Personal Identity - Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Personal Identity Philosophy Essay It is easy to see oneself as the same person we were ten, twenty, or fifty years ago. We can define identity through our physical presence, life experiences, memories, and mental awareness of self. One can testify our persistence as a person through our existence as a person. But what makes us the same person? In this paper, I will argue for the â€Å"simple† view of the persistence of identity – that it is impossible to determine what single thing that makes us the same person over time. I will support my claim with the refutation of the main complex view claims of the body, brain and psychological continuity criterion. Entrenched in the â€Å"simple† view is the idea that personal identity, and the persistence of personal identity, cannot be measured through philosophical discourse or scientific investigation. There are a number of opposing arguments, known as complex theories of personal identity. In each of these arguments, the central claim is that either the body, the brain, or the psychological continuity of an individual determines how they persist as the same person (Garrett, 1998, p 52). To call them complex is a misnomer – for each is far too narrow to properly define and explain personal identity. Complex argument 1– Psychological continuity John Locke defines a person as a ‘thinking, intelligent being, that has reason and reflection and can consider itself as itself, the same thinking thing, in different times and places’ (Locke, 1689, p 1-6). This statement suggests that, in order to persist as the same person, we must have a mental consciousness which persists through time. We can say that a person is psychologically continuous if they have a mental state that is descendent from their previous mental states. For example, this theory states that a five-year-old will be the same person when they are a 25-year-old, because their mental state in later years is descendent from their earlier years. Counter argument By its very nature, the idea of psychological continuity is flawed. It is not uncommon for an individuals mental state to be changed so drastically that they could not truly be considered the same person. Several examples have been made by Waller: sufferers of cognitive impairments such as dementia, people who have gone through stressful or traumatic situations, and war eterans that are affected by post-traumatic stress disorder (Waller, 2011, p 198-210). In any of these cases, it would be difficult to argue that the individual has a continuous mental state – more accurate would be to describe them as a â€Å"snap† or â€Å"break† that, effectively, creates a new person. The only conclusion is that these individuals do not persist, as their psychological states become radically different from their previous psychological states. Complex argument 2 – Persistence of the body Another expression of the complex view is the body criterion. Put simply, a person is said to persist if they exist in the same physical body over time. In this case, the previously mentioned dementia or PTSD sufferers would be considered the same people, as their physical body has continued. The theory suggests a â€Å"brute physical relation† between body and identity (Korfmacher, 2006). Without regard for mental state, an individual is considered to have a persistent personal identity as long as their body survives. Counter argument This theory lends itself easily to thought experiments, and they quickly expose some problems. If individual A receives an organ donation from individual B, can it be said that individual A has taken some of Bs identity? Surely not. It would be absurd to suggest that having the kidney or liver of another person would affect ones persistence as an individual. Similarly, if individual C had their body cloned, it would not make their clone the same person. There is much more to personal identity than can be defined by something so comparatively insignificant as the physical body. Complex argument 3 – Persistence of the brain The brain is the functional centre of the human body; the place where memories are stored, feelings are felt, and environmental signals are processed. It is unsurprising, therefore, that the brain is so often considered to be the â€Å"home† of personal identity. This theory is a staple of many science fiction texts – as a convention, the cognizant â€Å"brain in a jar† or brain transplant recipient is fairly common. Proponents of this â€Å"we are our brains† theory claim that, so long as the brain persists, so does the person. Counter argument This theory seems to refer to consciousness rather than the physicality of the brain, so it is important to make a clarification between the two. Julian Baggini suggests that we should view the relationship between consciousness and identity similarly to the relationship between a musical score and the paper it is written on (Baggini, 2005, pp. 112-114). In other words, the brain is simply a storage space for our memories, thoughts, and self-awareness. Should it not, therefore, be so that an individual could simply persist as a brain in a jar, provided they could be sustained in that state? If the entirety of personal identity is stored in the brain, there must be no need for the rest of the body beyond keeping the brain alive. Such a theory could not possibly be true – life experiences and interactions with the world are such an intrinsic part of identity that we could not persist without them. The theory that consciousness plays a significant role in the persistence of personal identity is appealing, but it can not be said that the brain alone could sustain consciousness. Conclusion  To call the simple view of the persistence of personal identity â€Å"simple† is almost deceptive; deep consideration on the subject quickly turns towards the complex. It is easy to grasp at the categories of body, brain, and mental state, but it would be wrong to say that the persistence of any of those equates to the persistence of an individual. Personal identity is something so much harder to define, and it is harder still to find definitive measures of its continuation. Personal identity is evasive, and fleeting; it is intangible, ever-changing. Its persistence is so much more than can be determined.

