Global Positionning System Versus the Right To Privacy :: GPS Globarl Positioning System Papers

Global Positionning System Versus the Right To Privacy From the beginning of time, man has tried to find out where he was and where he was going. Locating places as well as himself has long been a quest. Mankind developed a number of early inventions to help with this search including the compass, the sextant, the map with longitude and latitude, charts, plans, graphs, telescopes, binoculars and numerous other tools to assist him. The most current, extensive, far-reaching and comprehensive of these is the Global Positioning System (GPS). GPS is a satellite navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites. The original designers and engineers had military use in mind. It was placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense, and it was originally intended to aid navigation, troop deployment and artillery fire. The official U.S. Department of Defense name for the GPS is the NAVSTAR system, which stands for Navigation Satellite Timing and Ranging. This system cost the United States billions of dollars to develop and build, with the constant additional cost of maintenance. The first GPS satellite was launched in 1978, predating the introduction of the personal computer. The full constellation of 24 satellites was completed in 1994. Each satellite is built to last about 10 years, and replacements are constantly being built and launched into orbit. In the 1980's, by an executive order, the United States Government made the system available for civilian use, and there are no subscription fees or setup charge s. GPS works anywhere in the world, in any weather condition. A GPS satellite weighs approximately 2,000 pounds and is approximately 17 feet across with solar panel extended. The 24 GPS satellites orbit the earth about 12,000 miles above us. They make two complete orbits in less than 24 hours. Currently there are 21 active satellites with 3 operating spares. These satellites are traveling at speeds of approximately 7,000 miles per hour. The GPS satellites are powered by solar energy.

Convergence of US GAAP and IFRS Essay

The Norwalk Agreement refers to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which was signed in September of 2002 in Norwalk, Connecticut between the United States Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standard Boards (IASB) The MOU was an agreement between the two organization to, â€Å"use their best efforts to (a) make their existing financial reporting standards fully compatible as soon as is practicable and (b) to coordinate their future work programs to ensure that once achieved, compatibility is maintained.† The original agreement called for all differences between US GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) and IFRS (International Financial Reporting System to be eliminated by January 1, 2005, but problems quickly surfaced in this approach and according the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) currently has a timeline of 2016 for all US corporations to adopt the IFRS. Before discussing what the effect of these changes are on US Corporations, one must first understand the history of both the FASB/US GAAP and the IASB/IFRS. The Financial Accounting Standards Board was established by the SEC in 1973 to take over the role of establishing standards for financial accounting from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)’s Accounting Principles Board (APB). The US GAAP are accounting rules used to prepare, present, and report financial statements for a wide variety of entities, including publicly-traded and privately-held companies, non-profit organizations, and governments. The US Government does not directly set accounting standards, instead believing that the private sector has a better ability to set these rules. The US GAAP is not formally written into law, but is instead codified into the FASB Accounting Standards Codification and the Hierarchy of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. The FASB has four major types of publications it uses to make changes to the US GAAP: 1. Statements of Financial Accounting Standards: the most authoritative US GAAP setting publications. 2. Statements of Financial Accounting Concepts: Part of the FASB’s conceptual framework project, these are fundamental objective and concepts that the FASB will use in developing future standards. They are not a part of the US GAAP, but instead represent future goals of the GAAP. 3. Interpretations: Interpretations modify or extend existing standards and are a part of the US GAAP. There are currently 48 interpretations available 4. Technical Bulletins: These are guidelines on applying standards, interpretations, and opinions. They usually solve a very specific accounting issue that does not have a significant, long-lasting effect. The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is an independent, privately funded organization founded in London, England on April 1, 2001 with the stated objective to: â€Å"develop a single set of high quality, understandable, enforceable, and globally accepted financial reporting standards based upon clearly articulated principles.† To achieve these objectives the IASB has developed the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) and aggressively promoting the use of these standards. As of today over 120 countries either require or permit the use of IFRSs and all members of the G20 have established time lines to adopt the IFRSs in the near future (including the United States.) The IFRSs consist of the standards, interpretations, and frameworks issued by the IASB, and include many of the standards formerly known as International Accounting Standards (IAS) which were issued by the now defunct International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) which existed from 1973 until 2001. The IFRSs are principle based standards (as opposed to the US GAAP which uses rules-based standards) that establish broad rules but generally leave specific treatments open to some interpretation. IFRSs consist of: 1. