Disparities between races in the legal system Term Paper

Disparities between races in the legal system - Term Paper Example Targeting populations has gone so far as to include pregnant women who are drug addicted, effectively giving them no other recourse than to abort their children rather than risk jail time as services and efforts made post conception are not always considered when incarceration is considered by the legal system. The primary problem with this concept is that it appears to attack African American women over any other race, thus suggesting that the legal system is trying to encourage African American women to abort their children, rather than carrying them to term. The way in which the justice system has developed has encouraged and promoted a continuation of social problems rather than providing relief for those issues through racial profiling that diminishes the credibility of the system.Traffic Stops  Racial profiling is defined by Glover (2009) as â€Å"the use of racial and/or ethnic status as the determinant factor in decisions to stop motorists either in the absence of indicati ons of criminality or in determining who to enforce law against† (p. 11). There is a pervasive habit among law enforcement to stop drivers who appear to fall within the social groups of African American or of Hispanic descent for traffic violations, real or exaggerated, in order to investigate the nature of their business within a specified geographic location. A study done under the supervision of Dr. John Lamberth through Temple University in 1994 showed that the New Jersey police provided for an unfair.... that it appears to attack African American women over any other race, thus suggesting that the legal system is trying to encourage African American women to abort their children, rather than carrying them to term. The way in which the justice system has developed has encouraged and promoted a continuation of social problems rather than providing relief for those issues through racial profiling that diminishes the credibility of the system. Traffic Stops Racial profiling is defined by Glover (2009) as â€Å"the use of racial and/or ethnic status as the determinant factor in decisions to stop motorists either in the absence of indications of criminality or in determining who to enforce law against† (p. 11). There is a pervasive habit among law enforcement to stop drivers who appear to fall within the social groups of African American or of Hispanic descent for traffic violations, real or exaggerated, in order to investigate the nature of their business within a specified geograp hic location. A study done under the supervision of Dr. John Lamberth through Temple University in 1994 showed that the New Jersey police provided for an unfair percentage of traffic stops for people of non-Caucasian groupings. The study showed that â€Å"while African American drivers and Caucasian drivers committed roughly the same percentage of traffic violations, a startling statistic of 73.23% of the drivers stopped were African American drivers, while only 13.5% were of a different race† (Harris, 1999, 265) A Maryland lawsuit involved a defendant by the name of Robert Wilkins, a Harvard Law student, against the police department because he felt that when he was stopped by the police he and his family were unfairly processed and made to wait while drug sniffing drugs were brought to the scene

Enron Corporation Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Enron Corporation - Article Example This proved to be a blatant violation of the accounting rules and eventually led to the mess that resulted in the bankruptcy of Enron and criminal prosecution of several Enron employees. Secondly, Mr. Kenneth Lay held a great deal of responsibility because he spearheaded the overstatement of Enron's income for four years prior to the bankruptcy. This effectively and efficiently led to his conviction for securities fraud, wire fraud and making false and misleading statements. Thirdly, Mr. David Duncan held some of the responsibility because he was aware that there were violations with regards to the rules of bookkeeping and was bounded by the ethics of his profession to report such violations. By not doing this, he was responsible to some degree for the final collapse of Enron. Fourthly, the accounting firm of Arthur Andersen held the responsibility because they were hired as auditors to ensure that the accounting rules were being followed. At any point during the audit, they could ha ve reported the misdoings of the Enron officials. Finally, the stock analysts held some blame because they continued to recommend Enron stocks even after the value of shares in the Enron Corporation fall drastically in late 2001. 2.