Strategic Human Resource Planning In Business

Strategic Human Resource Planning In Business Strategic Human Resource Planning is the process of anticipating long term HR Supplies and demands relative to changing conditions inside and outside an organization and then crafting the HR programs and other initiatives in order to meet the organizations needs. There is no single definition of Human Resource Planning (HRP), many definitions and models of HRP exist. Some authors focus on the technical side i.e. mathematical and behavioural side of HR forecasting, there a few others who focus on the managerial side of which includes the way decision makers tackle HR issues for the benefit of the organization. Organizations that manage HR strategically tend to outperform the competitors who do not do so Organizations Strategy: Organizations Corporate Strategy describes organizations sense of purpose, its plans and actions for its implementation. A clear and precise strategy is essential for the business for the following 2 reasons. There is need for people working with in an organization to co-operate in order to achieve maximum benefit. There are effects of changing environment Different level of reward practices may closely compliment different strategies and are significantly related to higher level of organizational performance . (Allen Helms, 2007) Primarks Organizational Strategy: Primark Stores Ltd is a leading clothing retail brand in UK at the moment with over 160 Stores in UK and Ireland. The overall strategy of Primark like any other business is to reach to maximum no of people as a value for money clothing brand and maximize its profit. Primark linked up its stores with each other through a better use of people at their head office and stores, developed new stores and increased their product line. Through the use of proper organizational strategy, today Primark is one of the leading retailer in UK and it all happened because developed a Marketing / planning strategy keeping in view their HR and organizational planning. Organizational Strategy HR Strategy: Like marketing /planning strategy, HR strategy is required for businesses to maximize their output and organizational efficiency in an effective manner. HR strategy is a step by step plan of action which organizations deploy in order to recruit, develop and retain the human resources to meet the objectives of the organization. HR strategy is concerned with developing a highly focused strategy and approach to manage and lead people. Schular Jackson, (2007) In developing such a strategy two critical questions must be addressed. What kinds of people do you need to manage and run your business to meet your strategic business objectives? What people programs and initiatives must be designed and implemented to attract, develop and retain staff to compete effectively. Schular Jackson, (2007) In order to achieve the above objective, Primark developed a strong organizational strategy which lead them to the success they are enjoying today as a major clothing retail company. P Organizational Culture Corporate Culture: Organizational Culture can be defined as specific set of values that are shared among people and groups within an organization and this controls the way these people interact with each other within the organization or outside with the other stakeholder. Corporate culture is unique set of values, customs and traditions that makes an organization distinct. Organizational culture and corporate culture are often used interchangeably but there is a huge difference between them as all corporation will also be organizations but all organizations cant be corporations. Corporate culture is an important part of big businesses. As a major Retailer in UK, Primark has always been unique in its values and traditions. Primark has always been an organization with a focus on providing unique customers services experience to its customers. Whether its personal banking or services for businesses, Primarks assets are its people who provide best service to its customers. Like many other unique things as part of its corporate culture, you will mostly find Barclays at the corner of the high streets. Learning Organizations: A central theme of learning organizations is that learning is an effective part of the organizational development (OD). Original idea of learning organizations has been around for many years but this concept became popular during 1960 1980 by major writers such as Argyris (Kaizen Institute Ltd -2000) Another contribution in this regard was made by Senge, who suggests that organizations should develop a culture of learning and to instil peoples commitment and learning capacity at every level in the organization. Senge suggested five basic features of learning organizations. System thinking the recognition that things are interconnected and organizations are complex systems Personal mastery Mental Models Shared Vision Team Learning Lane et al. emphasise that training in the organisations ICT (information communications technology) skills is essential for corporate survival and should be part of a continuous learning culture Primark as a Learning Organization: Primark Stores Ltd has always paid immense amount of attention towards the development training of staff. Primark Stores Ltd is providing valuable information on ethical trading to its staff and workers related to its suppliers. As a major buyer, Primark has over 600 suppliers based in 16 different countries and spreading across 3 continents, Primark has always focus on the training and learning issues of these more than 700,000 people. Primark has been quite active in raising awareness