STD issue. Another issue is sex when it comes to parties and drugs. It seems that more and more girls are not getting the necessary understandings of the risks of sex, therefore having it at a younger age. While males are having sex for reasons just to try it out, or because they think they are cool. So the problem is teens are having sex for the wrong reasons without looking into the consequences. Aggleton shows the differences of sex from the female view to the male view. He sees women as getting caught up in s... ... to drugs and have no money they see sex as a way to make a few easy dollars. Sex issues are worse when it comes to other countries. Woman there must protect themselves from younger and older men. They also often do not have any type of condom and they aren’t issued warning that could prevent Aids and pregnancy. Other women find themselves having sex as a job, since prostitution is legal in many countries and many woman look to do so as a profession. In conclusion Aggleton is saying how teens are not having sex for love or a better relationship but out of fear of what others might say if they don’t. Therefore, sex is not something that happens to help a relationship grow closer, it’s just a decision that’s not usually thought about to thoroughly before it happens. And only adults can help take the thoughts out of young peoples’ lives by talking to them.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Adoption: Infectious Diseases Issues Essay

Adoption is and always has been something that many couples consider in doing throughout their lives. One couple might consider adopting a child due to being unable to have a child of their own or another in wanting to help a child in need of parents to look over them. In recent years, many young parents have given their child up for adoption because of not being able to provide for the child or the mother is too young to take full responsibility. But, the biggest concern regarding adoption is the birth records of the child that are being sealed away from them. Once the child grows up and finds out they were adopted, they are unable to look at their actual birth certificates and find out where they came from. Many have been raising questions to why they are sealed and a resolution must be found to make it fair for the adopted children to find out where they came from and who their real parents are. In the U.S., most laws from the 1930’s and 40’s still remain firm in 44 states. These laws are forbidding adopted children who are now adults to their original birth records that are locked away from them that has the primal question: Who am I? Identity is many things, but it begins with the knowledge of one’s own truth of heritage and birth. According to Lorraine Dusky, one of the situations that are standing in the way of the further progress to resolve this problem is the argument that most mothers want to keep their â€Å"privacy† protected. She says that more work is needed to show that these outdated laws and arguments are not true but only myths. Dusky states that most mothers are more than happy to welcome in their children back into their lives and in states as in Oregon, mothers have the option to fill out a form indicating whether or not they want to be contacted. She concludes that mothers asking for no contact are now no more than one a month. (Dusky). This is a good indication that the birth parents do not want to lose contact with th eir child when he or she chooses to find them when they grow up. Adoption has also brought an important function to other people’s lives. According to Annette Baran, Reuben Pannor and Arthur D. Sorosky, adoption fulfills couples’ dreams that are unable to have children of their own and want have a complete family unit that conceals their infertility and denies the existence of another set of parents. They say that in the past, adoption was more open and was not unusual before World War II for a couple to take in a pregnant woman and take care of her while she was pregnant till she delivered, then adopt the child. They state  that it was easy for the mother to give her child to the couple because of the connection they formed and the mother felt comfortable giving her child to the people she knew very well who would take care of the baby and provide for it. They conclude that there is no further evidence showing that there were any complications for both the birth and adoptive parents or any harassment from either of them after the child was given away. (Baran et. al. 97-98). After looking at the aspect of the benefits of both the birth parents and adoptive parents, there are also emotional and health issues with the adoptees. The only reason to why birth records are being sealed away is to keep the privacy of the birth parents but that is completely unfair to the adoptees that want to find out what is wrong with them and where they came from. Some adoptees have health risks and are unable to continue their treatments if they do not have their actual birth records. According to Karen March, one of the strongest challenges against secrecy comes from the adult adoptees that have established contact with their birth parents. She states that before the adoptees reunited with their biological parents, they felt a sense of incompletion from their inability to fully find out about their biological parents and background information to put together who they truly were. March says that after finally reuniting with their parents, they were finally able to move on w ith their life and accept the reality of why they were sent to adoption. She concludes that many adoptees that have problems with their birth records being released find themselves emotionally unstable to cope with why their biological parents have left them. (March 653-654). By giving these adoptees the opportunity to place self with a biosocial context, reunion gave them a means of gaining stronger social acceptance. In a book titled â€Å"Adoption, Identity, and Kinship† written by Katarina Wegar, assistant professor of sociology at Old Dominion University, investigated the historical, physiological, social, cultural, and gender issues that are surrounding issues over the sealed