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) – All standards issued after the IASB was founded in 2001. 2. International Accounting Standards (IAS) – Standard issues by the IASC prior to 2001. 3. Interpretations from the International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC) – Interpretations issued after 2001. 4. Standing Interpretations Committee (SIC) – Interpretations issued before 2001. 5. Framework for the Preparations and Presentations of Financial Statements – A statement of the basic principles of the IFRSs. The framework serves as a guide to resolving accounting issues not specifically addressed in a standard. Having established the backgrounds of the major players to the Norwalk Agreement it is important to understand how this convergence project will affect US Corporations in their future financial reporting as the FASB / SEC begins their push towards full integration by the year 2016. As converged standards are introduced, many US Corporations will see major changes in all areas of their business activities ranging from financial statements to leasing to employee benefits and although covering all these changes is beyond the scope of this paper, we will present some of the more important changes. The largest major difference between the two regulations is in their scope, and level of â€Å"guidance† for companies in the area of revenue recognition. The US GAAP has developed detailed guidance for many different industries incorporating standards suggested by a multitude of accounting standards organizations in those specific industries. The IFRS, on the other hand, mentions two standards for revenue recognition for guidance and allows companies to determine which method they will use. Another major change for US Companies is in the area of inventory costing. Under US GAAP, companies may choose between using LIFO (Last-In-First-Out), FIFO (First-In-First-Out), or a variety of other inventory valuation methods, in accounting for cost of goods held in inventory. Once the switch is made to IFRS, the use of LIFO for inventory valuation will be prohibited so that all companies will be similar cost formulas. Several additional changes include: 1. The option to classify expenses based on either function or nature under IFRS vs. the requirement to classify expenses based on function only under US GAAP. 2. The requirement to present noncontrolling (â€Å"minority†) interest as a component of equity on the balance sheet under IFRS vs. the requirement under US GAAP to present noncontrolling interest outside of equity. 3. The ability to use either the proportionate consolidation method or the equity method of accounting for joint venture accounting under IFRS vs. the current requirement to use the equity method of accounting 4. IFRS will allow revaluation of assets for several different classes of assets, even requiring their revaluation on a regular basis whereas currently US GAAP does not permit revaluation under any circumstance. 5. Under IFRS, advertising and promotional cost will have to be expensed as incurred vs. the US GAAP which allows for costs to either be expensed as they are incurred, or expense when the advertising takes place for the first time, leaving the choice up to the individual company. While these changes are just a few of the changes which will impact company’s’ financial statements there are many changes coming which fall in areas outside financial statements. Nowhere is this clearer than in the area of US regulatory laws. As an article in the Wall Street Journal, â€Å"Closing the Information GAAP,† notes that, â€Å"If an accounting and reporting framework that relies on professional judgment rather than detailed rules is to flourish in the U.S., the legal and regulatory environment will need to evolve in ways that remain to be seen.† They suggest that laws in the US will have to move to accept more ambiguity in accounting, and that the change to IFRS could possibly provide new defenses to executives and accountants who try to do the right thing. A final change noted by both the PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Accenture case studies, is the updating, sometimes at a very high cost, of companies Accounting Information Systems to be able to collect, store, and analysis financial data in ways that will comply with the new IFRS standards. These two studies both believe that this activity will be the most painful and difficult for the majority of US companies to comply with. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. FASB. â€Å"FASB: Financial Accounting Standards Board.† Norwalk Agreement. Accessed June 29, 2010. . [ 2 ]. SEC. â€Å"SEC Proposes Roadmap Toward Global Accounting Standards to Help Investors Compare Financial Information More Easily.† Accessed June 29, 2010. < http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2008/2008-184.htm> [ 3 ]. FASB. â€Å"FASB: Facts about FASB.† Accessed July 03, 2010. [ 4 ]. IFRS Foundation. â€Å"Who we are and what we do.† Published July 2010 [ 5 ]. IASB. â€Å"About the IFRS Foundation and the IASB.† Accessed July 02 2010. [ 6 ]. IAS Plus. â€Å"Summaries of International Financial Reporting Standards.† Accessed July 03 2010. [ 7 ]. PriceWaterhouseCoopers. â€Å"IFRS and US GAAP similarities and differences.† September 2009. From the â€Å"IFRS Readiness Series.† [ 8 ]. Accenture. â€Å"Preparing for International Financial Reporting Standards: An Opportunity for Finance Transformation.† [ 9 ]. Ernst & Young. â€Å"US GAAP vs. IFRS: The Basics.† January 2009. [ 10 ]. The Wall Street Journal. â€Å"Closing the Information GAAP.† Accessed July 20 2010.