on child labour issues in these countries and has always promoted the values of ethical trading. This ethical training staffs is the focus of problem solving issues with the suppliers. The role of suppliers is equally important at the same time and Primark Ltd has got more training programmes for the suppliers and its own key staff members who can get involved more actively with supplier in solving these on daily basis. Primarks staff are given extensive awareness on issues relating to all areas of business and staff members are provided further specialized training from time to time, in order to help them do their work in an effective manner. (Source: http://primark.co.uk) Comments Suggestion In this section we defined the issues relating to HR Strategy, Organizational Culture, and Primarks role in development of its staff as a learning organization. As we know that an effective HR Strategy is helpful in achieving the overall goal of the organization, Primark stores made its people are real valuable asset and utilized this resource in an effective manner. The success Primark is having today is because of its Business Strategy which was very well backed with Organizational and HR Strategy. Recruitment Selection Process of Primark Stores: Primark Stores has a multi-dimensional recruitment and selection process a few years ago and job vacancies were advertised through multiple ways, including in store postings, Job Centre advertisement and advertisement of vacancies over the internet. Although we know that Primark Stores has not been focused more on internet related issues in the past and there was no other way available for the people a part from going to job centres and Primark Stores itself asking about the vacancies. With the current passage of success, Primark Stores has made the recruitment process more transparent and easier to access. Primark Stores have now got an Online- Recruitment System and vacancies are displayed onto the website immediately. After initial registration, candidates are asked to answer a set of question related to customer services and other issues related to the retail industry. On the successful completion of these questions, candidates are issued an application reference number for further processing of their application, if they were successful during this phase of application. Recruitment Process For Retail Operatives: The current recruitment process of Primark Stores consists of the following key stages. Candidate needs to fill an online application form to get register with the online recruitment system. At next stage, candidate needs to answer a set of online questions regarding the customer services and retail business environment. On Successful completion of this stage, candidates are invited for a personal interview A job is offered after a successful completion of assessment centre and going through a rigorous activity of group tasks and presentation. Recruitment for Management Positions: Same methodology of online applications applies for management positions as well. Job vacancies are advertised through Primarks Recruitment website. Candidates are presented with a set of online questions regarding the management of business / real life issues. On successful completion of questionnaires, candidates is issued an application reference number and is invited for a Panel Interview. This interview session can be a panel interview or one to one interview and candidate is tested on the basis of his education, expertise and communication skills. Candidates ability to handle different difficult situations is also analyzed. On successful completion of interview session, candidate is invited to attend an assessment centre and this is the stage where candidate has to go through group tasks, presentations and this gives HR Team a complete idea about the suitability of the candidate for a particular job role. (source: www.Primark.co.UK / Recruitment) Advertising Jobs: As mentioned earlier that Primark Stores has totally transformed its recruitment procedure into a complete online recruitment solution. Every job vacancy is advertised on this recruitment website. This shows Primarks commitment as an equal opportunity employer. Training: Providing first class training to every staff member is a top priority of Primark Stores Ltd. Staff members are providing opportunities for career growth through different in-house promotions and training activities. (source: http://www.primark.co.uk/page.aspx?pointerid=12d70092c3a14002a5814a0630d4b102 ) Support for New Starters: As mentioned earlier that Primark considers training very important as part of future development of its staff. A thorough induction day is conducted for every new staff member giving him / her an opportunity to know about the business and working environment. At the same time Staff members are familiarised with health safety issues, fire hazards, emergency evacuation procedures and basic customer services skills. Personal Experience of Working at Primark I myself have the experience of working with Primark Stores and i was provided a good induction session on my first day. It was a thorough induction session covering all aspects of business and other issues related to the business. I was provided a very good customer services training and that helped me a lot during my job with Primark Stores. Diversity: Diversity refers to variety of different individuals belonging to different societies available in one single environment. Primark has got a very diverse kind of organizational culture. You will find staff belonging to almost every ethnic group working at Primark Stores. Gender Diversity: Primark is an equal