birth records. Wegar writes that over 60 years of perspectives on adoption, she was able to find that instead of showing adoption as a social institution, many researchers have often depicted adoptive families as deviant people. Moreover, Wegar argues that some adoption activists have accepted facts from psychiatrists, who blame the adoptees’ problems rather than on social and cultural causes. She believes that the American family is  a natural or a biological arrangement, to look at adoption as a solution to a social problem rather than the social problem to be solved. Wegar concludes that the main structure of adoption in the American adoption system is the race and class, along with gender, age, family structure, and sexual preference. (Wegar 36-123). Adoption, according to Wayne E. Carp, is present everywhere in the American society that is creating invisible relationships with biological and adoptive parents and is touching many people. He states that adoption is the most controversial issue in the United States and recent articles have accused many adoptive families of being associated in Cambodian black market baby-buying rings. Carp writes that in 1994, Congress passed a law stating with the intention of prohibiting adoption agencies from using race or national origin as a basis to deny the placement of a child in transracial adoptions. Also, Carp believes that one problem with activists, is that they commonly believe that adoption causes much pain and lifelong suffering to everyone involved and in 1995, the Florida Supreme Court upheld a la w stating that gay couples are prohibited from adopting. Carp says that as late as the 1950s, most Americans would not have considered the subject of adoption or closed records as controversial. In fact, most Americans viewed it in positive terms because it seemed to solve many social problems. Also, according to Doris H. Bertocci, she says the same about how these sealed records are far more complicated than anyone would have expected. (Bertocci 252). Carp states that single women were able to escape the stigma of having a child out of wedlock and were able to move on with their lives, which usually meant getting married. He concludes that it was also an escape route for children to escape the stigma of illegitimacy and then were able to find a good home with two loving parents who on the other hand found a solution to having their own child. (Carp 434). The question was never raised to why records are being sealed away from adoptees. According to Carp, not until the early 1970s was when adult adoptees discovered that birth records were b eing sealed, thus they went right into the political process to change this unfair practice. Carp, states that once the reform movement began, the birth mothers reacted immediately and the reason to that was because of the situation they were in. He writes that the mothers believed they were doing the right thing for their babies and that they would be able to avoid  society’s condemnation of having a child without being married. Because of this, Carp says that the mothers received promises from adoption agencies that their identities would remain a secret and many kept it away from their husbands as well. But, many activists, according to Carp were able to gain access to adoption records through lawsuits, ballot initiatives, and state legislation, which resulted in success for the state of Oregon to allow adult adoptees to their original birth certificates, for the most part, the result of the reformers’ lawsuits have failed in the courts and failed to open adoption records unconditionally. He argues that the reason to their lack of success, there exists an ethical and moral dilemma: Who’s rights are pre-eminent, those of adopted adults or those of birth parents? Many states have tried to make both sides satisfied: adult adoptees, who want to have the right to open birth records and the birth parents, who were promised secrecy of their identity by the private adoption agencies. (Carp 435). Taking a look at another aspect of adoption, many complications can arise regarding international adoption. In recent research done by Laurie C. Miller, she finds that since 1986, nearly 220,000 children from other countries have been adopted by American families and since 1995, the top 4 countries have been China, Russia, South Korea, and Guatemala. She states that the living circumstances of children before adoption all varied greatly and most of the children came from orphanages, where they experienced malnutrition, emotional and physical neglect, harsh living environments, and exposure to infectious diseases. Miller states that thanks to the International adoption medicine, new specialized pediatrics have been able to address the specific health care needs for the children after arriving to the United States. But, Miller argues that one of the primary concerns of international adoption medicine is the evaluation of international adoptees for infectious diseases as for other immig rant children. She also argues that many adoptive families sometimes encounter difficult situations related to infectious diseases like the recent severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in Asia that has affected many adopting families in the United States. Miller concludes that these days, consultants have much to offer for internationally adopted children and the adoptive parents as well as appropriate screenings that allow assessment of the child’s health. (Miller 286-287). In the United States, adoption by a same-sex partner was  first granted in 1985. According to Nina Dethloff, nowadays, adoption by same-sex couples is aloud in a number of states however, there are several differences in other countries. Dethloff states that at least in six states the court has held adoptions by same-sex couples to be permissible. But, adoptions by a homosexual partner are possible in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, Vermont, Pennsylvania, and in District of Columbia. She says that the adoption of a child that is not biological, but the previously adopted, child of the other partner is exceptional. She argues that he or she can adopt both a