Discussing Principles And Importance Of Good Record Keeping Nursing Essay

Discussing Principles And Importance Of Good Record Keeping Nursing Essay This essay aims to focus on record keeping. It will briefly discuss the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2009) guidance for nurses and midwives and the importance of good record keeping in the health care setting. This literature will also discuss four of these principles. The first principle is of detailed assessment and reviews which helps set up a care plan. It then moves on to the next principle which discusses hand writing and how it should be written legible. The next principle that has been discussed is the one that records should be accurate and recorded in a way that meaning is clear. Finally the last principle that has been discussed is that records should be factual and not include unnecessary abbreviations, jargon, meaningless phrases or irrelevant speculation. It then progressively moves on to discuss how these four principles impact on a care plan and how they are maintained. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2009:1) have guidelines for good record keeping, this helps nurses maintain good record keeping skills. Good record keeping skills is an important part of a nurses role in the health care setting. It helps nurses provide the correct and safe care towards a patient. Computer documentation is used in many of the health care settings, however hand writing in documentation is still widely used. The guidelines are used for both written and electronic record keeping. The process of record keeping is every bit as important as hands on clinical skills to helping maintain patients safety within the health care setting. It is not only important for monitoring a patients treatment and medical condition, it is also important for any legal issues that may arise when providing care to a patient regarding any care or treatment they have received when in a health care setting (Griffith 2007:363 ). There is a principle in the NMC 2009 for good record keeping that states you should record details of any assessment and reviews undertaken and provide clear evidence of the arrangements you have made for future and ongoing care. This should also include details of information given about care and treatment (NMC 2009). This principle can help when putting a care plan in place for the care needs of a patient. When a patient first comes into any health care setting the first form of documentation is a written assessment of the patient and what their care needs are. This is a very important part of record keeping as it is the beginning of the care planning process. Assessment forms will include vital information on the patients medical condition and what their care needs are. It is also important to have all information regarding next of kin in case a patients condition was to deteriorate (Miller and Gibb 2007:250). A part of an assessment that is vital to a patients safety can be infor mation regarding any medication. This can highlight what a patient may be taking at the present time or any medication that they have an allergy to. If information regarding allergies is clearly documented then all care staff involved are aware when delivering care to the patient (Diamond 2005:460). The next stage in the care planning process is to put a plan into action to what treatment is best for the patients needs. All aspects of the patients care needs get reviewed so that all the patients care needs can be met. Implementation moves on from the planning stage in a care plan. This stage involves the nurse in charge of the patient getting referrals from other care professionals to meet the care needs of the patient. Evaluation is the final part of a care plan which looks at all the information recorded in a care plan. If the care needs of the patient have not been met then the health care professionals are able to make changes to the care plan for the best interest of the patient. This may include professionals at a different skill level, specificaly to deliver that care and treatment. It is the health care professionals responsibility to record and review all information regarding patients care. This enables care progress and makes sure the patients care needs are being met safely (Brooker and Waugh 2007 358). One of the principles for good record keeping is regarding handwriting hand writing should be legible (NMC 2009). A way in which badly written documents can cause problems is if prescribed medication that has been recorded is not written clearly, not only the type of medication but also information on administering medication. If a patients records are written clearly there is less risk to the patients safety (Reddy 2006:330). In any care setting good writing skills are very important as other multidisciplinary teams can be involved in a patients care. It is important that they can easily read any treatment and care a patient is receiving and that all needs of the patient are being met. A care plan is a legal document so it is vital that all information can be easily read. Any care professional who writes any information in a care plan is personally responsible for the information that they have written (Powell 2009:300). When a nurse writes in a care plan regarding treatment to a patient they may make a mistake and need to correct what they have written, this is the only reason why information can be changed. Correction fluid should never be used in a care plan to cover any written mistake. A line should be put through the error that has been made and the appropriate notes should be written in. The person making the change to the care plan should sign and date when they made the correction so other health care professionals can see why the correction was made to the care plan (Diamond 2005:261). This makes all written information in a patients or clients care plan more easily to read and any individual who writes in the care notes should try and use a black ink pen on white paper. A patients care plan is the main tool used in a care setting to communicate with different care professionals and services who may be involved in the care