Brigham and Houston Essay

1. Whenever we are interested in buying a bond from the bond market, the bond’s issuer promises to pay back the principal (or par value) when the bond matures (Brigham and Houston, 2001). During this time, the issuer is obliged to pay interest in order to compensate the use of money. The interest payment is made on coupon rate which is fixed. There is an inverse relationship between the coupon rate and the bond prices, when: †¢ Interest rate increase, leads to rise in income, whereas the price of the bond declines. †¢ Interest rate decrease, leads to decline in income, whereas the price of the bond rises. Also we need to consider that the coupon rate is inversely related to duration because higher coupon rates lead to quicker recovery of the bond’s value, resulting in a shorter duration, relative to lower coupon rates. If coupon rate is greater than the market rate then it is favourable for issuer and if coupon rate is less than the market rate then it is favourable for purchaser (Brigham and Houston, 2001). The reason behind the variations in the coupon rates of various bonds is the market interest rate; company’s performance, time length, and credit worthiness of the issuer. So, all these factors have an implication on the bond yields. 2. Ratings of these bonds are determined on the basis of both qualitative and quantitative factors some of which are listed below: †¢ If a company uses conservative accounting policies, its reported earnings will be higher than if it uses less conservative procedures. †¢ Various ratios including the debt ratio and the Times Interest Earned (TIE) ratio also have some implications on these bond ratings. †¢ If company explores any new sites containing oil, gas, coal fields etc. †¢ Increase in the company’s sales & net profit increase both domestically and internationally also uplift the bond ratings and it showed that debt holder show the confidence on the company’s policy. Bond ratings might take a downward leap when: †¢ There is a signal of bankruptcy, internal mismanagement and financial distress in the firm (Helfert, 2001). †¢ When the company does not abide by the law, i. e. it breaches the laws, this may be related to environment, etc. †¢ When the product life cycle is going downwards and company can’t add more products in their product line. †¢ Negative bond covenants also hits the bond ratings of the company. †¢ Labour unrest or strikes may cause instability in the bonds ratings. †¢ Economic recession in the country. 3. We know that whenever the interest rate rises, bond prices tend to fall, and when rates fall, bond prices tend to rise (Helfert, 2001). This primarily occurs due to the economic condition of the country and also because of the market sentiments. If the price of the bond goes down it is less attractive (pays less interest) in comparison with current offerings and when the price of the bond goes up it is more attractive (pays more interest) in comparison with current offerings. This may also be described as when the coupon rate is greater than market rate then it is favourable for issuer and if coupon rate is lesser than market rate then it is favourable for the purchaser. Some bonds are sold below par value, which means (at discount) or greater than par value, which means (at premium). This mainly occurs due to the risk perceived for the debt of that particular organization. Market interest rate fluctuations usually effect the performance of the bonds in the secondary markets. Federal bank monetary and fiscal policy, inflation rate, recession in the economy, etc are the factors that may force organizations to sell the bonds at discount or at premium. One must also consider that sale of bonds on discount or at premium also has some impact on the yield and also the maturity of the bond, the shorter a bond’s maturity, the less its duration. Bonds with higher yields also have lower durations. Also the company’s performance reflects in bond valuations, i. e. its bond ratings, bond covenants and credit worthiness etc (Helfert, 2001). 4. The yield to maturity (YTM) is a reflection of the return on investment, that is earned at the current price, incase the bond is held by the issuer to its date of maturity and redeemed at par value. In other words, YTM is the discount rate that equates the present value of future inflows from the bond equal to its present price.