biological child and a previously adopted child of his or her partner but only a few states prohibited and still prohibits adoptions by homosexuals. Dethloff states that previously held prejudices on children who live in a homosexual family are more likely to develop a homosexual orientation or might even be abused, especially by gay men, have not been fully confirmed. Furthermore, she shows evidence that there is no scientific proof that children show developmental or behavioral disturbances as a result of their parents’ sexual orientation. Dethloff concludes that there is evidence that homosexual parents raise their children differently than the opposite-sex couples, but the only real concern is that due to constant prejudices, children raised by same-sex parents may suffer from harsh discrimination. ( Dethloff 201). Every couple, regardless of their sexual orientation, should have the right to raise and adopt a child. Looking at the child’s perspective, would it not be better to give a child a home? According to Gregory K. Popcak, executive director of the Pastoral Solutions Institute, there are significantly more children waiting to be adopted than there is same-sex couples waiting to adopt. He states that by contrast, each year there are no more than 70,000 to 162,000 married couples in the U.S. who have filed adoption papers or are filing papers. Popcak believes that this means that in any given year there are 1.2 and 2.7 married couples per waiting child meaning that there is no need to open up adoption centers for homosexual couples. (Popcak 13). Though Popcak’s arguments may remain true, he is not helping in the fact that all people should be treated equally regardless of their sexual orientation and children should have a home provided for them. Dethloff shows that in a coun try where a large number of children are living under institutional care in order to be placed in a family, same-sex couples will be more than ready  to take in a child and provide for it like any other responsible parent would. (Dethloff 202). Though many adopted children get discriminated because of their parents’ sexual orientation, they at least know that they have parents that they could talk to and have a real home with. Because they are adopted, they will always look for who their real parents are and what is their real birth certificate as well as have the right to access to it. According to David B. Biklen, adult adoptees who want access to their birth records argue that the information in the birth records belongs not only to the birth parents or state, but also to the child, now an adult. Biklen argues that birth parents should not have control over their adult child’s access to his or hers birth name, heritage, history and the state should not continue to be a party that is keeping all of this information secret. He states that adult adoptees claim the right to their information and because they have a legitimate need, medical and otherwise, to full access to their genetic heritage. Biklen states t hat recent adoption research indicates that secrecy in adoption can be damaging for everyone involved. Secrecy in a family can cause much pain, shame, and psychological damage even when the secrets are not revealed and holding back information can be very damaging to the child. (Biklen). Regarding the medical information of the adoptee, it is very important for them to know about where their health risks come from. Biklen states that current sealed records system burdens adult adoptees’ access to family medical information that may be critical to their own health care. He says that many adult adoptees have been having difficulties answering routine, even critical health questions about the health history of their genetic relatives. Also, under the legislation of some states, from having a â€Å"sin† of his or hers birth parents, the adopted child was â€Å"reborn† into the adoptive family with a new identity, name, and birth certificate to give an illusion that the child was born in the adoptive family. Biklen argues that the original birth certificates were then sealed and replaced with a new birth certificate that gave false information, a legal fiction. In addition, Biklen says that to attempting to change sealed record laws, many adult adoptees have used other ways to search for their birth information by using professional consultants, volunteer networks, and self-help search groups that help address the demands by the adult adoptees to finding their birth parents. (Biklen). Adoptees now have become more  outspoken and are searching for their birth parents without their adoptive parents’ permission. Not only do adoptees have a say on this controversial topic but as well as their adoptive parents. According to Phyllis R. Silverman, Lee Campbell, and Patricia Patti, adoptive parents are finding themselves to be caught in a situation they were never prepared for. They stated that many adoptive parents were expecting their adoptive child will not want to reunite with their birth parents for the papers are sealed and kept away. They say that in a study done of adoptive families, they preferred to have veto power over adoptees searching for their birth parents even when the child grew up into an adult. The researchers say that today, many adoptive and birth parents are now being informed that the child might or will be searching for them when he or she get older. But, the real concern adoptive parents have is about what type of question might pop up when the child grows up and them not knowing how to answer it. They state that most adoptive parents will not know about the child meeting or them finding their birth parents or what to expect when something like this will occur. In conclusion, they say that adoptive parents get protective of their adoptive children and are afraid of them leaving after they find out the truth. (Silverman et. al. 543). The controversial aspect of adoption helps bring a better understanding of how adoption works as well as the controversy behind it. There will always be debates to what is best for the child and who is the best choice to provide for the child as to help them grow up to be better people and to have a family of their own to where they can feel complete. Every child needs a family, but every adoptee would have preferred to stay with their biological mother from the beginning even if she could not provide for them. Others, on the other hand are grateful that they have been adopted because it gave them the happiness of being wanted in a family where the biological parents wanted the best for them, out of love. No matter what the choices are made, it is never possible to tell what the outcome may be, and that is the controversial issue. Sealed birth records have the answers to the adoptees questions and could also be beneficial to their medical health risks that could save their life or help form a healthy biological family of their own. Reference Baran Annette, Reuben Pannor, and Arthur D. Sorosky. â€Å"Open Adoption.