Women in Hamlet

In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the roles of women are dependent on men. There are only two women in the play who have a direct relationship with Hamlet. Ophelia, who looked up greatly towards Polonius, Laertes who has a great influence on her life as well as Hamlet. The other female role is Gertrude, Hamlets mother always trying to impress the men in her life not only her son but previous marriages. As these women are the most important female characters in the play it is first shown through Ophelia. Ophelia is not independent as she has to rely on men such as her father, brother and boyfriend.First, she is greatly obedient for her father willingly to do what he requests her to do without hesitation. Polonius gives her advice to take in a strong manner to break it off with Hamlet knowing she must listen. She responds with respect â€Å"I shall obey, my lord† (I. iii. 136). She tells him that she will do as he asks obeying his commands, because he is the only one she may go t o until she gets married. Not able to make decisions for herself either way for the fact if she married Hamlet he would be making them for her.Also, Hamlet was the man she considered spending her life with and was willing to do what he would ask of her trying to win his affection. Although, after listening to her father, by agreeing to stop seeing Hamlet, he over reacts on her with anger, mocking in which her reputation is ruined and how she will never find a man. She does not defend herself after these comments knowing you cannot battle against a male, yet later cries to wish he did not react that way â€Å"Oh, woe is me / T' have seen what I have seen, see what I see!† (III. i. 160-1).Requiring the desire to please all men, this makes her feel terrible although she did satisfy her father. Another influence she significantly admires and respects is her brother Laertes. Before his leave, he gave her great advice in which she took account of since her brother was like a role m odel, promising, â€Å"I shall the effect of this good lesson keep / As watchman to my heart. †(I. iii. 45-6). Wanting to make him feel proud and show prove how she is capable of taking care of herself.Later, with the loss of her father and absence of her brother, as well as being apart from the man she loves, is one of the reasons to why her life ends early. She drowns as explained, that her garment pulled her down. Moreover, it is as if she had no one around to motivate her to fight to live, since none of the men are around to regulate her to do so. Furthermore, Ophelia a young woman is obligated to abide by the rules of men as well as the Queen of Denmark also who relies on their comfort.Gertrude’s oblivious personality makes her dependent on the men in her life shadowing not only King Claudius but King Hamlet and her son Hamlet as well. The love for her son ends her life in tragedy by drinking from the chalice of poison that King Claudius prepares for Hamlet. Altho ugh, she knows not to drink the chalice as the King warns her not to, nevertheless, does it anyways symbolize as a sacrificing mother. Before her death the last she says, â€Å"No, no, the drink, the drink! O my dear Hamlet! / The drink, the drink! I am poisin’d† (V.ii. 303-4).This depicts what happens if women are disobedient as she was to her husband which led to her death and also portraying how saving Hamlets life was what she had to do being selfless and caring. In addition, Gertrudes need for attention is seen after her quick marriage following the death of King Hamlet. Losing the feeling of importance, where she needs, and rapidly gets over her husband’s death moving on explaining to hamlet, â€Å"Do not for ever with thy vailed lids / Seek for thy noble father in the dust† (I. ii. 70-1).Revealing how her values of affection are far greater than her moral righteousness and respect of herself not considering others approach on situations. Marrying K ing Claudius, she is highly dependent on him, who is able to persuade her in fictitious ideas others might not allow themselves to believe yet Gertrude constantly does. Such as after, he hears of the death of Polonius, tries to make it sound like he is helping Hamlet with his best interests when in reality he plans to kill him.As he assures the Queen, â€Å"It had been so with us, had we been there / His liberty is full of threats to all† (IV.i. 13-4), the king attempt to secure his own safety first sending Hamlet off somewhere far by seeming like it is for a greater intrest. Gertrude is oblivious to her surroundings which present it easier for the King to manipulate in addition for her disregard for her own place and her ultimate confusion. Gertrude is a strong character by her title as being the Queen, nevertheless forced to obey and concur with reinstated ideas by the King, losing attention from King Hamlet and sacrificing herself for Hamlet.The woman of Shakespeareâ€℠¢s play Hamlet needs guidance in order to achieve fulfillment. Ophelia, seen loyal and obedient to her father Polonius, brother Laertes and listening to other males such as Hamlet recognized throughout the play, displays her devotion to make them pleased. Finally, Gertrude has a high power considering all the women and even men, still fights the struggle between impressing men in order to achieve satisfaction. They both play the passive roles in the play; this shows that all women were not measured as equals.

Inaccessibility: Fiction and Miller

Inaccessibility Brook Thomas in his essay Preserving and Keeping Order by Killing Time in Heart of Darkness extends J. Hills Miller’s â€Å"unveiling† (Miller 220) of Conrad’s narrative. Miller’s essay Heart of Darkness Revisited demonstrates how Heart of Darkness â€Å"belongs to the genre of the parabolic apocalypse† (Miller 217). Thomas responds to Miller’s unveiling â€Å"a lack of decisive unveiling in Heart of darkness† (Miller 220) by reading â€Å"historically the narrative that Conrad weaves† (Thomas 239) so that we might be able â€Å"to come closer to a truth† (Thomas 239).Thomas presents the possibilities of decisive unveiling, which Miller claims, Heart of Darkness lacks. Miller’s questions what makes Heart of Darkness an apocalyptic parable? Subsequently Miller analyzes Conrad’s narrative â€Å"in light of these generic classifications† (Miller 207). Thomas is cautious in interpreting Co nrad’s narrative and questions the possibility of being able to glimpse into an essential truth by placing the text in historical context.Thomas quotes Miller, to synthesise â€Å"Conrad’s fiction in the context of the history of ideas† (Thomas 242), and later on takes up Miller’s suggestion in the evaluation of The Nigger of the â€Å"Narcissus† by Conrad to demonstrate that there can be â€Å"decisive unveiling† (Miller 220). Although Thomas does not mention Miller’s essay Heart of Darkness Revisited he quotes Miller’s The Disappearance of God and Poets of Reality. In addition to Thomas quoting Miller, both critiques adopt similar approaches in their essays.One of the first passage they quote from Heart of Darkness is Marlow informing us â€Å"the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out only as a glow brings out a haze, in the likeness of one of these misty hal os that sometimes are made visible by the spectral illumination of moonshine† (Heart of Darkness p. 20) both critiques examine Conrad’s writing and his purpose of writing.Miller’s analysis is that Conrad presents to us the description of â€Å"two kinds of stories: simple tales and parables† (Miller 208) and that Marlow’s stories â€Å"like the meaning of a parable- is outside, not in† (Miller 208) and goes on to say that the parable is inaccessible. Thomas quotes this passage to agree with Miller that â€Å"there is no guarantee that we will penetrate to the essential truth† (Thomas 239) at the same time suggest the possibility to glimpse truth â€Å"if we read historically the narrative that Conrad weaves† (Thomas 239).I am convinced that Thomas complicates Millers argument. Miller quotes Marx to define a parable like â€Å"the use of real life condition to express another reality or truth not otherwise expressible† he then compares the parable used from the Bible to demonstrate how Conrad’s fiction functions as a parable. Miller proves Heart of Darkness to be a parabolic apocalypse.In reference to the earlier passage from Heart of Darkness of the haze, Miller compares the image of the haze and illumination Conrad creates, with the â€Å"case of Jesus’ parable of the sower† (Miller 210) as Conrad uses â€Å"realistic and almost universally known facts as the means of expressing indirectly another truth less visible† (Miller 210). Miller further explains that Conrad’s parable becomes not just a way to examine Marlow’s story, consequently to examine Conrad’s narrative itself.Miller quotes Wallace Stevens that â€Å"there is no such thing as a metaphor of a metaphor† and moves on to use the Bible and Conrad’s The Nigger if the â€Å"Narcissus† to demonstrate inaccessibility of Heart of Darkness. Using the parable of the sower Mille r explains: â€Å"If you understand the parable you do not need it. If you need it you cannot possibly understand it† (Miller 210). Likewise Heart of Darkness based on the facts of History and Conrad’s life is used to express â€Å"the evasive and elusive truth underlying both historical and personal experience† (Miller 210) being a parable would fail to illuminate one who does not see the darkness.Miller picks out the passage of Marlow’s narration of life sensation and the impossibility of communicating life sensation sets it against the image of the halo in the mist to show us that Heart of Darkness â€Å"is a revelation of the impossibility of revelation† (Miller 212). The Nigger of the â€Å"Narcisusus† is used by both critiques to examine Conrad’s purpose of writing but interpretations of both critiques differ. They both quote similar passage of Conrad proclaiming his attempt to make his readers see and â€Å"that glimpse of tru th for which you have forgotten to ask†.Miller picks out the â€Å"double paradox† of seeing darkness in terms of light and the two sense of see one as physical vision and second the unveiling the invisible truth. Like the parable of the sower Miller states the Heart of Darkness does not accomplish in makes the reader glimpse truth. This analysis differs from Thomas analysis of the same quotation from The Nigger of the â€Å"Narcisusus†. Firstly Thomas uses this quotation to synthesis Conrad’s narrative and history, that Conrad re-envisions the way ineteenth-century historians that to â€Å"discover truth we had forgotten was to reconstruct it historically† (Thomas 248) linking the reading of the narrative with historical context. Secondly Thomas quotes The Nigger of the â€Å"Narcisusus† where â€Å"Conrad explicitly compares his work as an artist to the work of civilization† (Thomas 254) here Thomas links reading Heart of Darkness fo r the Conrad’s writing and focus on work. While Miller narrows the reading of Heart of Darkness and the inaccessibility of the narrative, Thomas points various ways to allow the narrative to be accessible.Miller examines the similarity between a parable and apocalypse genre through the notion that both â€Å"is an act of unveiling† (Miller 207). Again Miller uses the Bible to demonstrate how Heart of Darkness follows the genre of the apocalypse. Miller compares Conrad’s narrative structure of how the â€Å"reader of Heart of Darkness learns through the relation of the primary narrator, who learned through Marlow, who learned through Kurtz† (Miller 214) to â€Å"the book of Revaltion, God speaks through Jesus, who speaks through a messenger angle, who speaks through John of Patmos, who speaks to us† (Miller 214).This speaking through one next farther is what characterizers Heart of Darkness as the genre of the apocalypse. Miller synthesis of Heart o f Darkness as a parabolic apocalypse is what leads to his conclusion to the lack of decisive unveiling in the novel. The â€Å"ventriloquism† (Miller 214) of having a voice behind a voice and deprives the novel a voice of authority. Miller proves how the novel fits in the generic classification and identify the writing of Conrad to unveil as deeper truth but points out that the problems of the parable and apocalypse in making the Heart of Darkness inaccessible.Thomas acknowledges this inaccessibility but presents us with possible accessible reading through the synthesises he suggests. Thomas quotes Conrad’s Notes on Life and Letters and follows through Conrad’s stand that â€Å"fiction is history† and by placing Heart of Darkness in the context of history we can attempt to glimpse a truth. Thomas presents that Conrad weaves a story that â€Å"that proves to be truer that history† (Thomas 242). Thomas introduces British modernist novelist James Joyc e, D.H Lawrence, Virginia Woolf and E. M. Foster linking them with the â€Å"Jacques Lacan’s revision of Hegel† (Thomas 243) and some recent critiques concept of â€Å"the other†. By using the modern novelist to illustrate encounter between east and west Thomas synthesises Heart of Darkness as an encounter of Europe’s another with the other within itself. Thomas goes on to demystify the Eurocentric history and draws on modern thinkers Friedrich Nietzsche for poststructuralist thought and Sigmund Freud for psychoanalysis.Thomas states â€Å"for critics like Miller trying to cope with the loss of confidence in the Eurocentric view that is dramatized by Conrad’s narrative† (Thomas 244) but Thomas asserts that Conrad’s narrative help identify the condition for poststructuralist thought. And Freud as Thomas states â€Å"Conrad’s narrative [of] Africa eludes all attempts of the Western mind-especially a male mind – to underst and it†. However Thomas points out the problem of simply accepting this reading denying the encounter with â€Å"the other† the non – European, if it is reduced to a function of understanding Europe.Thomas goes back to close read and from the novel and looks at The Nigger of the â€Å"Narcisusus† to examine Conrad’s purpose. How Thomas moves beyond Miller in his analysis is by examining the â€Å"breaks and gaps† (Thomas 251) within the narrative. Miller almost alludes to the encounter of the other within Europe â€Å" the end of the Western civilization, or of Western imperialism, the reversal of idealism into savagery† (Miller 218) but goes on to show that the ironies in Marlow’s narrative is impossible to read with a clear meaning.Miller begins with Marx by using his definition of parable conversely Thomas ends with Marx in examining work and how it is â€Å"work, then, that constructs the lie of civilization† (Thomas 255). Thomas refers back to Conrad’s The Nigger of the â€Å"Narcisusus† examines a passage and draws Miller into the discussion pointing to the task of the writer to be a workman of art to provide a glimpse of truth to the man caught in labour. Work then links with Conrad’s narrative and the breaks and gaps from which Thomas suggests to draw a definitive unveiling.Thomas ends with a more radical envisioning one which allows â€Å"the other† to be represented not one suppressed in an understanding of Europe while Miller ends that his analysis of the novel has made his a witness pushing the truth further away as he adds on to the voices. As compelling as Miller’s close reading and comparison with the Bible, Thomas's extension of Miller’s discussions makes Thomas argument more convincing as he presents an additional step of not just looking into Conrad’s narrative but also the breaks in it.Reference Miller, J. Hillis. â€Å"Heart of Da rkness Revisited. † In Conrad Revisited: Essays for the Eighties, edited by Ross C. Murfin, pp. 31-50. University: The University of Alabama Press, 1985. Thomas, Brook â€Å"Preserving and Keeping Order by Killing Time in Heart of Darkness. † In Conrad Revisited: Essays for the Eighties, edited by Ross C. Murfin, pp. 31-50. University: The University of Alabama Press, 1985.