Ethics and Leadership in the Medical Device Industry †Ethics Essay

Ethics and Leadership in the Medical Device Industry – Ethics Essay Free Online Research Papers Ethics and Leadership in the Medical Device Industry Introduction Ethics Essay Medical research is necessary to develop and discover innovative therapies and cures. Ideas quickly move from basic science studies in the lab into experiments with animals and finally to trials with humans. Government policies along with internal institutional processes have been developed to ensure the ethical, responsible conduct of research. These policies were created to ensure that human subjects were shielded from unnecessary risk. In recent years, ethical questions have emerged in these areas. A governing principle is that research must be performed without any financial conflict of interest. Is it possible to exclude money from the research field? Is there a correlation between physicians and research companies and where in this field is there a role for vendors promoting products? Should doctors be banned from accepting any forms of payment from medical research companies? The objective of this literature review is to present an overview of literature related to the relationships of physicians, medical research companies and the United States government. After reading this review, the reader may wonder if physicians and leaders in the medical device industry are compromising the health of the public and if so, at what cost? Discussion of Literature Sanders, Kleim, Sklar (1996) state that the goal of medical research is to serve the public through improvements in diagnosis and treatment and to protect the public from unnecessary risk. The health of patients should not be compromised by the profit of companies. Charles Epps (2003) adds that the medical research community, which includes experts in science and technology, physicians and health workers and public policy makers, must strive to find a balance between patient safety and innovation. Daniel Rosenberg (2005) tells of the desire to make a profit cannot surpass the needs of the humans the products were made to enhance. In many companies quandaries about questionable situations now can be taken to ethics officers. Edward Lim (1999) argues in the defense of Ethics programs that came into vogue in the 1980’s. These programs were in response to well-publicized procurement fraud in the defense industry. In 1991, The United States established federal sentencing guidelines for organizations involved in the medical research industry. Charles Epps (2003) discusses the measures put in place by the government to punish those companies whose employees were engaged in wrongdoing. An organization can be fined up to $290 million and individuals can be imprisoned for their actions. John Lenzer (2004) states in his findings that company executives can also be charged if they were aware of fraud or negligent acts. On the other hand, fines can be reduced up to sixty percent if the company instituted an effective ethics program prior to the offense. Martha Lagace and Glenn Reicin (2003) point out the enormous difference between having a written code of ethics and running a fully functional ethics and compliance program in an organization. The federal guidelines have an expectation that every organization have a serious, ethics and compliance program. Advamed (2001) affirms that an ethics program should have these three parts. An ethics officer who has authority, a written code of conduct and an employee training program. In a further study of the Advamed program, Daniel Rosenberg (2005) states that nearly one-third of businesses in the United States operate ethics and compliance programs that meet these requirements, including medical device manufacturers Zimmer, DePuy, Biomet and Medtronic. There are many areas a solid ethics program must cover. These include: acts of dishonesty, sexual harassment, discrimination, and environmental policies. Businesses may want to seek guidance in developing an effective program from the Ethics Officer Association in Belmont, MA. The biggest growth in developing ethics and compliance programs is in the health-care sector, says Amanda Mujica, director of communications for the organization. â€Å"Good ethics is good business,† says Blair Childs, executive vice president of AdvaMed (2005). To further quote Mr. Childs, â€Å"It is not only good business for industry in terms of how it is viewed by the public, but also because it is the way responsible companies behave and want to behave.† Arthur Ciarkowski (2002) argues that ethics programs are increasingly values-based rather than simply adhering to the letter of the law. â€Å"Ethics officers teach employees not only whats legal, but whats right. Most of us know the difference between wrong and right, but some situations arent quite so clear-cut. For example, if an engineer is visiting a client who offers to let him inspect the design of a competitors device, is it ethical for the engineer to do so? In a study preformed by Aronoff and Associates (2002) Creating and implementing an ethics program can be costly. It can range from about $250,000 to over $1 million depending on the number of employees who will be trained. Can a business really afford not to have a program in place? Compare running a business to owning a house. An individual wouldnt, or at least shouldnt, own a house without having fire insurance. â€Å"A mature ethics and compliance program is your