† Social Work 21.2 (1976): 97. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 May 2013. Bertocci, Doris H. â€Å"On Adoption.† Social Work 23.3 (1978): 252. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 May 2013. Biklen, David D. â€Å"Sealed Adoption Records.† (1999). 10 May 2013. www.cga.ct.gov Carp, Wayne E. â€Å"Adoption, Blood Kinship, Stigma, And The Adoption Reform Movement: A Historical Perspective.† Law & Society Review 36.2 (2002): 433. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 May 2013. Dethloff, Nina. â€Å"Same-Sex Parents In A Comparative Perspective.† International Law FORUM Du Droit International 7.3 (2005): 195-205. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 May 2013. Lorraine, Dusky. â€Å"Help adult adoptees find birth parents.† USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 May 2013. March, Karen. â€Å"Perception of Adoption as Social Stigma: Motivation For Search And Union.† Journal Of Marriage & Family 57.3 (1995): 653-660. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 May 2013. Mill er, Laurie C. â€Å"International Adoption: Infectious Diseases Issues.† Clinical Infectious Diseases 40.2 (2005): 286-293. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 May 2013. Popcak, Gregory K. â€Å"Misplacing Children.† First Things: A Monthly Journal Of religion & Public Life 164 (2006): 12-13. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 May 2013. Silverman, Phyllis R., Lee Campbell, and Patricia Patti. â€Å"Reunions Between Adoptees And Birth Parents: The Adoptive Parents’ View.† Social Work 39.5 (1994): 542-549. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 May 2013. Wegar, Katarina, Adoption, Identity, and Kinship: The Debate over Sealed Birth Records. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1997.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Global Warmning

Mandi Kinsey 10th Writing Persuasive essay 5/18/11 Word count: 602 Global Warming What happens to all the exhaust that comes out of the back of vehicles on the road? What are all the thick black clouds coming from factories that define a city’s skyline? What effect is all this smoke and smut going to do to the Earth? Some scientists have a theory called â€Å"Global Warming. † Scientist along with the followers of this theory believe that carbon dioxide or CO2 from mankind’s use of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas is building up in the atmosphere.As these gases go up into our air, they get trapped in our ozone layer creating a blanket of gas that does not allow the heat from the earth to disseminate. Theorists believe that this â€Å"blanket† of gasses leads to increased temperatures in the Earth’s atmosphere. Now this leaves us with the question what is global wormig and is it harmful? When it comes to the issues of pollution, all human s are affected since all humans benefit from the Earth’s resources. I am not convinced of that global warming is caused by humans. I do believe that all the pollution caused by humankind is doing horrible things to the environment.Although, I do not believe that the Earth’s temperature is rising as a result of human pollution. Nor do I believe that â€Å"Global Warming† will bring catastrophic repercussions as many theorists will have society believe. The retention of heat around the Earth’s atmosphere caused from gases is called the greenhouse effect. This is because, like a green house that a gardner uses to grow plants, the sun comes in through glass heats up the room and is not allowed to leave because the glass keeps it in. The Earths greenhouse the glass is the CO2 blanket that does not allow heat to escape from our Ozone layer.So why is this important, a little extra heat further from the equator would surely please many? Some of the fear driven co nsequences that some theorists have told include; Rising sea levels, leading to more coastal erosion, flooding during storms, and permanent inundation, Increased drought and increased incidence of wildfires, Severe stress on many forests, wetlands, alpine regions, and other natural ecosystems and impacts on human health as mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects and rodents spread diseases over larger geographical regions.I not only believe that humans are not the cause of global warming but i believe that the Earth is continually changing and that humans give themselves to much credit thinking they are that much of an influence on the Earth. Where does the truth lie with global warming? Are we all going to pay for the decades of pollution to the earth or are the skeptics correct in suggesting that this is all blown out of proportion through the media and extremists? I do not know the for sure answer to these question, no one does. This idea of humans causing â€Å"global war ming† is simply that an idea, a theory.But as with any good theory it demands that people take its warnings serious and research and prepare for possible findings. I believe that society does need to lower their pollution and think of ways to â€Å"go green† but not from fear or false theories. I think society needs to care about the environment for the animals, themselves and the future generations. In the end the correct choice is to continue studying the issue and if it turns out to be nothing we would still have been winners for educating millions and cleaning up the environment.