opportunity employer and encourages females to be part of its team. Females are present in Primark workforce in a huge quantity. Females are given opportunities to be part of management and many female managers are working in Primark, making Primark a more successful organization with their matchless skillset. General Discrimination: Primark as an equal opportunity employer discourages any kind of discrimination at work. Primark workforce is quite diversified and focus remains on working as a Team. If there is any issue regarding discrimination, HR team at Primark takes strict action against the ones who are involved in this issue and result can be a job penalty. Comments Suggestions: In the above section, i tried to highlight the recruitment and selection procedure of Primark Stores. Their training procedure and their focus on staff development. I described my personal experience of working at Primark Stores and how team work is considered important while working at Primark. In my view change in the recruitment procedure has been quite positive but a delay in different recruitment activities is an issue of major concern and it should be sorted out. Rewards Benefits: Primark Stores rewards its staff through different ways. In house promotions is a major source of motivation for staff, staff is also provided opportunities of training at various Stores of Primark. A competitive Salary and 28 days paid holidays are given to permanent staff members. (source:/ www.Primark.co.uk/recruitment) Induction Process and CMI Induction Best Practices: As mentioned earlier that induction at Primark is a very important process for new staff members. They are provided with an extensive training on all issues and areas of the business. As being an organization with its focus on Learnings, Primark continuously provides in house on job training to its staff members. That not only contributes in the success of Primark, but at the same time, it is good for personal development of staff member. (Staff Handbook 2008) I am now going to highlight some of the induction practices adopted by Primark Stores. Flexible Working: As Primark is an employer with its focus on the development of its team, its people, Primark offers flexible working pattern to its employees. This approach not only provides opportunity to the workers to adjust their remaining activities according to the flexible environment of Primark work pattern. Thus it promotes health living and better life style. Work Life Balance: Primark Provides the opportunity to staff members to work either full time or part- time or they can work on weekends. This flexibility of work availability is very handy and it gives a chance to the staff members to balance their day to day life and work. Primarks Culture Its Effects on Employees: AS mentioned in the first part of this assignment, every organization has its own culture which makes it unique as it comprises of its values and tradition. As with all major retail sector organization, Primarks focus remains on providing better customer services and this can be attained only through a team work. This team work is a part of Primarks organizational culture which not only makes it a better and bigger organization but at the same time it makes its staff a unique asset for the organization. As Primark Stores consists of a diverse work force so people belonging to different ethnic background form a base of a culture at every Primark Store. This culture would be truly different from one store to another and it does affect the employees of the organization. (Source: Staff Handbook 2008) Disciplinary Procedures: Disciplinary Procedures are very important and form the basis of well disciplined work force. Primark strictly follows its disciplinary procedures and staff members are introduced with these procedures on their induction day and during various other training sessions. Staff is encouraged to follow the terms conditions of their contract, which not only is beneficial for the staff members but at the same time it is beneficial for the organization as well. Uniform is a part of Primarks Quality Service Culture and staff members are strictly advised to follow the dress code of the organization. Discrimination at work and other issues related to harassment are dealt with strictness. (Source: Staff Handbook 2008) Legal Requirements HR: Legal requirements are very important as part o the HR Planning process and HR team ensures that they are fulfilling all legal requirement during the recruitment selection process. Staff members are informed about different legal sides of the business and how legally Primark protects its employees in case of any incident or injury during work. These all things are very important and should be reviewed on a regular basis as they not only ensure the safety of the employees but at the same time keeps the organization on a right track which maximizes its chances of business growth. (Source: Staff Handbook, 2008) Comments Suggestions: I have analysed the induction practices in this section and it was quite helpful in knowing the work and training pattern of Primark Stores. As we know that people are the major assets of Primark stores and these induction practices ensure that people know about their responsibilities as part of the company and how to deal with situations arising during the course of work. Legal side is very important and staff should be familiarized with the basics of HR and employment law and health safety at work. These things not only protect employees during work but at the same time, it protects the employers from getting involved in lengthy legal proceedings in case of an incident.