insurance in case one of your employees or leaders should spark trouble. Ethical decisions of leaders and physicians: I think most companies, as they think through their codes of conduct, have to make sure that marketing and research development departments are not providing direct sales inducements. Arthur Sanders, Samuel Keim and David Sklar, (1996) presented the following (true) cases during a symposium to the Biomedical Industry. Do these sound like examples of medical research or kickbacks? In case one, a doctor performs an orthopedic implant. The implant manufacturer asks the doctor to fill out a questionnaire six months later in order to monitor how the patient is doing. The manufacturer says it wants to learn about implant performance and patient mobility. In return, the doctor will get a check in the mail for $1,000. The amount of time necessary to fill out the questionnaire was fifteen minutes. In case two, a doctor gets paid more than $1 million annually to supervise other physicians on how to perform minimally invasive hip surgery. The surgery he proctors only uses one company’s implants. In case three, an orthopedics medical practice wants to expand in order to conduct research. It wants to hire a researcher so it establishes a non-profit foundation to fund a research fellowship. A medical devices company sponsors the fellowship; the researcher uses only the products supplied by one medical device company. Stacy Bell (1998) notes that medical device companies offer cash, vacation and incentive-driven surgeries to entice physicians to use their products exclusively. When a physician or group of physicians are loyal to one brand, the company can feel confident that this will lead to an increase in sales from that individual doctor over time. Financial Rewards Daniel Rosenberg (2005) discusses a shifting of funds from the pharmacy sector to medical devices is evident. Just a few years ago, there was a trillion dollars in market capitalization in the domestic pharmacy sector and only $300 million or so in the medical device sector. More recently, however, investors have been concluding that the drug business is riskier than the franchise model of medical devices because drug patents eventually expire. In comparison, medical devices have very quick product cycles, generally twelve to eighteen months, but device companies develop lasting relationships with their customers and create sustainable franchises that allow growth within an existing customer base. During a panel forum at the Medical Leadership Forum, (2002) A discussion revolved around the great advances in medical technology. The most promising advances include drug-eluting stents for heart care, minimally invasive hip replacement and, for chronic and degenerative back problems, artificial carbon fiber disks will soon be ‘Food and Drug Administration† (FDA) approved, but the relative returns of medical devices still show room for marginal improvement. During the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons meeting (2004) Theâ€Å"only† message from many leaders of device companies is that medical devices are expected to continue to show improving financial returns. The company leaders never mentioned the dramatic effect an implant may have of a life, the message delivered was detailed, but only with expected profits. John Lenzer (2004) questions the percentage of profits that are set aside for every new implant that is brought to market, for law suits. Raymond Holgram (2002) comments that with Daniel Troy, chief counsel to the US Food and Drug Administration, being under fire for inviting device companies to inform him of lawsuits against them so the FDA could help, is â€Å"An abuse of power and lack of ethical leadership from our government, can only raise questions of the influence the device industry has within government†. When a device company is ready to submit a device for review, the process is called a 510k submission, these guidelines are set forth by the American Society Testing and Materials (2001) The FDA accepts all the implant device submissions in the order of submission and a delay of a few weeks can mean a loss of millions in sales. The first rendition of an implant that meets minimum FDA requirements is submitted as soon as possible for approval. Human trials are a part of each submission. While the data is examined by the FDA, the submitting company continues to make changes on the submitted product. These changes are allowed as long as they again, meet the minimum requirements. Is it ethical for companies to change a product they implanted in trials and not notify the patient? If minimum guidelines were met and because all implant devices carry the tag of â€Å"experimental† patients are not automatically notified of implant failures. The decision to submit a product for approval is purely profit driven and made by the company leaders. The Major customer of the Device Manufactures: Martha Lagace Glenn Reicin, (2003) discuss the medical device industry, where the customer is not the patient. In fact, the patient often has no idea and no choice of the manufacturer of the device their physician uses or the costs associated. The customers for the device companies are the hospital administrator, doctor, and/or nurse. Medical devices vary from inexpensive to costly, but there are questionable ethical dilemmas associated with both. At the low end, there are needles and syringes, known in the business as â€Å"sharps†. This is a $2.25 billion