of a patient. In a variety of different care settings different colo ured paper is used for certain medical interventions. It is important that any paper and ink that is used in a care plan can be easily photocopied, as at times copies of some of the patients care plans may be needed (Griffith 2004:123). There is also a principle in the NMC that states your records should be accurate and recorded in a way that the meaning is clear. All notes that are written about a patients care should be clear so that any other care professionals who need to read the care plan know and understand what has been written. If a nurse was to write settled day what meaning does that actually have to other care staff. Care plans are helpful at finding out any care issues a patient may have. If there has been a problem regarding a patients care and it has been resolved then this has to be clearly documented. When a nurse comes on shift and takes over the care of a patient and the patients care notes may read awake most of the night due to being in pain and then did not write how she helped the patient overcome this problem then this is poor record keeping skills. Highlighting every intervention while delivering care is vital and information should not be missed out. It may be the case that the patient rece ived pain relief medication at the end of that previous nurses shift. If this was not documented in the patients care notes or kardex then the nurse who has taken over care of the patient may administer pain relief again, putting the patients safety risk. Documenting and recording clear and meaningful information regarding a patients care and any changes in a patients condition is a skill, and it is essential care professional in a care setting get it right. All written and computerised notes should be spelt accurately and have a clear meaning. Spelling may not always put a patients safety at risk but its not always that way regarding miss spelt medication. Many medications do sound the same when you say them but they are spelt differently and this can put a patients safety at risk (Diamond 2005:568). To keep records accurate all information written in a patients care plan must have a date with the day, month and year the staff member who has documented the information in the care plan. The time of documentation should also be added using the 24 hour clock. If all information in a patients care plan is accurate and up to date it helps maintain good communication between all care professionals involved in the patients care (Griffith 2004:124). Moving on to another principle in the NMC for maintaining good record keeping is the one that states records should be factual and not include unnecessary abbreviations, jargon, meaningless phrases or irrelevant speculation. One way this can cause a problem is if a nurse were to write in a patients care notes using abbreviations or jargon. Nurses who come on to a shift to take over the care of patients have to be able understand what has been written to help them deliver care effectively. Records are an important part of a patients care in which various health care professionals are involved in. Using abbreviations or jargon can put a patients safety at risk as it may have a totally different meaning to another person (Brooker and Waugh 2007:154). The NMC try to advice health care staff not to use abbreviations and follow the principles for record keeping. In some health care settings abbreviations will be used and nursing students need to be aware of what they mean to avoid any confusion. One of the abbreviations that are used safely in a health care setting is BP which means blood pressure. Abbreviations get used in health care settings to try and save time on record keeping as it does take up a lot of the health care staffs time (Diamond 2005:665). When care professionals follow these four principles of good record keeping it has an impact on a patients care plan in many ways. A care plan has all the relevant information regarding a patient. Having the correct and up to date information regarding a patient helps maintain a patients safety. Good record keeping has an impact on a patients health and helps recognise any sudden changes in a patient condition. If all information is written clearly with the correct spelling then other care professionals involved in the care of the patient can clearly understand what has been written. A well documented care plan helps maintain good communication between all care staff involved in the care of the patient. Some care staff who are involved in the patients care never see each other and a care plan is the only tool they have and would use for communicating and knowing what treatment and care the patient has been given and what care still needs to be delivered to the patient (Greyer 2005:24). A care plan is a legal document and all written information has to be accurate, clearly written and should not have any jargon or abbreviations contained in it. If a care plan is clearly documented with all the relevant information it impacts on the healthcare staff by safe guarding them in regards to any legal issues involving patients including the care staffs involvement (Diamond 2008:119). A care plan is maintained by reviewing this document at regular intervals. Reviewing care plans helps maintain accurate and safe care towards a patient. The main purpose for reviewing care plans is to maintain continuity of care. A review will help care staff determine if all care needs of the patient are being met and to notice if any of the care needs of the patient have changed from the initial assessment (Miller and Gibb 2007:272). An audit is another way to help maintain good record keeping of a care plan. An audit will check that all information is written clearly, with meaning, up to date and its accuracy. Audits can help highlight any inaccurate documentation and changes that can be made to rectify the inaccuracies within a document (Anderson 2000:355). Throughout this essay record keeping has been discussed and the importance of record keeping in the health care setting. It looked at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2009) guidance for