Plato and Nietzsche on Authority Essay

Nietzsche and Plato have many similarities in their discussion of political philosophy. Both dislike and hold contempt for democracy, and both favour a meritocratically chosen elite holding authority. There are even many similarities between the characteristics that they require in the group. However, there are differences too. Nietzsche doesn’t outline a strict theory of authority, as Plato does. His governmental ‘system’, although it hardly is, could be interpreted, and has been, in many different ways. And, although both of them think that they have justified their authority, there have been several discussions on to whether they are, and in what society they would be relevant. These discussions are perhaps at the core of finding the key differences and usable elements of their philosophies. The notion of authority can be discussed in two main senses. For one, it can be used to discuss a person or group’s right to rule. The other is when you talk of someone being an authority on a topic. Both of these involve the subordination of personal judgement to that of another and most political theorists would consider this subordination to be binding. One of the main problems is if you should surrender your own personal judgement independent of the content of the authority’s ideas – both Nietzsche and Plato would say that one should, as their leaders are both an authority on a topic and have the right to rule. When authority comes from knowledge, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the authority has power, for example as in a teacher trying to control a class at a school. However, in politics, an effective authority must be allied to power. If the authority is recognised, then it is de facto authority. If it is justified, then it is de jure authority, and most de facto authorities claim that they are both de facto and de jure. Plato and Nietzsche both argue for a de facto authority (sensibly – who wants to impose an authority that is ignored?) and they both outline what they believe to be justification for this authority. This justification is at the centre of much of political philosophy, as it is important to discover if the justification works. Authority differs, therefore, from justified power, as justified power in itself does not involve subordination of judgement – if they’re not recognised, then they cannot require that people follow their rule. Legitimacy is also an issue. In a democratic state, electoral fraud would lead to a leader being illegitimate: there is also no guaranteed way to prevent electoral fraud. However, as Nietzsche and Plato are both anti-democracy, illegitimacy this way would obviously be an issue. However, if either of their desired leaders were to ‘seize power’ (either by force or just accidentally falling into power), there would be definite issues with people who didn’t believe their justification. In this case, their authority could be considered illegitimate. Plato, especially in Republic, gives epistemology and metaphysics substantial roles in political philosophy. In Plato’s ideally just city, philosophers would gain power, or, at the very least, rulers would have to engage ‘sincerely and adequately’ in philosophy. Plato also suggests a rigorous training program for his philosopher-kings – they must have their emotions properly trained. Would this lack of emotion make for a good authority? Many would say that you cannot be emotional about your leadership because then your judgement would be swayed by too many subjective factors. However, the thought of a leader without emotion is particularly daunting – how would they know what would affect the population, and more importantly how? Emotions are an important part of human life, and a great leader would have to understand (and this would usually be best understood by feeling the emotions oneself) human life to be effective. Plato argues that this would co me from knowledge of the Forms, the perfect example of something – there is one for every notion that exists on earth. The Form of tables, the Form of emotions, or even the Form of drinks are all said to exist. The meticulous training includes imparting knowledge about these forms and prepares the mind for this abstract thought by rigorously training the rulers in mathematics. The philosopher’s knowledge of the Forms would include knowledge of the Form of Good, which is the ‘keystone of the system’, and therefore is essential for order. If one takes the Forms to be a true (or even just realistic) idea then it is sensible for a leader to understand what the true notion of good is. If one knows ‘good’ then one can use this mould to create a ‘good system’, which is surely more reliable than basing it on subjective ideas. The Forms are like a religion, which makes Plato’s system almost a theocracy (unlike the authority of Nietzsche) – and this has been implemented as a political system before. In the past, however, people have become dissatisfied with the religion that they are ‘forced’ to agree with. Atheism is becoming more and more accepted than before, as many new scientific discoveries render God less and less plausible, and as Nietzsche would put it, less useful as a concept. All this taken into account means that knowledge of the Forms probably wouldn’t be useful for an authority (especially in a modern era), but it is not necessarily a bad idea for an authority figure to be well versed in philosophy. Philosophy introduces abstract thought (like Plato suggested) and calls for knowledge in logic. Abstract thought is useful when trying to find theories that fit with the real world – where would physics and chemistry be without abstract thought concerning the atom? Another key question on the subject of religion was raised by Nietzsche. Is there anything that can be taken from religion, even if one wasn’t to be imposing religion onto a state, as Plato does? Nietzsche believes that, although religion in itself is too dogmatic and God is useless as a concept, the passion behind religion is admirable, and would be one of the key characteristics of his ‘new philosophers’. Nietzsche’s ‘new philosopher’, as opposed to the more traditional concept of Plato, would be more like a contemporary artist than a contemporary philosopher. They would not even necessarily be searching for the truth. These ‘new philosophers’ are the Ubermensch – and coupled with this ‘think outside the box’ attitude, they have a strong Will to Power, which makes them the perfect leader. They crave solitude, when independence is not necessary or normally preferred, which Nietzsche says is an example of exercising the will to power over oneself – he also calls it a ‘privilege of the strong’. Plato agrees, and says that the ‘philosopher follows truth alone’. These new philosopher ‘overmen’ don’t follow the rules that are currently put in place by Christianity and ‘slave morality’ like ‘self-sacrifice for one’s neighbour’ and ‘self-denial’. Similarly to Plato’s philosopher kings, these Ubermensch/new philosophers are uncommitted to anyone or anything, and they are not afraid to break the boundaries currently put in place by political authorities. ————————————————————————————————————- Of course, these philosophers that are in power must be significantly different from those that we call ‘philosophers’ today. Nietzsche says that ‘every great philosophy so far has been just the personal confession of its author’ – meaning that philosophy is subjective and just based and what you want to believe and think. Here, social class, education, religion, parents and friends all play a part in what you write down as your philosophy. As previously mentioned, Nietzsche wants to use people who a free thinkers, someone that yearns to be ‘set free from the crowd’. Plato agrees when Adeimantus says that ‘people who study philosophy too long become weird, roguish creatures, useless to society’ – philosophers aren’t currently as useful to politics as they should be, according to both theories of authority. There are other examples of when a more metaphysical concept has been implemented by an authority. Religious people often hold God (rather than the Forms or the free thinkers of Nietzsche) as the ultimate authority, and although we have discussed briefly the problems with making this the law of a state (as in theocracy), this religious politics may not be a bad idea. For example, if those with authority look to God for advice on political matters, it gives them a chance to think about and ‘receive information’ (either from God, or simply thinking it through in prayer, or even through the morals in religious scripture – this needn’t be a discussion of religious philosophy) about what may be the better decision. Obviously, if we take the Forms to be incorrect (as most people do), then God would be the ultimate good, which means that those that ‘understand God’ would have to hold the power, rather than philosophers. Of course, there has to be a line drawn between looking to God (or another spiritual being) for advice and forcing views on other people. Plato would argue that the people don’t know what is good for them, and so should trust whatever the authority says, but this isn’t a realistic idea for people of today, who have fought for free speech for centuries. Nietzsche would both agree and disagree with this. He would agree in that the Ubermensch are the only ones that can be truly rulers, and that the vast majority of people don’t know what’s good for them. However, he wouldn’t necessarily say that this was a bad thing, as if slaves are happy being slaves, then they have less of the Will to Power and therefore do (in a sense) know what’s good for themselves personally. Of course, even if we convert Plato’s theory on Authority to be based around any religious ideals then it is still an argument against democracy in that if an Authority must have something to be a ‘good’ ruler, there is no point in asking the untrained masses to vote for a ‘good’ ruler. They wouldn’t, presumably, be able to understand the Forms, or God, sufficiently enough to choose an Authority (or even understand that there could be an Authority) that would do the job to Plato’s standards. Another Plato’s philosopher kings rely on their knowledge of the Forms to provide their moral code, which is then implemented upon the Republic. The Form of the Good provides the perfect moral code upon which to base the real (material) moral code. This is one of the main reasons why Plato requires his rulers to have philosophical knowledge – they need to know the moral code upon which to base their own. Nietzsche, on the other hand, believes that everything is subjective, based on experience and opinion of the individual. This means that his philosopher supermen don’t need to implement a moral code; their only morals are the will to power. Even if this seems like a good idea within the context of Plato’s Republic, this Authority wouldn’t make sense in today’s politics. For example, there are many various types of religion, and within those religions, thousands of sub-sets. This means that, even without using the Forms, that this theocracy idea couldn’t be imposed without some force (the implications of which will be discussed later). Secondly, using one type of morality based on dogmatic principles wouldn’t hold sway for a similar reason – there would be complaints (or even uprisings) about the lack of freedoms this gives. These are practical reasons for the change not to take place. However, there are implications even if this were to be used in an ideal society (where all good ideas based upon an interchangeable ultimate value would be easily implemented with consequences). It’s not ideal, from many viewpoints, to force everyone to hold the same viewpoint (although Plato would argue that there is only one true viewpoint) and Nietzsche’s subjectivism would agree. Human nature would be indulged in an ideal world, if happiness was the ultimate value, and this calls for freedom to be a central concept of any Authority. Freedom to vote, to those in the UK, seems to be a basic human right with few restrictions. This means that democracy would seem to be part of an ideal society in pursuit of happiness. There are good reasons for this – we all have subjective opinions (as Nietzsche rightly said) and these need to be reflected in the way we are governed by an authority. For example, in most other situations, we would consult someone who we believe to be an ‘authority’ on a subject. If we are ill, we talk to a doctor. If we want to dine out, we will consult a restaurant critic. Therefore, it seems sensible to leave governmental decisions to those with political knowledge. However, the teaching of medicine is universally taught in a similar (if not identical) way – there is little room for a subjective opinion. The more subjective something is, the less we can trust it. The restaurant critic, for example, will sway our views either way, but it probably won’t be the final judgment. The reason it will still sway us is that there is still ‘good’ and ‘bad’ food. Politics, however, is different. Everything in politics is completely dependant on moral views, upbringing, teaching, the media and even the way your brain works. We cannot trust teachers of politics to be completely impartial when teaching the political theories. Teachers of religious studies are usually biased towards Christianity in this country, and politics teachers would probably be the same. People wouldn’t be happy with simply ‘going along with’ what the politicians say – that’s why people have died for democracy. Everyone has different views, and democracy is the best way to incorporate all (or most) of these when creating a government. There is, however, a problem with the amount of democracy to allow. The current system in the United Kingdom is for people to vote in a representative that they trust to make similar decisions to those that they would choose. Of course, the representative cannot be trusted to have exactly the same views, and therefore, should the vote be more open? If people were allowed to vote on any topic that interests them, what would happen? The government may be forced to ban petrol cars. The main question is, is it really democratic once elected? The system in the UK is not fully democratic. Plato would argue that the only way for a government to make truly ‘right’ decisions (and therefore decisions that the public would have to agree with – there’s nothing to disagree with if something is ‘right) is for them to know ‘good’ – be trained in abstract thought and philosophy. So democracy, to be worthwhile, perhaps needs to be more democratic, or Plato and Nietzsche have the right idea. Jeremy Bentham famously associated utilitarianism with democracy – he believed that one vote per person would lead the ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’. This is because human nature naturally tends to lead us towards pleasure, as opposed to pain. And, because everyone has this same desire towards pleasure, democracy would effectively allow all of us to vote for pleasure, so to speak. This seems like a more feasible idea than relying on someone who, although in theory ‘doesn’t have personal interests’, probably would be biased. Humans do tend to avoid pain, so an open vote would lead us away from pain. Change Nietzsche quotes on asceticism! Another important feature that both Nietzsche and Plato mention in their political philosophy is asceticism. Nietzsche mentions that the tests of self-deprivation that (Christians mostly) pervade Western society are bad – â€Å"wherever religious neurosis has appeared on earth, we find it tied up with three dangerous dietary rules: isolation, fasting, and sexual abstinence†. However, further on in Beyond Good and Evil, he seemingly changes his mind. He advocates â€Å"appropriating, injuring, overpowering those who are foreign and weaker; oppression, harshness, forcing one’s own forms on others, incorporation, and at the very least, at the very mildest, exploitation† which would surely induce suffering, especially when considered with a modern mind. He then goes on to say in 270 that â€Å"Profound suffering ennobles; it separates.