market with extremely low share volatility. The average selling price of a device (sharp) is twenty to forty cents. The customer is the hospital administrator. The secondary customer is the nurse. If some training is necessary to learn how to use the product, the device companies pay for the hospital training program. The products are stocked in hospital inventory, so there is no need for the sales representative to be present when the product is used, in contrast to orthopedic implants. Lagace Reicin, (2003) continue this discussion stating that one of the most expensive items is the orthopedic implant. They account for over $11 billion in sales, but less than six percent of this amount is spent on research and development. The customer is the orthopedic surgeon; the secondary customer is the surgical team. Hospitals do not keep inventory of orthopedic implants, since there is a left and a right of every product. The sales representative who essentially â€Å"lends† them to the hospital usually owns the instruments used to put in an implant. A companys sales support is involved in every implantation. Since the sales representative and the orthopedic surgeon must be in communication about the products, are all conversations limited to the medical needs of the patient? Industry Leadership In describing transformational leadership, Steven Covey (1990) uses words such as developer, mentor, value clarifier, and exemplar. These leaders cultivate collaborative relationships based on mutual interests (win-win). Because Covey believes transformational leadership builds on the human need for meaning, he also uses words like purpose, values, love, morals, ethics, mission, and principles to further clarify this type of leadership. Finally, Covey says that becoming a transformational leader requires vision, initiative, patience, respect, persistence, courage, and faith. Traits needed to guide the medical device industry. Keshavan Nair (1994) points out that there is a need for moral leaders in all areas of the culture; there is a widely held view that leaders, especially those in business and politics, have lost their moral purpose and sense of idealism. Wilhelm Roepke (1995) makes the case that the most pressing need in society today is the need for moral leadership. Paul King (1997) adds that although many hope for moral leadership, unfortunately, there are too many examples of leaders who appear to pursue objectives that are not moral. Conclusion During the past decade, there has been a gradual erosion of the ethical principles that guide relationships between physicians and industry leaders. Two areas in which the decline has been most notable are gifts to physicians and the relationships of industry to educational and research activities. The gifts have become more valuable and industry representatives make gifts available under circumstances where frequently there is no educational program. Research support continues at a high level but researchers increasingly find themselves in positions that present conflicts of interest with the interests of patients who are research subjects. These changes have taken place during an era in which professionalism also has declined and physicians are losing control of their practices to government and to the corporate sector. Physicians and industry suggest a solution to this dilemma through strict adherence to the existing ethical principles. Physicians must renew observance of professionalism and improve oversight and discipline. Medicine cannot impose restrictions on the implant manufacturing industries but can appeal to industrys leadership. Industry leaders must also govern marketing and sales representatives of industry. There must be an ethical common ground if a new physician and industry relationship is to succeed in producing a climate of mutual respect and higher ethics; patients will benefit and physicians and industry will regain the public trust. In response to ethics violations, policy makers and politicians have crafted new laws and regulations. While some changes in regulations are appropriate and necessary, they do not address the core issues. It is impossible to legislate integrity, stewardship, and sound governance. New laws and regulations, alone will not correct the multiplicity of problems. Somewhere along the way have companies lost sight of the importance of selecting ethical leaders that create healthy corporations for the long-term? Were the lessons of building great companies like Medtronic, Zimmer, Johnson Johnson, and PG lost in the rush for raising stock prices short-term? Were those fortunate enough to lead great companies only the stewards of inherited legacies from past leaders? If companies continue to use an aggressive sales force to market their product, without paying attention to the ethical consequences, ethical problems will continue to rise to the surface. Should the sales force of the medical implants industry be held to a higher standard than a sales force of other industries? Are the sales force marketing a product or marketing something that could profusely affect humans? The lessons are evident. If we select people principally for their charisma and their ability to drive up their short-term stock price instead of their character, and shower them with inordinate rewards, why should we be surprised when they turn out to lack integrity? An ethical and moral person leads by example and by voicing opinions. It means not being afraid to take a stand on questions of ethics or morality, on questions of behavior, or questions of decency. Bibliography AdvaMed (2001). Code of Ethics in the device industry. American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Forum (2004). Physician Review of the most Promising Products for 2005. Aronoff Associates (2002). Biomaterial supply for permanent medical implants. 