nurses and midwives and four principles of record keeping. It later discussed how these principles impact and are maintained in a care plan. Record keeping is an important skill that nurses should have to maintain good communication between other care staff members regarding care needs of a patient. All care professionals involved in the care needs of a patient may never meet and only communicate through what they write in a patients care plan. It is important that all information is written clearly and can be easily understood to help maintain continuity of care towards the patient. There could be a problem for some nurses when it comes to writing information in a patients care notes. One way of doing this is if a nurse comes from another country and English is not their first language then they mi ght have some difficulty writing care notes and they need to be assessed to see if they are capable to write up notes correctly. Writing up care notes regarding a patient does take up time, many nurses feel the time used documenting information could be time used to treat a patient, but care plans are very important in the health care setting. Nurses should try and not leave writing up care notes to near the end of their shift, they should try and set aside time to document all relevant information regarding care given and nursing interventions of patient. If nurses leave writing up care notes to near the end of their shift and rush through what they are recording then this may cause them to miss out important information and could put a patients safety at risk. A care plan is a legal document and nurses should be aware of this when writing any care or treatment in a patients care notes. If all care notes are written clearly with no jargon then all other care professionals can easil y read what the care needs are of the patient. Student nurses should be aware that good record keeping is a skill and it is every bit as important as clinical skills they will learn. If a nurse finds it difficult to read any information in a care plan, they should inform the person in charge. Care notes are vitally important to protect healthcare staff in the event of any legal allegations that a patient has made regarding care or treatment they have received from the nurse. A care plan is a very important document for a variety of different reasons so good record keeping is important in all health care settings. Anderson E (2000) Issues surrounding record keeping in district nursing practice. British Journal of Community Nursing 5 (6) 297-299. Brooker C, Waugh A (2007) Foundation of Nursing Practice. Edinbrugh, Mosby Elsevier 154-358. Diamond B (2005) Exploring the principles of good record keeping in nursing. British Journal of Nursing 14 (8) 460-462. Diamond B (2005) Exploring common deficiencies that occur in record keeping. British Journal of Nursing 14 (10) 568-570. Greyer N (2005) Record keeping. South Africa. Juta and co ltd: 24. Griffith R (2007) The importance of earnest record keeping. Nurse Prescribing 5 (8) 363-366. Griffith R (2004) Putting the record straight: the importance of documentation. British Journal of Community Nursing 9 (3) 122-125. Miller J, Gibb S (2007) Care Practice for Higher 2nd edition. Paisley, Hodder and Gibson 205-272. Nursing and Midwifery Council (2009) Record Keeping: Guidance for nurses and midwives [Internet]. London, Nursing and Midwifery Council. Available: http://www.nmc-uk.org/aDisplayDocument.aspx?DocumentID=6269 [Accessed 19 January 2010]. Powell S (2009) Study skills: clinical writing; what is best practice? British Journal of Healthcare Assistants 3 (6) 300-301. Reddy B (2006) Prescription writing standards: why they are important. Nurse Prescribing 4 (8) 330-335.

Problems with Digital Imaging :: Photogpahy Images Pictures Essays

Problems with Digital Imaging â€Å"A picture is worth a thousand words†, Barnard, 1921. A critical use of images is for communications[1]. Images convey details and illustrate a specific scene in ways words could never do. People navigate the world primarily through sight, we can garner a great deal of information from just a glance. For hundreds of years, man made images, images created for a purpose to either illustrate a scene or capture a moment were done in the forms of paintings. These were basic to start, but improved with each passing year. Not too long after, there were a multitude of art styles, paintings who’s images were distorted, and strange, like those of Monet, and Picasso, but their purpose was not to capture the image as it were, but as they saw it, those painters were trying to show their audience a new way of looking at things. Photography entered the scene around the early 1800s, the first successful picture was produced in 1827 by Niepce[2]. Photographs historically have not been treated with the same attitude as paintings. Photographs are regarded as snapshots in time, faithfully recreating with unbiased attention to every detail in the scene, credible enough to be admissible as evidence in court. Fast forward to modern times, and with the advent of computers and digital imaging, the artistic expression of paintings has been merged with the unbiased realism of photographs to create realistic artistic expressions. No longer are artists limited to having to create images from scratch using their bare hands, and no longer are photographers limited to images only capture-able in the real world. But with great power, comes great responsibility, this is not a technology which should be taken lightly. Unchecked it would lead to mischief. Suffocate the technology, and you could be infringing on people’s right to free speech and artistic expression. Already the use of digital imaging has created great controversy. Ford Motor Company is in hot water over a series of television commercials depicting animals being mistreated by the advertised car, most notably one of a cat being decapitated with the sunroof of a hatchback[3]. The adult entertainment industry is usually always on the fore front of technology, and no doubt, always under fire for their use of technology. In this case, the use of digital imaging to create simulated child pornography.