† Even earlier on, in 40, he says that â€Å"everything deep loves a mask† – surely a sign of internal suf fering is being hidden? Presumably, ‘deep’ is a good thing, as his description of his ‘new philosophers’ necessitates that they are ‘deep’ creatures. Plato, on the other hand, consistently advocates an ascetic lifestyle, especially when he is discussing his people in authority. They do not care for pleasures of this world: those of body or money. We can apply the same thoughts to asceticism as we can to Plato’s philosopher without emotion. If a leader doesn’t care for pleasures of this world, then surely they cannot truly understand the pleasures of this world – whether they are philosophers or not. If the authority was supposed to be similar to a Christian God, then it would be omnipotent, and therefore know and understand everything a priori. However, neither Plato nor Nietzsche advocates a Christian God as the best authority – and neither of them suggests that the leader would be omnipotent. Therefore, it would make sense to disagree with asceticism on the grounds that it would cause the perfect leader to have a lack of understanding about typical human pleasures. It will be evident by now that Nietzsche (and Plato, to an extent) advocates an oligarchy (albeit meritocratic) – both place small groups of people in charge of the general public. They both have similar attitudes towards democracy, as well. Plato dismisses democracy – he thinks that ‘liberty’ (557b) and equality (558c) lead to a break down of all the essential characteristics of a philosopher-king. Evidently the very existence of a ruling class of philosopher kings is controversial to the central themes of democracy. ‘liberty’ leads to a lack of self-discipline. He doesn’t believe in ‘equality’ as some humans are superior. Nietzsche has a similar idea – he mentions that â€Å"Every enhancement in the type â€Å"man† up to this point has been the work of an aristocratic society†, which shows that he believes that an ‘aristocratic’ society will further man’s development. Although Plato seems to advocate a meritocratic oligarchy (although he wouldn’t admit it), he doesn’t recommend that his republic be based around money (also known as a plutocracy) where a small group of rich people, similar to an aristocracy, rule the lower classes. This would lead to an economic inequality between classes, which would create an environment which leads to and breeds beggars and thieves. It could also lead to a revolution between the rich and the poor. Another argument against plutocracies occurs in chapter VIII, Socrates says that wealth doesn’t allow a pilot to navigate a ship, so wealth wouldn’t allow an authority to rule a republic. Money seems to be a key problem with many theories of authority. It is often said that money corrupts people, so it could be argued that in any governmental system where the authority gets paid or is chosen because of its wealth would be corrupt. However, it is not practical to impose this – most people associate power with money either subconsciously or consciously. The authority, even if chosen democratically, would want some reward for having to rule a country, and money is the usual and probably most desired reward. In ‘The Prince’, Machiavelli justified using force to gain and retain political power, and it, therefore, justifies any actions simply done to gain power. This may, of course, have influenced Nietzsche, who also advocates gaining power by force. In 257, he mentions that every ‘noble’ (not in the typical sense) civilisation has descended from ‘barbarians’, and that any decent (and therefore aristocratic) society ‘requires slavery’. Plato agrees with this, he says that the ‘most majestic society and man’ is ‘tyranny and the tyrant’. Although there are sections in The Republic where Plato seems to advocate violence, such as 465 where he says ‘Arguments can be settled with fists, there and then, as they arise’, when he discusses his perfect State he seems to believe that it will just come into being. For example, in 502, he mentions that the only way it could come about by a philosopher ‘wiping the slate of human habits and society clean’. This could, obviously, mean the annihilation of the human race, but it seems to mean just cleansing the mind of incorrect ideas. He then acknowledges that putting it ‘into practice would be difficult’ – which it wouldn’t, if they just forced people into obeying, which makes it seem like he hopes that one day, it will happen, but he is not going to force it. More examples of this anti-force opinion occur when he is discussing the types of government that he is against – timarchy, oligarchy, democracy and tyranny. He explains that oligarchy and tyranny can only come about by using force – ‘private wealth’ means that people feel that they have the right to ‘keep the populace down by force’. Democracy, he believes, causes excessive liberty, which then causes its own downfall. From this comes a tyrant, who ‘is not afraid of murder’ and ‘stirs up war’. Another point he makes is that ‘it is simply never right to harm anyone at any time’ – which obviously is a specific way of showing his feelings on violence and this would apply to taking a country or state by force. Of course, this helps to illustrate a key difference between power and authority. For example, we all have in us the physical strength to murder (although, obviously, we don’t usually have the mental state to want to do it) and this is power in one sense – just like a dictator killing thousands of people because he can. However, an authority differs from this in that it would be classed as capital punishment. So what is the difference? Why does an authority have the right and others do not? If an authority is de jure (with justification) – although it may be difficult for some to think when murder would be justified – then all its actions could be seen as justified by proxy, as if an authority is justified, the decisions they make would be somehow related to the reason they are in power. For example, Plato justifies his philosopher-kings by saying that they are the only ones who can have true knowledge of the forms, and, if this is true, then they know the Form of Good. So, if they murdered someone, then it would be based upon something they’ve seen in the innate Form of Good. The balance between freedom and authority comes into question when discussing issues like the above. Even though the authority may be justified on its own terms, it may not be necessarily right. Using Plato as an example again, the theory of the Forms is now commonly thought to be incorrect, and people wouldn’t accept that as a reason to allow capital punishment. Even if there was a truly irrefutable source of justification, people will always have differing views, especially on such an important topic. So how does an authority find the perfect balance between power and authority? Authoritarianism is a social theory popular with dictators and the like. It supports, at the totalitarian end of the spectrum, the total subjection of personal opinions (usually through oppression) and enforcing strict control upon those that live in the state. It often involves what many political philosophies would see as an erosion of civil rights and freedoms – lack of a private life and suppression of religious beliefs, for example. Obviously, there are differing degrees of authoritarianism and even the most democratic and liberal state must exercise its authority upon those within the state, but finding the right balance is important. Both Nietzsche and Plato advocate the subordination of those under the command of the philosophers, which means that their theories would be less easily accepted today than they would have been in the past. As previously mentioned, people have fought (and still are, particularly from the 20th century until today) for their civil rights and this includes their freedom, which means that an authoritarian government, like those advocated by Nietzsche and Plato, would be more difficult to impose today than ever before. This calls into question obedience to the state. The more democratic the state, the more free speech and dissent is usually allowed. However, as neither Plato nor Nietzsche advocate democracy, it is required to understand when disobedience would be allowed. Of course, both would say that their state would be obedient at all times, but this is unrealistic. In a theocracy, the state executes the law of God. In Plato, God can be easily exchanged for ‘The Forms’. However, what would happen if people were to disagree with Plato’s theory, as many do? Would they be justified in breaking the law of something that they don’t believe in? A true authority would mean that the law would either be unbreakable morally or that their authority was so powerful that people could not, or would not, break the law. However, as has been seen, it is difficult to see where Plato or Nietzsche’s arguments would lead to such an authority. Although disobedience of the law is obviously illegal, sometimes mass disobedience, in the UK at least, can lead to a change of law. Plato would disagree that this is even possible. If duty to the State is accepted, it is still possible to find examples when the law can be disobeyed. As the duty of the state is to protect the people (and, for my example, this includes their freedom), state infringement of this freedom could cause the person involve to break the law to retrieve their liberty. Another issue arises (in the case of democratic government and perhaps in Nietzsche’s subjective government) in that if the majority part enforces a law, should the minority who didn’t vote be forced to follow it? It wasn’t their choice for that law to be enforced. Of course, with major things that infringe on human rights, like murder and domestic violence, should be universally enforced, but what about poll tax and property protection? If it was enforced by a government of authority that imposed itself, this could be an issue in that it is unfair to enforce laws that almost all of the population disagree with. In some cases, it could be considered immoral, but Plato would disagree, as the Rulers are following the only moral code that exists. Plato’s philosopher kings rely on their knowledge of the Forms to provide their moral code, which is then implemented upon the republic. The Form of the Good provides the perfect moral code upon which to base the real (material) moral code. This is one of the main reasons why Plato requires his rulers to have philosophical knowledge – they need to know the moral code upon which to base their own. Nietzsche, however, believes that everything is subjective, based on experience and opinion of the individual. This means that his philosopher supermen don’t need to implement a moral code; as previously mentioned, their only moral is the will to power. Nietzsche never specifically argues for a government system like we have today. For example, he mentions that his free spirits should be in power, but also says that religion should be allowed for the common people. This shows, slightly patronisingly, that he is not expecting the ‘common’ people to understand the rulers (much like the lower classes today are note expected to understand politics) which is obviously a very sweeping judgement, and could be considered as harsh and pro-Big Brighter – in support of a tyrannical state. Although Nietzsche did support tyrant, he did appreciate the subjectivism of morals and opinion, and was not advocating forcing ones views upon others (unlike Hitler). His lack of respect for democracy is not the only thing that calls into question modern government. He doesn’t even specify if there should be a (totalitarian?) leader at all, merely that the free spirits would ‘hold power’ as such. His appreciation of subjectivity means that a leader would not strictly work: all views are different, so no leader would be truly right. The free spirit seems merely to be an authority to show others with the will to power what they can achieve. Conclusion Both of these systems involve elements of the totalitarian about them. Plato seems to advocate both communism in monetary matters and lifestyle and the complete opposite when it comes to defining differences between peoples. He argues strongly for different classes of people, like Nietzsche, and for an authority that is placed in power with no choice. It’s not as bad as it seems, if one agrees with the justification of the argument – however, it would be a long struggle for people to accept it. Nietzsche, on the other hand, has often been blamed for inspiring Hitler (which is untrue, as Nietzsche despised racism and anti-Semitism), and it is easy to see why, as he advocates gaining authority by force, relishes in aristocratic barbarianism, and believes that there are ‘levels of people’. This means that their theories on authority aren’t very practical, and neither de jure or de facto, particularly by modern standards. A preferable system, therefore, would be a mix of Plato’s equality for women, Nietzsche’s appreciation for the artistic nature, and †¦ (include other philosophers). Of course, it’s unforeseeable to be able to find a perfect authority, one who is justified, true, moral and recognised. As Nietzsche said, all philosophy to date has been ‘personal confession’ – if this is true (which it seems likely to be), then there will never be a perfect authority, justified and recognised by all.