The Influenza :: Spanish Influenza Essays

The Influenza It was time to bring in the crops--this was one of the best years I'd ever had. For the first time in a long time, I was looking forward to getting into the field to gather the crop I'd worked so hard to grow. A farmer's life is never easy, but this was my year. I'd managed to get more land, and I was way past the days of just putting food on my family's table. The fall of 1918 turned out to be one of the worst times of my life. I had a rather large family--two boys and two girls. They were all teenagers in 1918. My wife, my children, and I all lived in Riley County, Kansas. Fort Riley's Camp Funston brought a lot of activity into the area. In the fall of 1918, there were soldiers there preparing to go overseas to join in the battles. The soldiers brought new life to our community, as well as chaos. We were happy, for the most part, to have the soldiers around our community, until their presence proved too costly. As I mentioned, in September of 1918, I was eager to get to the fall harvesting. All of my children were excited and ready to help, as they knew the harvest would bring money into the household. We'd heard about the influenza at Camp Funston, and I'd told my family to steer clear of any wayward soldiers. My youngest son began to hang around the camp, against my wishes, in order to see what was occurring there. He and his friends made a habit of sneaking around the outside. We'd managed since the spring to avoid influenza. We heard from workers inside the fort that the soldiers were dying quickly, but we all assumed that it would stay inside the camp and away from our families. Little by little, in the fall, influenza began to creep into the communities around the camp. I thought I was fortunate in that none of my neighbors worked in or near Camp Funston, and I didn't expect to have to deal with any sickness. My family was warned, and everyone in the communities around the camp was being as careful as possible to keep the influenza from spreading. Then my son brought influenza, the soldiers' problem, into our family. The Influenza :: Spanish Influenza Essays The Influenza It was time to bring in the crops--this was one of the best years I'd ever had. For the first time in a long time, I was looking forward to getting into the field to gather the crop I'd worked so hard to grow. A farmer's life is never easy, but this was my year. I'd managed to get more land, and I was way past the days of just putting food on my family's table. The fall of 1918 turned out to be one of the worst times of my life. I had a rather large family--two boys and two girls. They were all teenagers in 1918. My wife, my children, and I all lived in Riley County, Kansas. Fort Riley's Camp Funston brought a lot of activity into the area. In the fall of 1918, there were soldiers there preparing to go overseas to join in the battles. The soldiers brought new life to our community, as well as chaos. We were happy, for the most part, to have the soldiers around our community, until their presence proved too costly. As I mentioned, in September of 1918, I was eager to get to the fall harvesting. All of my children were excited and ready to help, as they knew the harvest would bring money into the household. We'd heard about the influenza at Camp Funston, and I'd told my family to steer clear of any wayward soldiers. My youngest son began to hang around the camp, against my wishes, in order to see what was occurring there. He and his friends made a habit of sneaking around the outside. We'd managed since the spring to avoid influenza. We heard from workers inside the fort that the soldiers were dying quickly, but we all assumed that it would stay inside the camp and away from our families. Little by little, in the fall, influenza began to creep into the communities around the camp. I thought I was fortunate in that none of my neighbors worked in or near Camp Funston, and I didn't expect to have to deal with any sickness. My family was warned, and everyone in the communities around the camp was being as careful as possible to keep the influenza from spreading. Then my son brought influenza, the soldiers' problem, into our family.

The Ethics of Fast Food Essay examples -- Philosophy Ethics

So, what exactly is "fast food"? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, " fast- food" is food that is designed for ready availability, use, or consumption and with little consideration given to quality or significance. So, is there even a link between fast food and its technology with ethics? At first, I thought "what I am thinking? I'll never be able to find any information linking the two." To my surprise, there is a plethora of information regarding fast food... And, due to the large number of restaurant chains today, I will mainly focus on McDonald's, perhaps the most popular fast food restaurant today. Professional Issues From humble beginnings in 1955, McDonald’s grew steadily until 1980, when it had 5,213 outlets in the United States. Then, as capital moved into hyper-drive during the age of Reagan, McDonald’s took off, reaching its current level of 12,000+ domestic outlets and another 8,000+ abroad. By 1996, the pace of McDonald’s growth was impressive even by the standards of the times. The Wall Street Journal put it in a headline: the company "wants to run over its competition with a Mack Truck." (1) With the number of actual outlets, specific issues will depend from outlet to outlet. However, in general, the professional issues regarding this case mainly deals with food quality issues. These range from the technology in processing the food to store sanitary policies. First, take the