Analysis of Apple Inc.

Planning is the activity of preparing a scheme, program, or method that is worked out beforehand for the accomplishment of some set objectives. There are different types of planning which include strategic, tactical, operational and contingency planning. Apple Inc. is one of the most successful and recognizable companies in the world. It was founded by the renown and celebrated Steve Jobs. It is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures and sells personal computers, consumer electronics and software, and provides related services.The business has experienced major growth over the past years. Its survival for over thirty years has been dependent on the thorough planning and organization that the can puts in place. It uses a strategic method of planning. The strategic planning is necessary for the company in that it is a technological multinational. It has seen a lot of changes in the computer industry. Competition has also proved to be stiff. Planning enables th e company to be prepared for what the future holds for the computer giant in a rapidly changing world and advancements in technology and consumer tastes and preferences.It also enables it to know how to allocate resources between its more traditional products and its newer products which include the iPhones and Apple TV, in order to improve its market position. Also, it enables the company to allocate resources and utilize its unique retail strategy to support the company’s product decisions, and by capitalizing on new and emerging trends thus further maintaining its competitive advantage over its competitors. On a regular basis, Apple Inc. conducts analyses. They conduct the SWOT analysis which puts them on the forefront in terms of performance and competition. This type of analysis focuses on the strengths,  weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing the company.The strengths of this company are plentiful. The main strength, is the customer loyalty combined with a close d ecosystem. This means that the company has developed a full range of applications, software that interlinked. Apple is also a leading innovator in mobile device technology. It has a strong financial performance and strong reputation. It has widely distributed retail stores and strong marketing and advertising terms. Its weaknesses include high prices of all its products, incompatibility of their products with other operating systems, decreasing of its market share in the industry, it is faced with patent infringements. Apple faces further changes in management, defects of new products and finally long-term gross margin decline.The opportunities of the company include, high demand for its products which include the iPhone 5 and iPad mini, iTV launch, increasing demand for cloud based services, emergence of new providers for application processors obtaining patents through acquisition, increased market for tablets and smartphones and strong growth of mobile advertising market. The t hreats faced by the company include, rapid technological changes in the industry, increments in taxes and production costs, rising pay levels for worker, price pressures posed by its competitors which include Samsung and Nokia, the growth of Android OS and also the strong dollar.This analysis enables the company to prepare for any possible outcome of the future and helps I n risk avoidance. It also helps the firm to maximize the utility of all resources and exploit all the opportunities available in the industry. Finally it assists in the planning of the company and decision making.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Robert Frost’s â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† is a poem that, at first glance, seems to simply describe the author’s journey through the woods. The poem’s language is uncomplicated and the rhyme scheme flows smoothly. Also, the subject matter is easily relatable to the audience; the poem speaks of things such as woods, snow, and a horse, which any reader can identify with or visualize. These qualities make it easy for the reader to take this piece at face value without reading into what the words mean rather than just what they say.Upon taking a closer look, however, the poem is undoubtedly the author’s memento mori. This becomes evident at the end of the poem, where there is an interruption in the flow of the language that elicits reconsideration of the poem’s facade of simplicity. Up until the last stanza, all the lines run seamlessly together. Then, the first two lines of the last stanza read â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep/ But I have promises to keep. † What causes the reader to consider a second look at these two lines is the word â€Å"but. This word usually signals to the reader that what follows is in contradiction to what precedes it; however, in this case the second line does not contrast the first.Therefore, the reader must search for what is being contrasted. The author is not merely commenting on the â€Å"lovely, dark and deep† woods, but is contemplating