Economics canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economics canada - Essay Example (Publishing OECD publishing, 2008 p39) The economy of Canada managed to overcome various obstacles that deter a steady growth in the economy as per the Canadian Economic observer. Most of the funds were earned courtesy of resources. This economy was able to absorb such shocks like those caused by the declining US economy as well as the credit crunch rocking the whole globe. Products from the Agricultural sector realised their biggest increases in the year 2007. While numerous prices in the financial markets and the commodity markets as well were swiveling for over one year, real economic growth especially in the employment and output fronts were all time most steady. As per the statistics the real GDP growth was; 3.1%, 3.1%, 2.8% and 2.7% for the years 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively. This growth in GDP is the most stable over four years since 1961. In comparison to the US, Canada’s real GDP growth was 2.7% in the year 2007 while that of US was 2.2%. For the first time in the last decade such a surpassing growth has been witnessed between Canada and US, in favor of the latter. (statcan.gc.ca, 2008) The Canadian conservative government, on its website, says that its legacy has been one of achievements. It has been striving towards achieving a Canada where citizens and their families would have an affordable life. The period of economic turmoil has had the government approaching its long-term goals with various economic weapons. Among the economic policies set by the government is the balancing of major tax cuts coupled with a disciplined reduction in debt, prudent government expenditures and a focused spending. Based on such policies, taxes have declined, disposable income available for households has escalated and thus, citizens have more income to save. To make the process of saving for its nationals easy, the conservative

Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Risk Management - Essay Example ...... 6 Step Seven – Policies †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..... 7 References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 The Fukushima Disaster: Lessons in Risk Management I. Introduction The Fukushima disaster is probably one of the most terrifying nuclear disasters in recent memory. Before March 2011, it was almost unimaginable for Japan to be on the threshold of a potential nuclear disaster. The nuclear disaster was, in fact, the result of another—equally horrific—disaster, the infamous tsunami that killed ‘tens of thousands of people’ (McCoy 2011). The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2011) found that around 25,000 people were dead or missing as a result of the tsunami disaster, which began on 11 March, 2011, 14:46, Japan standard time. Figure 1. Nuclear Plants in Japan, including Fukushima Source: U.S. NRC 2011, p. 7 Ronald McCoy is one of the first researchers to document the Fukushima disaster. According to McCoy (2011), Japan experienced several disasters in March 2011, beginning with the ‘record-breaking’ earthquake that occurred, measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale (p. 41). The earthquake and aftershocks that took place northeast of Honshu Island triggered a ten-metre tsunami that killed more than ten thousand people. ... According to McCoy, when the earthquake occurred, the six nuclear plants at Fukushima, which were owned by Tokyo Elect Power, were shut down automatically. The earthquakes ‘knocked-oun the power grids, forcing operators to fall back on diesel generators’ (McCoy 2011, p. 4X). However, the plants still needed access to power to ensure that the coolants, which are essential for cooling the ‘hot reactor cores of the radioactive uranium and plutonium power rods’, remained flowing. However, ‘the tsunamis swept in, knocked out the generators and cut off power’ (McCoy 2011, p. 41). As a result, four out of the six plants immediately overheated. Finally, an ‘explosion damaged fuel rods and the integrity of the primary containment structure’ and, as a result, radiation was released (p. 41). This essay analyses the risks involved using the 7-steps risk management cycle, which is described in the diagram below. II. Risk Identification (Step 1) Ionising radiations from nuclear power plants ‘can damage DNA, causing cancer and inherited mutations’ (McCoy 2011, p. 41). The risk of mutation and cancer is proportional to exposure to radiation (p. 42). In addition, ‘radiation [can] kill and injure thousands’ and ‘contaminate and render uninhabitable large tracts of land’ (p. 42). Unfortunately, the Fukushima nuclear accident happened because the plant had been designed on the basis of incorrect assumptions about the risks of the region (McCoy 2011, p. 42), in particular, that earthquakes greater than 7.9 on the Richter scale, and tsunamis higher than 6.7 metres were improbable. According to Takashi Shoji (2011, Slide 10),

Online Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Online Education - Essay Example The use of pen and pencil can be dated back to the Roman Empire. However with the developing pace the traditional means of attaining education are changing. The introduction of information technology has brought forward a new way of learning through the internet. E-learning is the new form of education introduced by IT which helps people to attain knowledge through the use of their computers. A portal is introduced by the use of information technology which the students are able to access and give their tests. However this new technology also brings with it other ethical issues of plagiarism and social contact. Online education is an inadequate alternative for traditional, classroom-based teaching for several reasons: there is no interactive communication between the student and the instructor, potential employer do not value online course work, class offering are limited, instructor feedback to the student might be delayed for days, and group projects are nonexistent. Discussion Wit h the advent of modern technology, a forceful impact of this technology has been observed in nearly all walks of modern day life. With the increasing access to these facilities, the lives of modern day human beings have changed so dramatically that in many cases a reversal towards the old ways of life seems apparently impossible. Similar is the case with the process of our education. The concept of e-learning has modified our learning modes and behaviors to a much greater extent. It has been seen that the use of pen and pencils has been prevalent in our society since the early days but this concept is gradually being changed with the introduction of e-learning. E-Learning is a type of education which helps the students to learn with the help of internet and computer. Individuals can access internet and enrol into courses through which they can gain knowledge. The ease of access to educational resources has improved the overall learning environment, while at the same time, there are a number of ethical, social and professional issues that have emerged in parallel with the emerging e-learning facilities as we shall discuss in the following lines (Alan 2007; Rosenberg 2001). The e-learning approach draws the burden on both students and teachers to create a learning environment where diversified student population feel comfortable and relaxed. The language, cultural and social differences should not pose as a hurdle in the learning process of the diversified students’ list. Since e-learning environment provides a virtual classroom environment, it becomes difficult to judge the confidence level, practical working abilities and enhancing practical knowledge of the students. It, thus, becomes an important factor to be analyzed while opting for this kind of education. E-learning affects the learning pace of students as it provides virtual classroom environment which is less effective for a number of educational areas. The areas that require face-to-face interac tion and on-campus practical demonstrations involve nursing, psychology etc. Hence such professional issues involving those related to the reliability of the infrastructure of the e-learning environment, access to the e-learning tools and the learning curve which is essential to be achieved by proper coordination between teachers and students must be considered while choosing e-learning software or education system (Billings, 2002 p 5). The importance and effectiveness of social interactions, virtual conduct and social support using e-learning courses have been discussed by a number of researchers in great depth (Gunawardena, 1995). Of these researches, mostly were determined to check the credibility of social learning theory on web based learning environm