16, 124-140. American Society for Testing and Materials. (2001). committee F-04 Standards and Guidelines for 510k submission. Bell, Stacy (1998). Higher Profit Margins, Do Ethics Programs Pay? Medical Device Diagnostic Industry Magazine. 5, 177-186. Benkeser, Paul. (2005). Challenges and Opportunities in Ethics in Biomedical Engineering, Engineering Today, 27, 1-8 Brennan, MG. and M.A. Tooley. (2000). Ethics and the Biomedical Engineer Engineering Science Journal. 9, 5-7. Briskin, A. (1996). The stirring of the soul in the workplace. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Caudron, Shari. (2002). Where have all the Leaders Gone? Workforce Management. Covey, S.R. (1990). Principle–Centered Leadership. New York: Simon Schuster. Ciarkowski, Arthur, PhD. (2002). What Information Can/Should the Federal Government Provide? Industry News, 42, 7-12. Epps, Charles, MD. (2003). Ethical Guidelines for Orthopaedists and Industry. Clinical Orthopaedics Journal. 217, 33-37. Food and Drug Administration (2002). Guidelines for 510k submission. Gaudiani, C.L. (1997). Catalyzing community. Educational Record, 78 (3-4), 81-86. Holgram, Raymond. (2002). Is the FDA for Sale? Harvard Business Journal. King, P.M. (1997). Character and civic education: What does it take? Educational Record, 78 (3-4), 87-93 Lagace, Martha Reicin, Glenn. (2003). Ethics and Medical Devices. Harvard Business School. Lenzer, J. (2004) FDA accused of being to close to the device industry. Biomechanics Journal. 417, 22-25 Lim, Edward, MD. (1999). The Orthopedic Surgeon and the Manufacturing Industry Relationship. Clinical Orthopedics Journal. 301, 4-10 Lussier, Robert N., and Achua, Christopher F. (2004) Leadership: Theory, Application, Skill Development, 2nd edition (2004). Cincinnati, Ohio. Southwestern College Publishing. P 130 Farahmand, Robert. (2004). Good ethics is good business. Medical Device Link, 8, 17-19. Medical Leadership Forum (2002). Stanford University. Nair, K. (1994). A higher standard of leadership. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler. Ropke, W.J. (1995). Morality as a yardstick of educational leadership. Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, 50(2), 71-76 Rosenberg, Daniel (2005). As Investments, Medical Devices Pose Challenges. Harvard Business Review. Sanders, Arthur B., MD, Keim Samuel M., MD, Sklar David, MD. (1996). Gifts to Physicians from the Biomedical Industry. Orthopaedic Medical Journal. 279, 9-12 Research Papers on Ethics and Leadership in the Medical Device Industry - Ethics EssayArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Genetic EngineeringInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesTwilight of the UAWResearch Process Part OneOpen Architechture a white paperThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UsePETSTEL analysis of IndiaDefinition of Export QuotasAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into Asia

What to Do With Your Hands During a Job Interview

What to Do With Your Hands During a Job Interview There are ways to appear (and feel) more confident using body language. But not much attention is paid to what we’re supposed to be doing with our hands. Here are some subtle secrets about  what to do with your hands during a job interview. Use Them to Show ConfidenceRather than crossing your arms across your chest- a gesture of insecurity or defensiveness, try folding your hands, one on top of the other, or simply resting them on the arm of your chair. You’ll appear more open, more in control, and more confident. And remember: open fingers are always better than curled fists.Try to Remain CalmFidgeting is bad. Moving around excessively trying to get comfortable will just prove to your interviewer that you aren’t- and it’s probably not the chair’s fault. On the other hand, not moving at all can make you look rigid or unnatural. Think of it like blinking and come up with a balance of natural movement. You’ll come off like a normal human bein g, which is good- especially when you’re nervous.Use Them to CommunicateIf your palms are open and facing up, this conveys a certain honesty, or willingness. You’re listening, inviting trust. Downward facing palms can convey dominance and firmness, which are much better for salary negotiations than interviews. Also remember to keep your shoulders relaxed. If they’re all the way up at your ears with anxiety, your interviewer will take notice.Beware of Cultural DifferencesAll of this applies mostly to the Western business world. Don’t forget that different body signals can convey totally different things around the globe. Make sure to do a bit of research to rejigger your expectations before an interview. Be sensitive. A thumbs-up in America is great, but do it in an Asian country and you’ll probably offend someone without realizing what you’ve done.Practice Gesture ControlYou may talk with your hands, but you should try and restrict this beha vior in the interview. Keep it to a minimum and focus instead on wielding your words with care and concision, lest you distract your interviewer with your arms flapping around. No matter how hilarious you know you are.