something. To better understand what is being contemplated, a broader look at the poem is necessary. The first stanza the author writes, â€Å"He will not see me stopping here/ To watch his woods fill up with snow. This implies that the author is thinking about spending a considerable amount of time in these woods, which would be necessary to watch them fill with snow. The second stanza says that this snowy evening is â€Å"The darkest evening of the year. † It is possible that it means literally dark; howeve r, it is more likely that the author is figuratively speaking as to say his darkest, or most depressing, evening. The third stanza speaks of â€Å"downy flake,† which invokes images of soft down, commonly used as a pillow filling.The last two lines of the poem mention â€Å"miles to go before I sleep,† in which â€Å"sleep† is a euphemism for death. These six lines, when examined together, imply that the author is depressed and considering these woods as a final resting place. The author’s thought of spending much time, in this case eternity, in the woods using the downy flake to rest his head upon can be interpreted as his contemplation of memento mori. This brings the reader back to the word â€Å"but. † What is the author contrasting when he states that he has â€Å"promises to keep? The author is saying that although these woods are â€Å"lovely, dark and deep† and would make an ideal final resting place upon death, there are â€Å"mil es to go,† or more life to live before the journey of life ends. After reflecting on one simple word, â€Å"but,† which leads to an examination of the piece as a whole, it is evident that the this poem is the author’s memento mori in which mortality is contemplated and a final resting place is considered while stopping by woods on a snowy evening. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Robert Frost’s â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† is a poem that, at first glance, seems to simply describe the author’s journey through the woods. The poem’s language is uncomplicated and the rhyme scheme flows smoothly. Also, the subject matter is easily relatable to the audience; the poem speaks of things such as woods, snow, and a horse, which any reader can identify with or visualize. These qualities make it easy for the reader to take this piece at face value without reading into what the words mean rather than just what they say.Upon taking a closer look, however, the poem is undoubtedly the author’s memento mori. This becomes evident at the end of the poem, where there is an interruption in the flow of the language that elicits reconsideration of the poem’s facade of simplicity. Up until the last stanza, all the lines run seamlessly together. Then, the first two lines of the last stanza read â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep/ But I have promises to keep. † What causes the reader to consider a second look at these two lines is the word â€Å"but. This word usually signals to the reader that what follows is in contradiction to what precedes it; however, in this case the second line does not contrast the first.Therefore, the reader must search for what is being contrasted. The author is not merely commenting on the â€Å"lovely, dark and deep† woods, but is contemplating something. To better understand what is being contemplated, a broader look at the poem is necessary. The first stanza the author writes, â€Å"He will not see me stopping here/ To watch his woods fill up with snow. This implies that the author is thinking about spending a considerable amount of time in these woods, which would be necessary to watch them fill with snow. The second stanza says that this snowy evening is â€Å"The darkest evening of the year. † It is possible that it means literally dark; howeve r, it is more likely that the author is figuratively speaking as to say his darkest, or most depressing, evening. The third stanza speaks of â€Å"downy flake,† which invokes images of soft down, commonly used as a pillow filling.The last two lines of the poem mention â€Å"miles to go before I sleep,† in which â€Å"sleep† is a euphemism for death. These six lines, when examined together, imply that the author is depressed and considering these woods as a final resting place. The author’s thought of spending much time, in this case eternity, in the woods using the downy flake to rest his head upon can be interpreted as his contemplation of memento mori. This brings the reader back to the word â€Å"but. † What is the author contrasting when he states that he has â€Å"promises to keep? The author is saying that although these woods are â€Å"lovely, dark and deep† and would make an ideal final resting place upon death, there are â€Å"mil es to go,† or more life to live before the journey of life ends. After reflecting on one simple word, â€Å"but,† which leads to an examination of the piece as a whole, it is evident that the this poem is the author’s memento mori in which mortality is contemplated and a final resting place is considered while stopping by woods on a snowy evening.