Applied communication ,on MOOCS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Applied communication ,on MOOCS - Essay Example In order to learn and earn a certification in a certain field, the MOOCs exempts the learners of many costs in terms of fare that they need to have so that they can get to centres of learning. This reduces the cost of services the students have to pay to access education because they do not have to pay for any movements to any place. This happens because the mode of provision of services, online delivery of services, enable the students to access the learning materials from any place in the world as far as there is availability of internet. Comparing the cost of the internet that a students pay for and that of the travel that they can pay on travelling to the college or renting an accommodation facility, the former is very low than the latter. This means that the cost of education through MOOCs for students (Bowen, 2013). When a person enrols in a course program in MOOCs, he or she does not have to concentrate on buying expensive reading materials. This is because through the online system of learning the students are able to access many online reading materials that a person needs so that he or she can achieve the goals of his or her course. This means that a student will not incur the cost of buying books from the market, which would increase the cost of education. The cost of buying stationeries is exempted because a student can make notes on the computer in which he or she uses therefore, avoid the cost books and pens. This means that this learning method is less costly as compared to other methods of learning where students have to have pens and other writing materials that cost them a lot of money (Archibald & Feldman, 2011). In delivery of services, the students do not have to go to classes, which would increase the demand for money by the institution that offers the learning and therefore, increase the cost. Also, there are few lecturers that

Economic Indicators Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Economic Indicators Paper - Essay Example forms at a level below full employment then monetary and fiscal policy renders a positive impact by increasing employment rather than simply causing inflation or directing the resources towards inefficient use in order to create jobs. Th paper studies the automobile industry with the help of the six economic indicators – real GDP, Unemployment rate, Inflation rate measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), Auto Sales, Foreign Exchange Rate and Oil and Fuel Prices. The study focusses essentially on the inflation rate which in turn affects the other indicators as well as the industry and a whole. Real GDP: This is the measure of the total output produced during a specific time period within a certain territory. This is measured at constant prices in order to adjust for the inflation rate. This helps in estimaitng the size of the economy with ajdustment in prices and inflation rates. Unemployment rate: We consider the status of unemployment for a particular individual when he or she is eager to work but is without work. The percentage of the potential labor force who are unemployment is estimated as the unemployment rate. Unemployment is often related to the recessionary phase of an economy or a business cycle. As production falls during recession, in order to cut he cost, labour is retrenched and a sudden unemployment might arise. Inflation rate: This refers to the rate of increase in a certain price index. Usually Consumer Price Index is used to reflect inflation. This is defined as the percentage change in price. level over a certain time period. Conversely, inflation rate is also the decrease in purchasing power of money. With increase in prices purchasing power falls, money supply in the economy rises while the supply or production falls. The automobile industry played an important role in the 1920s when the US economy grew at an accelerated rate creating more and more jobs and income. In the late 1980s, with the increase in competition with the foreign

Holy Orders Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Holy Orders - Research Paper Example According to the Catholic Church, Christ instituted some of the Seven Sacraments during his ministry. The evidence of these seven sacraments is written and oral both in the tradition, to which the Catholics refer to as the deposits of faith. In addition, the use and presence of all the seven sacraments in the early years of the church are both, documented and present in writings of the Church fathers and as well as the Christian historians. Christ believed that these sacraments were instituted so that the human beings could see a sign of the spiritual effect that they often wish to receive. It was Christ’s way of showing that the spiritual reality is transpired1. Episcopates or bishops are those individuals that are chosen in the Catholic Churches from among the priests. As in the Eastern Catholic Churches married priests are permitted, bishops should be the ones who are widowers, unmarried or those who agree to have no sexual contact with their wives. At times a common miscon ception is seen in all the bishops that they come from the religious orders. This cannot be taken as the absolute reality while it is partially true. The bishops in the Catholic churches should usually be the leaders of the territorial units that are called dioceses. The bishops alone hold the validity to administer the Sacrament of Holy Orders in the churches. Moreover, only bishops are lawfully allowed to administer the sacrament of confirmation in the Catholic churches. In case an ordinary priest administers the sacrament illegally, it is considered to be valid in the condition so that the person who is confirmed may not be confirmed again either by a bishop or by any other. Special permission can be given to the Latin rite priests who have special permission to lawfully administer confirmation. In fact every Catholic priest must administer confirmation with or without confirmation to the children who are in danger of death. In the Eastern Catholic Churches, the confirmation is a dministered by priests who have the rite and this is usually administered to both babies and adults immediately after their baptism2. The ordained priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church and the common priesthood are different and operate in different functions and essence. The Catholic priesthood is the ministerial priesthood of the Catholic priests and bishops. This ministerial priesthood is however, servicing at the priesthood of all believers. This involves the direct consecration of a man towards Christ with the sacrament of orders. This is so that the person can act as the person of Christ to be for the sake of the Christian faithful in being able to dispense the sacraments. In the long history, it was understood that this begun at the Last Supper when Jesus Christ was seen instituting the Eucharist in the mighty presence of all the Twelve Apostles. Christ had commanded them to do it in his memory. However, the Catholic priesthood is considered to be a share of the priesthood of Christ and it traces its origins seen in the history to the historic appointment of the Twelve Apostles by Jesus Christ. What makes someone a priest is that he should already be a deacon and a minister of the Holy Orders being an ordained bishop? This is the Rite of Ordination. The duties of the Catholic priests would be divided into three main parts; these include the

Penn State University Application Essay Example for Free

Penn State University Application Essay Ever since middle school, I was already interested in hotel management. I am always fascinated with the way things were done so arduously by the hotel officers and staff, yet they still managed to look so amazingly fresh and attractive for the guests. I have had a very good grade in my hotel management subject during high school and an award for excellence too. Being so inspired to pursue what I have always wanted, I took a year internship at Holiday Inn and passed it with flying colors. After my internship, the AmeriSuite employed me for six months and I moved to a bigger hotel afterwards. I have given a lot of effort in improving my English skills because I believe that hotel management requires more than just interpersonal skills, it requires good communication skills even more. I work at the Washington Dulles Marriott Suite for 2 years now and I enjoy it so much. I am assigned to oversee the front desk, manage the reservation department, and of course, be of service to the hotel guests at all times. I have received awards and recognition for the diligence, dedication and effort that I give to my job. I see to it that my guests feel at home, relaxed, comfortable and happy at the hotel and its crew. At the end of the day, I feel proud of being able to put smiles on the faces of my guests. This work has taught me many things in life: responsibility, management of time and money and diligence. Given an opportunity to be accepted in your prestigious university, I am confident that my optimism, work ethics, background, and experience will benefit not just myself, but also the other students that I may interact with at Penn State University. I have proven to myself that I can adapt to any difficult situation. I know that there is no challenge too difficult that even hard work cannot overcome. I look forward to being part of Penn State University and begin the next level of my academic pursuit.