Primate Observation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Primate Observation - Research Paper Example The unjust treatments subjected to the non-human primate species denies present and future humanity the chance to study and understand the closest relatives of the human species. Evidently, the study of the non-human primates such as gorillas, apes and chimpanzees offer insightful learning opportunities pertaining to their physical and social characteristics as well as relationship with human behaviour. To this end, the subsequent sections will delve into the primate description of two major non-human species. These are the gorillas and chimpanzees. The description will examine their social and mating structures, food acquisition strategies and intelligent levels. Furthermore, the literature herein will offer comparative analysis between the gorillas and chimpanzees as well examine their regional distribution. The final section will delve into the relationship between the two non-primates and the understanding of human behaviour. Primate Descriptions a) Gorillas The gorilla primates are evidently the largest cohort of the primate family. They also exhibit the closest relation with humans as 98% of their DNA is in conformity to man’s DNA (Jurmain, 157). Gorillas are mostly land dwelling animals since they do not climb trees. The gorillas are classified into two different species with four sub-species that are determined based on their physical characteristics and their geographic location. The first species is Gorilla gorilla with sub-species of G. g. gorilla, from western lowland and G. g. diehli from cross river (Taylor, 100). The second species is Gorilla beringei with sub-species of G. b. Graueri also known as eastern lowland and G. b. beringei also known as mountain gorilla (Taylor, 100). To this end, the subspecies vary in their habitats with distinct physical characteristics and different numbers of populations. In this regard, the Western gorilla and Eastern gorilla species are classified based on their geographic location within their African hab itat. The Eastern Gorilla has two subspecies known as the Eastern lowland gorilla and Mountain gorilla. The Eastern lowland gorilla is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Jurmain, 159). Their population is classified as endangered with less than 3000. Their physical characteristics place them as the largest among the gorilla species. They also have shorter hair and teeth compared to the mountain gorillas as well as possessing the longest arms. On the other hand, the mountain gorilla is classified as critically endangered as their population currently stands at less than 720. Their physical characteristics are consistent with angular nostrils, a wide face and a large skull. Moreover, it has longer hair and larger body compared to the eastern lowland gorilla (Taylor, 102). The two sub-species of the Western Gorilla are Western Lowland Gorilla and Cross River Gorilla. The Western lowland gorilla is also classified as critically endangered with a population of less than 100,000 (Taylor, 105). Its species is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Furthermore, its physical characteristics entail a silver-back colouring on the males which also covers the thighs. The hair on their heads is also redder. On the other hand, the Cross River Gorilla has a population of approximately 300 and labelled as critically e

The monstrous in photography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The monstrous in photography - Essay Example Many products of painting have documentary and informational value. Our epoch is distinguished by the tendency of showing the reality. However our reality is not always pleasant to look at, that is why critics and psychologists, painters and photographers argue about the representation of monstrous and the taboo in respect of this representation. The body in modern American art is shown as defenseless, injured, sexual, disjointed, dreadful and supernatural. There are a lot of unquotable elements. This concerns the artists like Mike Kelley, John Miller, Kiki Smith, Robert Gober, Cindy Sherman, Andres Serrano, Barbara Nortfleet and others.It is really impossible to forget the shocking gesture of Andres Serrano. In 1991 in the Austrian gallery he exposed a composition "'Piss Christ'" The crucifixion written by urine (yellow on red) was showed in gallery no more than for three days - they were afraid of pogroms. On the first day the 51-years Catholic tried to break a frame, but he was dragged back by the guards. On the second day two teenagers managed to do that. The next fascinating sight can be found in the book of Barbara Nortfleet "Looking at Death". Nobody would dare to remain indifferent looking at this astonishing book, a collection of over a hundred fascinating and often scandalous photographs. After looking through at l east several of them one will never be able to look at death as he did before. Here you will find different kinds of death: on the stage and in war, by violence and in medicine. There is absurdity and tragedy, knack and pretense. This book makes us look at our life differently and inspires to appreciate every moment of living. The creativity of the abovementioned authors is actively discussed by many critics; different opinion was formed about their work. However what does the person feels looking at such images Are they criminal and must be forbidden or can they just serve as a cause for thinking What do they really represent The concept of representation is a key concept both for a paradigm of "cultural researches" and for feministic criticism. At the same time it is one of the most problematic concepts in terms of definition. Stewart Hall says that the representation has two main meanings: 1)"speaking for somebody" representation or somebody's interest; 2) representation in art or philosophy (as a representation of something existing by other means). Stewart Hall considers it to be possible to reduce all the variety of cultural approaches in the decision of this problem to three basic models of interpretation: reflective (mimetic), intentional and constructional (including semiotic and discursive approaches). Hall defines the representation as a process by means of which subjects of culture use the language (any system of marks) for values manufacture. Objects of representation have no sense: it appears during the interpretation and the communications, coding and decoding of texts and depends on the cul tural context. Photography is philosophical observations and reflections. The photographer is not an operator, he is a producer, he creates and organizes a situation, he is a stage manager, the thin psychologist penetrating into the depths of human soul. From this point of view a completely necessary condition of perception is a certain preliminary cogitative gesture, some kind of "hidden manner". It is important not to refuse the experience of our inherent photography