production of the famous McDonald's French fry. During the chain's early years French fries were made from scratch every day. Russet Burbank potatoes were peeled, cut into shoestrings, and fried in McDonald's kitchens. As the chain expanded nationwide, in the mid-1960s, it sought to cut labor costs, reduce the numb... ...w.theatlantic.com/unbound/interviews/ba2000-12-14.htm> 15 Ethical Decision-making Group Capture Worksheet. <http://cseserv.engr.scu.edu/nquinn/ENGR019/EthicalDecisionMaking.PDF> 16 Ibid. Other sources: http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9806/11/diet.heart.attack/ http://www.askmen.com/sports/foodcourt/22_eating_well.html http://www.eatingbythebook.com/article/art002.html http://www.dietitian.com/fastfood.html http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/features/hoffman/507084 http://members.aol.com/AnneDroidz/mcdsux.html http://www.uta.edu/huma/illuminations/kell30.htm http://www.speakout.com/Issues/Briefs/1333/ http://www.waste.org/~lanshark/vegan/fastfood.html http://www.jambajuice.com, http://www.mcdonalds.com, http://www.tacobell.com, http://www.carlsjr.com, http://www.burgerking.com, http://www.subway.com

Essays --

â€Å"Nurses eat their young.† It is an aged saying in nursing which describes the hazing and lateral violence which frequently occurs in the workplace. The victims of this bullying are usually new graduate nurses or nursing students. New graduates start their careers at the bottom of the proverbial totem pole; spending much of their time trying to learn the ropes and gaining experience as nurses. To the more experienced nurses they may appear to be easy targets with their â€Å"deer in the headlights† faces; believing the newbies are too frightened to fight back. Certain nursing schools, which will remain anonymous, use similar boot camp- like mentality while training their student nurses. The students at these schools remain fearful of their nursing instructors at all times. This instinct is required to survive their harsh reality of nursing boot camp. These students remain fidgety throughout their time in nursing school and this same shell-shocked behavior carries ov er to the early months or even years of their nursing careers. Nursing is supposed to be a field of compassion, the general belief being that most nurses are compassionate, caring human beings. So why are new nurses being hazed instead of nurtured by more experienced nurses and nursing instructors? Does this hazing really exist? If so, why? Is there anything being done to stop this lateral violence subjected upon new graduates? Is there more that can be done to prevent future victimization of new graduate nurses? To investigate these questions a preliminary interview and survey of several new graduate nurses, younger nurses with 2-8 years of experience, highly experienced nurses with 15 or more years of nursing experience, as well as nursing instructors and nursing precept... ...Most nurses chose the field because they are compassionate people and may need to remind themselves they were once new graduate nurses. Another remedy may call for older, savvier nurses, to stick up and defend the new nurses who are being picked on. Even with all the efforts suggested, â€Å"Nurses eating their young† will take time to cure and future study of other possible remedies towards lateral violence will be required. Whether if it is due to stress, burnout, attempt to educate newer nurses, or someone just trying to build their own confidence; these behaviors have existed for many years. It is an obvious problem with documented detrimental effects on young nurses. A true solution will only arise through continued education on the subject, greater enforcements, a little bit of self-reflection, and combined efforts from ALL medical staff members and school staff.

Major League Baseball

1. Briefly, what are the major developments in the history of the labor-management relationship within Major League Baseball?According to Lewicki, Barry & Saunders (2010), the major developments of labor-management relationship within Major League Baseball (MLB) started in the late 1960s and were characterized by the ongoing disputes between the owners and the players that resulted in the following hard bargaining agreements, work stoppages and lockouts: a)1st and 2nd Basic Agreement – was a contract that 1) significantly increased the minimum salary of all the players and 2) established a protocol that players could follow to air their grievances.The agreements came as a response mechanism that was used by U. S. owners who wanted to avoid the competitive pressure that had been created by the Mexican League in terms of U. S player salaries. In 1946, the Mexican Baseball League had begun hiring U. S. players and the U. S owners wanted to avoid a bidding war with the Mexican Lea gue essay writer help. In 1953, the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) was formed to serve as the player’s main bargaining body and in response, the owners formed the Major League Player Relations Committee (PRC) to serve as their main negotiating body. )3rd Basic Agreement – the MLBPA was demanding that the pension fund surplus of $1 million should be used to offset the increased cost of living but the PRC declined to budge. It was evident that both parties could not come to an agreement on how much money the owners should contribute to the player’s pension fund. The players went on strike in 1972 forcing the two sides to compromise on a contribution amount of $500,000. c)4th Basic Agreement – was a contract that 1) annihilated the reserve clause and 2) paved way for free agency.The owners implemented the reserve clause into the players’ contracts to ensure that the players could not offer their skills and services to the highest bi dder. This basically meant that the players could not switch teams and/or make more money elsewhere and dishonoring the clause would cause a player to be blacklisted from the MLB. However, the clause was challenged in 1976 after two players went to arbitration and won, by a 2 to 1 vote, the right to offer their services to the highest bidder thus killing the reserve clause. )5th Basic Agreement – the MLBPA and the PRC could not agree on how a team that was losing a free agent could be compensated thus making the players to go on strike prior to the start of the 1980 season. This forced both parties to agree on studying the free-agent compensation issue for a year after which they would regroup to revisit the issue. In 1981, the players went on strike again after the two parties failed to agree on the terms of free-agent compensation. This forced the parties to eventually reach an agreement stipulating that the team that had lost a player would in return receive a player from the signing team. )6th Basic Agreement – the MLBPA and the PRC would once again butt heads over pension contribution levels that had been agreed on in the 3rd Basic Agreement and the free-agent compensation that was agreed on in the 5th Basic Agreement. However, the two parties reached an agreement within a day to avoid a strike. f)7th Basic Agreement – in 1990, the owners tried to institute another lockout because the lack of a salary cap made it possible for large market teams to attract richer television contracts from local networks and offer players higher salaries.The owners were proposing a revenue sharing program that would mandate the larger market teams to share a portion of their revenue with the smaller market teams. The two parties reached an agreement 32 days later and the revenue sharing issue was put on hold temporarily. g)8th Basic Agreement – the owners realized that competition and financial disparity was hurting their profits while salary arb itration was driving up salary levels. They wanted salary arbitration eliminated, the salary cap introduced, free agency eligibility standards lowered and television revenue split equally with the players.However, the MLBPA rejected these proposals and the players went on strike for 232 days. The 8th Basic Agreement was agreed upon in late 1996 and it introduced the revenue sharing program that was put on hold in the 7th Basic Agreement but did not offer the owners the salary cap they had sought. h)9th Basic Agreement – the Curt Flood Act was passed in 1998 to reduce the chance of future strikes by making it possible for players to sue the owners if labor negotiations stalled. The issue of contraction was also put on hold after owners tried to eliminate competition and financial disparity by contracting/eliminating two teams from the MLB.The 9th Basic Agreement was reached by the two parties to avert another strike and it introduced the luxury tax as a way to slow down the ra te at which the players’ salaries was rising as well as save the upcoming post season. i)10th Basic Agreement – the upcoming negotiations were to take place to due to the 2002 contract that was set to expire at the end of 2006. However, a dark cloud loomed over the upcoming negotiations due to the past history of labor relations in MLB that was characterized by strikes, lockouts, lost revenue from the strikes and lockouts and unfavorable clauses that had been implemented into the players’ contracts.

Speech for Chinese Medicine

General Purpose: To inform. Specific Purpose: To inform my audience of an aspect of Chinese culture, which is is traditional Chinese medicine. Thesis: Traditional Chinese medicine is found in nearly all countries today, which I believe would be the result of intercultural communication. INTRODUCTION I. Hello! For my presentation, I am going to talk about a certain aspect of Chinese culture, which is traditional Chinese medicine. A. TCM, for short, is a practice still used in modern China and most of the United States. B. There are two types of TCM treatments commonly used today. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2009) 1. Herbs 2. Acupuncture C. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2009), herbs and acupuncture are the most common; however, other practices include 1. moxibustion 2. cupping 3. Chinese massage 4. mind-body therapy 5. and dietary therapy D. For this presentation, I will mainly talk about herbs and acupunctu re, since it is the most commonly used forms of TCM. II. Herbs and Accupuncture. A. Both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine have been used and studied for a wide range of conditions. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2009) 1. Acupuncture has been used for conditions such as a. back pain b. chemotherapy-included nausea c. depression d. osteoarthritis 2. Chinese herbal medicine has been used for conditions such as a. Cancer b. Heart disease c. Diabetes d. HIV/AIDS III. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2009), TCM is considered a form of alternative medicine. A. Alternative medicine is any healing practice that isn't conventional medicine.B. Alternative medicine may be based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence. (Hesketh & Zhu, 1997) C. Alternative medicine varies from country to country. (Hesketh & Zhu, 1997) [I know that culture, especially Chinese culture may differ from tow n to town in a region as large as China. The main aspects of Chinese culture include its literature, music, cuisine, martial arts, etc. , today I am only going to speak to you about one aspect which is our alternative medicine, but their very own medicine. ) BODY I. China is the only country in the world where Western medicine and traditional medicine are . . . [practiced] . . . alongside each other at every level of the healthcare system. † (Hesketh & Zhu, 1997) A. 40% of all health care delivered in China is Traditional Chinese Medicine. (Hesketh & Zhu, 1997) II. TCM practitioners use a variety of therapies in an effort to promote health and treat disease. The most commonly used are Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture. (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2009) A. Chinese herbal medicine 1.The Chinese materia medica (a pharmacological reference books used by TCM practitioners) contains hundreds of medicinal substances- primarily plants, but also s ome minerals and animal products- classified by their perceived action in the body. 2. Different parts of plants such as the leaves, roots, stems, flowers, and seeds are used. 3. Usually, herbs are combined in formulas and given as teas, capsules, tinctures, or powders. B. Acupuncture 1. By stimulating specific points on the body, most often by inserting thin metal needles through the skin, practitioners seek to remove blockages in the flow of qi. . moxibustion (burning moxa- a cone or stick of dried herb, usually mugwort- on or near the skin, sometimes in conjunction with acupuncture) 3. cupping (appyling a heated cup to the skin to create a slight suction) 4. mind-body therapy (qi gong and tai chi) III. â€Å"In spite of the advent of Western practices, the Chinese have never completely ceased to employ their own art of healing, mainly because it continued to fit into their specific philosophy of life, but also because it appears that in frequent cases it was good medicine† (Risse, 1997, p. 7). A. Chinese traditional medicine, the Ayurvedic medicine of India, Tibetan medicine, and other Eastern medical systems evolved, for the most part, independently of Western scientific medicine. B. â€Å"Until the twentieth century the Eastern and Western medical systems were each considered particularly efficacious [,which means, successful in producing a desired or intended result; effective. ] by their own practitioners [ who are people actively engaged in a discipline, or profession, esp. medicine]† (Eisenberg, 1985, p. 2) IV. In an article from the Skeptical Inquirer, Joe Nickell (2012) explains his experience, where he learned about â€Å"Chinese healing techniques. † A. Nickell (2012) explains the origins of traditional Chinese medicine. B. Nickell (2012) learned that TCM is based on the five elements. V. Khalsa (2011) wrote an article titled Ancient Chinese Secrets, which explains the five herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. A. Ginsen g B. Dong quai C. Schisandra D. Ho shou wu E. Astragalus VI.According to a newspaper article titled Chinese herbs that hurt, not heal, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is suffering from modern China's safety troubles and quality control. A. For centuries, traders bringing their Chinese herbs into this town made sure their first stop was the Medicine King Temple. They prayed to the Han Dynasty medical expert Pei Tong, whom the temple was built to honour, asking for their roots, fungus and berries to have the potency to cure the world's ills. The practice has long ceased, especially after the Chinese Communist Party came to power in 1949.VII. Chinese clamor for herbs to fight respiratory virus- U. N. Doctors inspect Beijing hospital A. Beijing – – The World Health Organization has no evidence to suggest that traditional Chinese medicine can prevent the spread of SARS, but the people in line at Tong Ren Tang Pharmacy don't care. There's a two-hour wait to buy herbs. Eve r since the popular Beijing Evening News newspaper ran a recipe Tuesday concocted by two experts in traditional Chinese medicine, thousands of people have rushed to pharmacies to buy the supposedly immunity-boosting elixir to†¦Conclusion I. TCM follows the belief that ancient Chinese followed many years ago, which is the same as the reasoning behind Chinese Universalism. Their reasoning include: 1. the Tao 2. the Yin and the Yang 3. and finally, the 5 elements, which are water, fire, wood, metal and earth. A. Chinese traditional thinking conceives of man as composed of the same elements as the universe. II. The origins of China's medical history are usually found in legends that come from the tradition of health care over several thousand years. A. nd where contemporary communities promises further insights into the nature of the human response to illness. B. Furthermore, medical historians and medical anthropologists have begun to focus their research on China, where a wealth of written sources permits III. References Eisenberg, D. (1985). Encouners with qi. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. Hesketh, T. , & Zhu, W. X. (1997). Health in China. traditional Chinese medicine: One country, two systems. British Medical Journal 315(7100), 115-117. Abstract retrieved April 5, 2012 from http://www. cbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles National Center for Complementary and Alternatice Medicine. (2009). Traditional Chinese Medicine. Retrieved April 5, 2012 from http://nccam. nih. gov Nickell, J. (2012). Traditional Chinese medicine: Views east and west. Skeptical Inquirer, 36(2), 18-20. Retrieved April 5, 2012, from Readers' Guide Full Text Mega on-line database (H. W. Wilson) Khalsa, K. P. S. (2011). Ancient Chinese secrets. Amazing Wellness, 3(3), 36-38. Retrieved April 7, 2012, from Readers' Guide Full Text Mega on-line database (H. W. 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