Fauji Fertilizer Company Ffc Background Management Essay

Fauji Fertilizer Company Ffc Background Management Essay In 2002, FFC acquired ex Pak Saudi Fertilizers Limited Urea Plant, situated at Mirpur Mathelo. This acquisition, worth PKR 8,151 million, is one of the largest industrial sector transactions in Pakistan to date. Today, FFC has three plants with a combined capacity of 5,770 MTPD of prilled urea. It is one of the thirty biggest companies of Pakistan, represented via the KSE-30.2 Along with being one of the largest urea producers in the country, FFC is involved in training manpower and providing turnaround services within Pakistan and in the Middle East. A timeline of the evolution of FFC ensues.3 1978: Incorporation of the Company. 1982: Commissioning of Plant I, Goth Machhi with annual capacity of 570 thousand tonnes. 1991: Listed with Karachi and Lahore Stock Exchanges. 1992: Through the De-Bottle Necking (DBN) programme, the production capacity of Plant I was increased to 695 thousand tonnes per year. 1992: Listed with Islamabad Stock Exchange. 1993: Commissioning of Plant II, Goth Machhi with annual capacity of 635 thousand tonnes of Urea. 1993: Initial investment in Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Limited, a DAP and Urea manufacturing concern; currently stands at Rs 4.75 billion representing 50.88% equity share. 1997: With achievement of Quality Management System certification in Goth Machhi, FFC became the first fertilizer plant in Pakistan to achieve this distinction. 2002: FFC acquired ex Pak Saudi Fertilizers Limited (PSFL) Urea Plant situated in Mirpur Mathelo (Plant III) with annual capacity of 574 thousand tonnes of urea, which was the largest industrial sector transaction in Pakistan at that time. 2003: FFC obtained certification of Occupational Health Safety Assessment Series, OHSAS-18001:1999. 2004: With investment in Pakistan Maroc Phosphore, Morocco S.A. of Rs 706 million, FFC has equity participation of 12.5% in PMP. 2008: Investment of Rs 1.5 billion in Fauji Cement Company Limited, currently representing 6.79% equity participation. 2008: DBN of Plant III was executed and commissioned successfully for enhancement of capacity to 718 thousand tonnes annually. 2010: Investment in FFC Energy Limited, Pakistans first wind power electricity generation project. 2011: SAP ERP implemented in the Company, improving business processes by reducing time lags and duplication of work. Vision Pakistan is a burgeoning market, not just in terms of head count, but also in advancement in the way agri-business is now carried out. Gone are the days of antiquated fertilizers, instead, only the best is now sought. FFC foresees this market to be extremely lucrative. It wants customers to benefit from its palette of product offerings, both domestic and outside the home country. It seeks to be thought of as not just the best there is, but also as a conscientious and caring company. FFC aims to be positioned as a very well-rounded organization in the minds of all its stakeholders, whether external or internal. Its value chain has quality at its core. It strives to be successful via total integration of streamlined processes, incomparable products, driven and motivated workforce, and extraordinary service, all the while staying ahead of the competition and continuously scanning the market. Corporate Strategy Our flexible and dynamic corporate strategy strives for enhancing customer satisfaction by adding value over the long run. We aim at creating value for the stakeholders by maintaining and improving our competitive position in the market. This is achieved by focusing on our sustainable competitive advantage that is derived by continuously assembling and exploiting an appropriate combination of resources and capabilities in response to the changing market conditions. Our organizational culture is one of our most fundamental competitive advantages. We have built and preserved an innovation-adept culture, a culture that promotes transparency and accountability through honesty, integrity and diligence in our dealing with employees, customers, financial market, government, regulatory authorities, and all the other stakeholders. Diversification in business line is also being considered. Our unique corporate strategy gets aligned with the resource allocation system and flows down to the oper ational levels, thus ensuring its implementation at all levels along with the achievement of the intended results.6 FFC focuses on value addition. This means that everyone at the company tries to make each subsequent year better than the previous one. This enhances the value creation process. For this, the corporate strategy is characterised by flexibility and innovation, which are also the core components of the culture of the organization. FFC prides itself on having been able to develop a culture which is innovative, transparent, and honest. Innovation allows FFC to be able to anticipate and prepare for change, by aligning its internal strengths with the external opportunities. Transparency enables FFC to satisfy every stakeholders requisites, since nothing is swept under the rug. This promotes diligent behaviour and accountability at all levels. Honesty is a trait which is valued from the very top to the very bottom of the hierarchy at FFC. It is this particular combination of all the above that the culture is both employee centric and customer centric. The human element, be it in the form of a worker/manager or a customer, is highly valued at FFC. Therefore, while the former is kept abreast of everything that goes on in the organization, the latter is assured of premium quality product and premium quality service every single time. Organization is all about teamwork. FFC is aware of this, which is why it demands uncompromising integrity and hard work from all individuals, so that the sum is greater than the parts. There is mutual understanding, trust, and interdependence. In return, FFC has a very worker friendly environment. Commitments within the company as well as with business partners, suppliers and customers are valued and kept. FFC is founded upon the principles7 of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Honesty in communication; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Excellence in products and services; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consistency and synchronisation in words and actions; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Compassion in relationships within the micro and mega environments of the organization; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fairness to all stakeholders through adherence to laws, regulations and policies. FFCs Financial Health Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC) enjoys stable gas supply from Mari gas fields because they come under Fauji Foundations ownership. This translates into a huge competitive advantage over other fertilizer manufacturers, which are linked with the Sui-based networks. Financial highlights of FFC for the current year appear in the table below. These are for the period ended September 30, 2012.8 2012 (Rs 000) 2011 (Rs 000) Turnover 29,208,413 36,321,157 Cost of sales -22,778,306 -22,565,347 Gross Profit 6,430,107 13,755,810 Administrative Expenses -677,700 -550,247 Other Income 695,185 1,092,089 Taxation -991,876 -3,721,386 Profit after Tax 2,130,481 7,169,794 Earnings per share (Rs.) 2.28 7.68 Source: FFCs Annual Report for the Third Quarter, 2012 Revenue increased by 49% during the first half of 2012, due to high urea prices and sales of imported DAP. FFC urea sales exceeded 500,000 tons in June, which made up for declining sales in the first five months of 2012. In total, urea sales were up by 6% to 1.2 million tons in the period under review.9 Urea prices remained volatile from April to June 2012, as the GoP decided on a price slash for May, along with an announcement of reversal of Rs 50 per bag in June. This was much needed so as to be able to compete with cheaper imported fertilizer, due to government subsidy on it. FFCs urea plant underwent 30% gas curtailment last year, which was ten percent more than that decided for the plants operating on the Sui gas network. This resulted in an extended shutdown of 27 days of the urea plant, and a decline of 17% in urea production, on a YoY basis. The scenario on the DAP front was opposite to the one on the urea front. In spite of the gas curtailment, FFC managed to operate the DAP plant at a level which exceeded 2010s production level of 0.66 million tons. Due to the imposition of Gas Infrastructure and Development Surcharge (GIDS), gross profit margin was 47% during April to June 2012, a decline of 12.52 percentage points on a yearly basis. This was also exacerbated by the net reduction of Rs 100 per bag of urea during the same period. Other income was unable to support the bottom line as it declined by 15%, mainly due to lack of dividend earning from subsidiary Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Limited. Financial charges increased by 36% which can be explained by the increase in short-term borrowings. However, long-term borrowings have declined, and the Company was able to have a very healthy debt to equity ratio (19% in 2011 as compared to 49% in 2006). Debt increased due to the Companys decision to revamp its urea and DAP plants several years back. FFC has been able to repay its long-term obligations because of its sustainable revenue stream. 10 IT Vision The IT Strategy at FFC shall complement our Corporate Vision by business transformation through technology innovation, introducing best practices and connecting our processes for timely information and optimized performance to succeed in our endeavours.11 Information Systems SAP project: the implementation of SAP ERP is finally complete, with the transformation from Legacy to SAP system gone smoothly at all locations. BMS: a Building Management System (BMS) is a centralized computer based control system, linking equipment for ventilation, fire, security, power, etc. onto one platform, which enables timely and coordinated response to different facilities at the same time. Also, the integrated end-to-end system optimizes energy consumption. Electronic recruitment: FFC launched an online career portal in accordance with its HR department, and development of the portal by its IT division. All this has been done to make the recruiting process efficient, and to match individuals to jobs. SAP implementation support: IT at all locations provided support to SAP users in learning to use and adapt to SAP. This support comprised of trainings, onsite and offsite support, and troubleshooting. Technical support was also provided to help resolve outstanding issues, in alliance with functional teams at SAP Project Office. Information Security Penetration testing at branch sites: the information security department contributed hugely in that it secured its information network post SAP implementation. It assessed the potential threats which could pose a security risk towards the FFC network and/or the SAP system. Security awareness sessions at branch sites and the Head Office: the importance of information security was imparted to employees everywhere via awareness sessions. Some of the key points covered in these sessions were security risks, threat vectors, hacking trends, etc. More than 200 employees of FFC attended these sessions at their respective sites. Business Model Fauji Fertilizer Company has several important factors at the heart of its business. These have been summed up in a business model, with three components, at FFC. Growth Drivers FFCs growth is primarily driven by exponential expansion in sales revenue, powered by strong demand for our product and effective distribution network all over the country. Efficiency enhancement is our long term goal. We continuously seek opportunities to improve efficiency of our business processes to optimise costs, utilising less to produce more. Our sales are largely cash based, which gives us the margin to effectively utilise available cash resources to fulfil the Companys working capital requirements, and hence minimise external funding requirements resulting in reduced finance costs. 12 What fuels growth at FFC? The retained earnings, which are the result of ever increasing demand for fertilizer. The Company is cost effective, which allows it to reduce dependency on external funding. Our Key Assets Human capital is by far our most treasured asset, directly affecting performance of the Companys business processes, ensuring success every year. Among our most valuable assets is our brand name Sona, which is the soul behind our existence, growth and prosperity. We are continuously investing in our production facilities to enhance operational efficiency and fuel the key growth drivers. Our extensive distribution network extends to all provinces of the Country, ensuring maximum market presence.13 What makes FFC click? Its workforce. Its brand name, Sona, which helped in putting FFC on the map. Investment in production facilities to have lean operations. Strong distribution. How We Leverage Our Assets Our assets in turn are leveraged by our management excellence and our consumer centric approach. Our strategies are focused around consumer satisfaction and quality perfection. The pursuit of excellence in every sphere of operation is our aim which ensures continued success. Our farsighted management strategies are focused on development of our key assets which form the foundation for future growth.14 Success at FFC results from managerial excellence, focus on the customer, no compromise on quality, and a long term orientation. REVIEW OF TECHNOLOGY USED SAP ERP SAP AG (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing) is a German multinational software corporation, which makes enterprise software to manage business operations, customer relations, operations, and record keeping. SAP ERP15 (Enterprise Resource Planning) is an integrated software solution that utilizes and consolidates information from all business functions and departments in an organization. It provides solutions for the following aspects of any business, with the modules in bullet points: SAP ERP Financials Accounts payable/Accounts receivable Financial reporting Risk management/Regulatory compliance Cash flow monitoring Travel management SAP ERP Human Capital Management HR and payroll Labour force analysis Placement/Recruitment and training/Talent management SAP ERP Operations Procurement and logistics Product development and manufacturing Sales and service Operations analytics Implementation On January 10th, 2011, one of the biggest feathers in FFCs cap was the implementation of the SAP, under its transition to an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Abacus Consulting was its technical partner and consultant. Initially, SAP was used in tandem with FFCs old system, Legacy, but eventually, the latter was completely done away with. FFC holds the distinction of pioneering the introduction of an ERP system in Pakistan.16 FFCs management went ahead with the idea of SAP implementation believing that it would create value addition in departments of marketing, supply chain, finance, accounting, human resource, and procurement, amongst others. The SAP implementation at FFC was carried out in several phases. Despite the management being satisfied with the entire revamping program, the system is not without its drawbacks. The most crucial of these is that SAP cannot be operated optimally until the user has complete command over its functions. Therefore, consultants and/or specialists are required if SAP has to be fully utilized for its benefits at such an early stage of its installation. SAP ERP consists of several modules and sub-modules, an outline of which appears above. The software takes the information, data, statistics, etc. from all the modules, and combines them to facilitate the organizations decision making, process streamlining, human effort expended, through product design and development, production and inventory control, human resources, finance and accounting. This overall procedure is known as enterprise resource planning, and it is carried out on a companywide scale. If this procedure is carried out correctly, any organization can transcend from its old system to this fully integrated software. The magnitude of benefits to be reaped is huge, e.g. efficient business processes, inventory reduction, and lead time reduction, to name a few. Updates in SAP only need to be done once, and they automatically get implemented company-wide. It provides real time information, reducing the possibility of redundancy errors, shortages, and higher TATs. Areas like s upply chain, procurement, finance and accounting stand to benefit greatly. On the other end of the spectrum, there are the negative aspects. Firstly, the software is anything but cheap. Secondly, it is not just expensive; it is very technical, sophisticated, and intricate. Companies face problems while implementing SAP ERP software, for example, failing to be specific about operational objectives, no orientation towards change, flexibility, and futuristic perspective, and lack of a learning organization. The following sections detail some of the major advantages and disadvantages of using SAP.17, 18 Advantages of SAP Integration: SAP does not focus on or improve individual performance, so the goal of using SAP should be getting benefits from integration. This reduces erroneous data entry and overlapping entries. Flexibility: SAP allows organizations to create their own framework of operations within the SAP structure. This framework dictates issues like access levels of employees, signoffs required at which level, flagged and correct transactions, etc. For example, FFC has the authority to determine which employee can access what area in the SAP structure. Analytical software: apart from being able to keep track of various activities going on simultaneously, both short- and long-term, SAP has in-built analytical features. For example, it can monitor the value chain, and then evaluate when the next shipment or order is due, and time it accordingly. Monitoring, evaluation, decision making, and execution, are all enabled via the usage of SAP, all at once. Disadvantages of SAP Expensive: being able to utilize SAP optimally entails software, hardware, implementation, consulting, training, hiring specialists, programmers, repair and maintenance staff, etc. Employees have to be trained in those aspects of the software that they have access to. The story does not end here, because trainers might leave after training personnel, but the repair and maintenance experts need to be kept on retainer. Other ongoing costs include those incurred for software up gradation. If IT experts or consultants are outsourced, even that increases the labour costs of the organization overall. Hidden costs arise along the way of SAP systems integration projects. SAP projects are expensive enough to begin with. Add to that the burden of additional unanticipated costs, and the corporation can say goodbye to a high ROI. A common example of such a cost is those work items that were not part of the original project plan. These include custom modifications, applying more resources to areas of the implementation that were outside the project plan, etc. Detrimental to user accuracy: software does not have the ability to detect errors, and SAP is no exception. It also falls prey to the carried-forward error. The employees know that once a wrong entry has been made, it will be a part of the entire database of information. This makes employees/users more susceptible to make mistakes. Complexity: due to this feature of SAP, organizations spread out the implementation over a period of time, rather than all at once. The complete implementation might take several years, which also enhances employees skill set in pieces. The time taken for complete integration might become so exhaustive that the managements focus on post-integration planning be pushed into oblivion. The management might just settle for the system integration, and unconsciously avoid what is coming after the integration. Management: project managers, in some instances, have to deal with problems and provide solutions, instead of the users who logged in the original complaints into SAP. The software calls for scope management, which not every employee is capable of. ORACLE E-BUSINESS SUITE Oracle Corporation is an American multinational specializing in developing software for enterprises, with a focus on database management systems. It also has software for enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM) and supply chain management (SCM), to name a few.19 The company offered software for the financial aspect of businesses in late 1980s. Now however, its product palette is not just limited to ERP, CRM, or SCM, instead it reaches into areas like warehouse management, human resource, procurement, product lifecycle management, etc. Expansion and growth of Oracles application software business has come about through acquisitions and in-house developments. Oracle resorted to product bundling when it came up with its Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (Oracle EBS R12). This version keeps Oracles core database management system technology intact, and the E-Business Suite branches out into several product lines.20 Oracle CRM Oracle Financials Oracle HRMS Oracle Mobile Supply Chain Applications Oracle Order Management Oracle Procurement Oracle Project Portfolio Management Oracle Quotes Oracle Transportation Management Oracle Warehouse Management Systems Oracle Inventory Oracle Enterprise Asset Management FERTILIZER INDUSTRY REVIEW For many developing countries, the focus is on economic recovery after the financial crisis of 2007-08. However, issues of increasing population and rising food prices have made food security a big concern for policy makers as well. The latter two issues are equally, if not more, important for the underdeveloped countries, and Pakistan is no exception. Pakistan is an agro-based economy. The agriculture sector has provided the impetus for economic growth. This can be observed by the fact that it provides employment to almost 45% of the total labour force, in one way or the other. It is a seasonal sector, so there are jobs all-year round. On the reverse side of this picture, income generated from this sector fuels demand for products made by other sectors (industrial and tertiary). This interdependence, so to speak, is indicative of the importance of this sector for Pakistan. Almost 21% of GDP is contributed by the agricultural sector.21 Some major crops and their contribution appear below: Crops Production (kt) 2009/10 Production CAGR 2000/01 2009/10 Yield (Kt/Acre) 2009/10 Gross Value Addition of Major Crops Wheat 23,864 2.60% 1.07 39% Cotton 2,159 1.90% 0.28 22% Rice 6,883 4.20% 0.97 18% Sugarcane 49,373 1.30% 21.2 10% Source: Economic Survey of Pakistan 2009/10 The agriculture sector of Pakistan was adversely affected due to the floods approximately two and a half years ago. They had damaged around 30% of the agricultural area, and resulted in crop losses worth USD 2.5 billion. This flood damage also affected the fertilizer sector. This is due to the evident strong inter linkages between the agriculture sector and the fertilizer industry.22 Crop-wise damage and the area affected are shown in the table below. Crops Affected Area (mn acres) Area Affected Cotton 1.3 17% Rice 1.4 23% Sugarcane 0.4 16% Source: Fertilizers in Pakistan. Demand, Production and Imports. By Eqan Ali Khan, Business Head, Fert and Agri Commodities; Mar 30, 2011 The fertilizer industry in Pakistan is basically an oligopoly. This oligopoly is characterised by 4 major players in the market: Fauji Fertilizer Company, Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Limited, Engro Fertilizer, and Dawood Hercules Fertilizer. A new and fast growing addition is Fatima Fertilizer, of the Fatima Group. If we look at the production of urea by the four companies respective contribution, FFC and FFBL dominate by producing 48% of the total, Engro produces 15%, and Dawood Hercules produces 6%. Almost 20% is imported and distributed through NFML. When we look at the production of phosphorus, a similar pattern emerges. FFC and FFBL stand at 47%, Engro at 28%, Agritech at 2%, RG at 1% and around 22% is imported. C:Documents and SettingsAdministratorDesktopUntitled.png Source: Fertilizers in Pakistan. Demand, Production and Imports. By Eqan Ali Khan, Business Head, Fert and Agri Commodities; Mar 30, 2011 Fertilizer production is concentrated in nitrogenous fertilizers, which comprises 85% of all fertilizers produced in the country. Although other types of fertilizers are also produced in Pakistan, the main reason for this concentration on nitrogenous fertilizers is that its main raw material, i.e. natural gas, is cheaply available in the country. The raw material for other fertilizers such as potassium and phosphate has to be imported.23 Fertilizer is Pakistans most important and expensive input in agricultural production. The contribution that the use of balanced fertilizer makes towards increasing yield varies from around 30 to 60 percent in different crops production. Almost all of Pakistans soil is deficient in nitrogen (N), 80 to 90 percent is deficient in phosphorus (P), and 30 percent is lacking in potassium (K).24 Land used for just one type of crop is facing declining fertility, for the obvious reason that only certain nutrients are being used. When these land holdings are not used in crop rotation, the soil does not get replenished, and productivity for future crops declines. Nutrient Actual (Kg/Acre) Recommended (Kg/Acre) Nitrogen 41 41 Phosphorous 9 20.5 Potassium 0.4 10.3 Source: Fertilizers in Pakistan. Demand, Production and Imports. By Eqan Ali Khan, Business Head, Fert and Agri Commodities; Mar 30, 2011 From July 2011 to March 2012, domestic production of fertilizer decreased by 1.4%. This was the result of the industry experiencing a curtailment in the supply of natural gas, which is the main raw material for producing urea, therefore some urea plants produced less than their production capacity. However, import of urea made up for this slack, increasing the supply of fertilizer by 16.3%. On the consumption side however, this increase in supply was met by a reduction of 4.9%. Screen Shot 2012-11-19 at 11.55.38.png Source: Fertilizers in Pakistan. Demand, Production and Imports. By Eqan Ali Khan, Business Head, Fert and Agri Commodities; Mar 30, 2011 Two major reasons for this reduced fertilizer consumption was the heavy and destructive rains in Sindh province, and the price hike faced by all fertilizers. The price of urea went up by 81.4% in July-March, 2011-12 (as compared to the same period of the last fiscal year). The prices of DAP, CAN and NP also increased by 38.8%, 75.5%, and 45.7%, respectively, over the same period last year.25 Fertilizer Pre-GST Co. to Dealer Transfer Prices (Rs/Ton) Taxation Impact Post GST Co. to Dealer Transfer Prices (Rs/Ton) Urea 20,400 13.20% 23,100 DAP 66,025 19.14% 78,660 MOP 48,200 17.05% 56,420 Source: Engro Analytics The actual price which the dealer faces is truly seen after the tax burden has been accounted for. The differential is huge, as the figures in the table above show. Pakistan is able to produce approximately 7 million tons of urea annually currently. Out of this total, capacity of 4 million tons is dependent upon gas from Mari gas fields, and the other 3 million tons on Sui Northern Gas Pipeline (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC). During 2011, all these plants produced a little less than 5 million tons of urea.26 In the past, gas supply to fertilizer units linked to SNGPL was curtailed in winter. However, last year, units receiving gas from Mari faced 20% curtailment, and the ones getting gas from SGGPL and SSGC faced mandatory closure up to 60 days. In 2012, this mandatory closure is expected to exceed 90 days. The sorry state of affairs can be assessed by the fact that from January 1 till October 31, 2011, fertilizer plants on the SNGPL network received the equivalent of just 3.5 days of gas per week, relative to other sectors, which received 4 to 5 days of gas a week. For the fertilizer industry, gas is an input without which it cannot manufacture urea, whereas for other sectors, it is not an absolute necessity.27 If current levels of gas curtailment are adhered to, industry experts expect urea production to be around 4.8 million tons during 2012. However, this is an optimistic number. Realistically, units will probably have difficulty in achieving even this production level, mainly due to the widening gap between demand and supply of gas as projected by the government. It is pertinent to bear in mind that even if subsidy on gas were to be completely abolished by the Government, Fauji Foundation has under its ownership and control Mari gas fields. In a manner of speaking, backward vertical integration exists, so any adverse change in regulations regarding gas subsidy will not be detrimental to FFCs operations. With the demand for urea forecasted to be 6.3 million tons in 2012, the shortfall is expected to be around 1.5 million tons. This is a very bleak scenario for the economy, since internal capacity is well able to meet this demand. Externally, when imports will be resorted to, they will erode the countrys foreign exchange by USD 600 million, at the very least, based on current prices, and may be even more costly if international prices rise. It is expected that any hike in crude oil prices will automatically escalate urea prices in the international markets. Growing tension between the United States and Iran has already initiated a spiraling increase in global crude oil prices.28 Under consideration is the possibility that urea manufacturers should exercise the LNG import option to meet the shortfall in gas supply. There exist two schools of thought regarding this debate. One says that running plants on LNG is not feas

Care for Post Elective Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Care for Post Elective Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery Assessment for the care of patient with respiratory problem  following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft 3 vessels disease and Mitral Valve Repair Introduction This essay examines a case study of a male patient with a complex history who has undergone elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and suffered a number of recovery complications. Coronary artery disease is a common pathology in the Western population, perhaps due to lifestyle and dietary factors, including lack of exercise and smoking. The case history will be examined in the light of nursing care and current theoretical knowledge, looking at the individual needs of the patient and the potential interventions which could be employed to address this patient’s emergent and ongoing condition. Nursing care at any stage, critical, acute or chronic, must be an holistic process which takes into account all of the social, physiological, psycholological, emotional and spiritual needs of the person. Given the critical state of this individual’s health, however, some needs can be identified as more urgent that others. The case history will demonstrate the predominant needs of this patient as those connected with his respiratory function and status, and therefore while all aspects of the case will be considered, considerable attention will be paid to his respiratory needs, treatments and potential outcomes. The focus is on nursing care, which must address the emergent clinical picture whilst considering long term, mid term and short term outcomes in a client-centred context. Discussion The patient, who shall be called Mr S to protect confidentiality, was admitted on June 6th for an elective coronary artery bypass graft procedure, plus a Mitral Valve Repair. According to UHC (2007) a coronary artery bypass graft (CAB or CABG) is a surgical procedure in which a healthy blood vessel is transplanted from another part of the body into the heart to replace or bypass a diseased vessel. In this case, it is the treatment of choice for the patient whose history of myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease made him a prime candidate for corrective surgery. Coronary artery disease is defined as the failure of the coronary arteries to deliver oxygen and fuels for myocardial work (Emery and Pearson, 1998). Coronary artery disease is a leading cause of myocardial infarction (Emery and Pearson, 1998). According to STS (2007), mitral valve repair is an open heart procedure which aims to treat stenosis or regurgitation of the mitral valve, which is the inflow valve for the left side of the heart. In normal physiology, blood flows from the lungs, where it picks up oxygen, and into the heart through the mitral valve (STS, 2007). When it opens, the mitral valve allows blood to flow into the left ventricle, which then closes to keep blood from leaking back into the lungs when the ventricle contracts to pump blood into the systemic circulation (STS, 2007). In this case, mitral regurgitation has been diagnosed, which is probably consequential to Mr S’s ischaemic heart disease (Emery and Pearson, 1998). The patient history includes the following: post lateral MI treated with thrombolysis; shortness of breath on exertion; treatment with GTN; hypertensive disease; raised cholesterol; smoker (80-100 cigarettes a day, stopped smoking in 2000); umbilical hernia repair; removal of a benign growth on the thyroid gland; left ankle oedema; distal varicosities to the left extremity. Mr S is allergic to penicillin, overweight at 115kg and has been treated for the health consequences of his lifestyle for some time. Mr S underwent the procedure as planned, with the standard postoperative care. On return to the ward from theatre he was initially on synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation, which is a system that was developed as a method of partial ventilatory support to facilitate liberation from mechanical ventilation (CCM, 2007). In this system, a demand valve is located within the system through which patients can take spontaneous breaths, without having to breathe through the ventilator apparatus, allowing the patient to breathe spontaneously while also receiving mandatory breaths (CCM, 2007). As the patient’s respiratory function improves, the number of mandatory breaths is decreased, until the patient is breathing unassisted on continuous positive airways pressure (CCM, 2007). Non invasive forms of ventilatory support have been found to be associated with improved patient outcomes (Peter et al, 2002), in a range of acute respiratory conditions including acute respiratory fail ure. Mr S was extubated after ten hours, placed on high flow oxugen via face mask at 50%, but PA02 was only 7 with quiet lung bases on auscultation, leading to the introduction of WCPAP, with a PEEP of 7.5. He was coughing but not expectorating, and developed a number of other postoperative complications which are listed below. His CVP was on 24mmhg and stable within that range. Blood Pressure went down to 80/50 mmHg, treated with gelofusion with no response. noradrenaline was started 07mic/kg/min Frusemide 20mg /hr with good effect; on the second day urine outputtailed off to 60-70ml/hr so the frusemide was increased in 40mg/hr with good effect. Urine output increased to a ratoe of 120-150mls/hr. Mr S has has 3 chest drains: mediastinal, pleural and pericardial . Mr S is ventricularly paced at around 90 beats, with an underlying bradycardia of 44 beats /min. Blood results: urea was 4.4 on the first day, 8.3 day two post-op; creatinene was initially 102, then 164, and on the third day it was 280. Noradrenaline was used, followed by some attempt to wean MR S of this level of support, but the MAP was not stable and could not be kept at 70, and so noradrenaline recommenced. Plans for discharge were postponed due to the WCPAP, the renal complications and the blood pressure issues. Mr S was had an Epidural with plain levopuvicaine at 5mls per hourincreased to 8 mls because of pain on movement; in addition to this he had a PCA (which was being used minimally), and regular Cocodamol. As can be seen, Mr S’s condition is quite serious with a range of complications from the surgery related to his postoperative recovery. Given than cardiac surgery has been performed and there are issues with maintaining blood pressure and cardiac rhythm, the two appear to be connected. Low cardiac output due to arrythmias are of some concern, and so all observations should be closely monitored. The area of concern for this essay, however, is the area of the respiratory complications, but brief mention will be made of the nursing considerations of the other aspects of his condition Nursing care focusing on his pain relief should include regular pain management, assessment of pain scores and sedation levels, and hourly pump checks on the epidural infusion and the PCA. These should be documented contemporaneously and comprehensively, and this information should be used for ongoing care planning, evaluation and communication with colleagues. Monitoring of intravenous infusions should include checking the IV site and cannula for patency or any signs of inflammation, checking that all the infusion lines are connected, and the pumps are set at the correct rate. Fluid balance should be recorded on the appropriate chart at the appropriate hourly intervals. The colour and consistency of the urine should also be noted. Fluid management is important in respiratory disease because excess fluid intake is prone to leak through the capillary membranes into the lung tissues (Peters, 1998). Vital observations should be recorded as specified by the medical and cardiothoracic teams. Pressure area care should be carried out, nutritional status should be monitored, and responses to medications noted. All medications should be administered as charted. Further to this, the chest drains must be observed, insertion sites assessed for signs of infection, and temperature monitored for signs of systemic responses to infection. The drain contents must be included in the fluid balance measurements, and must also be reported to the doctors, and observed for signs of haemorrhage. The drains must be kept off the floor but below the level of insertion of the tubing, to prevent the contents tracking back up towards the body, which would increase the risk of infection. For this reason, if Mr S is moved at any time or repositioned, or during procedures such as bedmaking and attending to hygiene needs, the tubing of all three drains should be clamped for the duration of the activity and then unclamped again afterwards. In addition to this, Mr S appears to need considerable respiratory support. The literature shows that satisfactory oxygenation can generally be achieved in most patients by the use of continuous positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask with a PEEP valve of 5-10 cm of water. However, it has become apparent that Mr S cannot be safely weaned from this as yet. One option to consider would be NPPV, which is a treatment which has evolved from CPAP (Peters, 1998). It has been found to be very effective in providing ventilatory support for patients with respiratory disorders, particularly long term and in the home setting (Peters, 1998). This might be one option which could support Mr S in being discharged from the intensive care facility. Positioning and physical support to maintain this are also important (Peters, 1998). Therefore, Mr S should be nursed upright or semi-upright, well supported by pillows, but giving due consideration to pressure area care. Thorens et al (1995) suggest that the quality of nursing seems to be a measurable and importantfactor in the weaning from mechanical ventilation of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. While Mr S’s condition is not COPD, many aspects of his symptoms and, obviously, the environment in which he is being nursed, are similar to those described in this study by Thorens et al (1995). They suggest that below a threshold in the available workforce of ICU nurses, the weaning duration of patients from ventilation and other forms of mechanical ventilatory support increases dramatically (Thorens et al, 1995). Therefore, very close attention should be given to the education and number of ICU nurses (THorens et al, 1995), which in this instance could be vie wed from a managerial point of view, in ensuring that the appropriately skilled and experienced nurses are those allocated to the care of Mr S, and that his case should be seen as a priority. Addressing Mr S’s emotional and psychological needs are also important. While it is an extremely invasive and potentially life threatening procedure, coronary artery bypass graft surgery and mitral valve repair surgery are associated with positive patient outcomes(Moshkovitz et al, 1993). This was also an elective rather than an emergency procedure. This may mean that Mr S was not necessarily expecting such a problematic recovery period and so will need support adjusting to this. The same could be said for his family and carers, who would perhaps be somewhat shocked to find him still in a relatively serious condition. The support mechanisms available to him should be assessed, and it should be factored into the nursing care plan that time (often the most precious resource available to nurses) is allocated to him to ensure that he has amply opportunity to communicate with the staff. Communication difficulties may be associated with his condition, state of mind, level of conscio usness and the use of CPAP, and these must be taken into consideration. Wong et al (1999) discuss risk factors of delayed extubation and prolonged intensive care unit length of stay, which suggest that such occurrences are associated with higher levels of morbidity and longer periods of recovery. Whether this is due to the nature of the underlying condition, or the nature of the environment (or both), cannot be determined. However, it would appear that it is in Mr S’s best interests to be facilitated towards a level of wellness along the illness-wellness spectrum that is sufficient to warrant his discharge from the intensive care unit. It might be appropriate to consider different medication regimes, or to allow the physiological systems of his body more time to adjust to his postoperative recovering state. Another potential action might be to remove the epidural and encourage Mr S to use the PCA more appropriately, to support his pain control as a self-managed phenomenon, and to encourage a move towards increased independence, mobility and generally improved health. There is a degree of motor block evident from the epidural. Epidurals are also associated with low blood pressure, so this might be a factor in Mr S’s condition. The epidural would need to be removed under aseptic technique, and a small dressing placed over the site. The tip of the epidural catheter must be checked to make sure it is complete, and this noted in the patient’s records. Close monitoring of the patient’s blood pressure following this might allow the nurse to assess whether this has had a positive effect on Mr S’s blood pressure. Similarly, if Mr S is more mobile and able to move a little more independently, this might increase cardiac output and improve blood pressure. He is at considerable risk of post-operative thrombosis, in particular deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and so mobilisation will be a key factor in his recovery and in preventing these complications. Hannan et al (2003) found that post-operative recovery from coronary artery bypass graft surgery can be adversely effected if the patient suffers from 6 or more comorbidities. Given his medical history, it is unsurprising that Mr S finds himself not recovering as quickly as potentially possible, and so it is important to maximise all opportunities to promote recovery and health. The use of low molecular weight heparin as a prophylaxis against deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism is common in post-operative care, and is likely to be used here. However, there is a serious consequence of anti-coagulant therapy, which is the incre ased risk of haemorrhage, and so this again will need to be monitored for very carefully. Stanley et al (2002) suggest that neurocognitive decline is a continuing source of morbidity after cardiac surgery. This may be associated with cardiac arrythmias (Stanley et al, 2002). Mr S’s underlying bradycardia may then be a contributory factor in his long-term prognosis and this is why such intensive cardio-pulmonary support is warranted. Neurocognitive dysfunction is common after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (Stanley et a, 2002), and so assessments of this should form part of the ongoing care and monitoring of his condition. The pacemaker will also be monitored for functionality, and heart rhythm observed. Any changes will be assessed by the cardiothoracic team and any improvements towards normal rhythm noted. It is also important for nurses to consider multidisciplinary team input as a part of interprofessional working and client-centred care. For example, some research has demonstrated that a multidisciplinary approach to weaning from mechanical ventilation has been associated with greatly improved outcomes in the short and long term (Smyrnios et al, 2002). Mr S, given his condition, would be a prime candidate for pulmonary physiotherapy, which has been argued by some to be useful in the recovery process. Given the respiratory assessment findings, this may be used. However, the usefulness of respiratory physiotherapy for the prevention of pulmonary complications after cardiac surgery remains unproved(Pasquina et al, 2003). Therefore it would need to be a collaborative decision in conjunction with the consultant in charge of Mr S’s case. Conclusion This examination of Mr S’s case and history has demonstrated that he is suffering from a number of post operative complications associated with his surgical status, his past medical history and the range of comorbidities he is suffering. The diagnosis of his current condition must remain the area of responsibility of the doctors who are in chargeof his case. However, nursing interventions are a vital component of his care and potential for recovery. While doctors may diagnose and prescribe, it is the nursing staff who assess, monitor, administer therapies, and engage in the majority of prophylactic activities to support optimal return to wellness. This essay has also considered the need for an holistic approach to Mr S, viewing him as a person in the context of his own life rather than simply a set of conditions which much be treated and hopefully, resolved. However, the nature of his condition is serious, and until the cardiac and respiratory function issues are resolved, there is very little that can be done other than to support him and his body systems to continue to function, whilst engaging in nursing activities aimed at minimising further complications from his continued dependent and unwell state. There are a number of actions that can be taken, including pressure area care, fluid management, engagement with the multidisciplinary team, and pain management, all of which can contribute to supportive a positive prognosis for Mr S. However, he continues to require intensive nursing care until such time as he is able to be weaned off the CPAP and the noradrenaline which is helping to maintain the blood pressure. 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