Discuss the causes and consequences of infertility for individuals, Essay

Discuss the causes and consequences of infertility for individuals, families and wider society - Essay Example In addition, infertility can also entail the inability to carry a pregnancy to full term leading to miscarriages (Perkins & Jackie, 2011, p.1). Infertility does not only affect the couple trying to have children but it also impacts greatly on their families and the wider society, especially in the contemporary western culture (Peters, Jackson & Rudge, 2011, p.130). Nevertheless, this topic remains a taboo issue that people do not want to talk about yet it interferes with the most fundamental human activity of building a family. Infertility is a very serious reproductive health problem that may result from a number of preventable and non-preventable conditions related to both males and females and it may have far-reaching consequences on the individuals trying to conceive, their families and the wider society. Infertility has numerous causes. Initially, people thought that only women were infertile but the truth is males-factor conditions are responsible for half of all the couples who are infertile. The non-preventable conditions that may cause infertility include various genetic, immunological, hormonal and anatomical problems that are responsible for preventing successful pregnancies (Solinger, 2013, p.100). The prevalence of non-preventable conditions is the same within and across populations and is responsible for causing infertility in five percent of all infertile couples. Most of the times infertility is due to preventable conditions and this is the reason why the variations in infertility rates are significant in any given population due to the preventable conditions being more or less prevalent in a given population. The preventable infertility causes are due to occupational or environmental factors and various infections (Kirch, 2009, p.782). There are some sexually transmitted infections (STIs) related to infertility such as gonorrhea (Fauser & Devroey, 2011). Since these symptoms

Factors influencing the success or failure of Small Business

Factors influencing the success or failure of Small Business Small businesses have certainly started to play an important role in the growth and development of a lot of economies in the world today, and they are becoming increasing popular. The reasons for this are not particularly hard to discern. Growing firms provide significant benefits to regions, with job generation, knowledge spillovers, economic multipliers, innovation drivers and cluster developments. The exact processes of growth and an analysis of the development and transitions from small to high growth rates and size development has generated limited study from an initial review of literature. The birth of new firms and their subsequent growth or failure has captivated the interest of researchers especially during the past decade and a half. The central theme dominating this segment of research focuses on the question of why Jason Fast Foods failed in their business. An initial review of literature on small firms reveals that many of them fail early in their lifecycles, presumably due to the many impediments and obstacles that they are unable to overcome. There is also the less than satisfactory growth rates observed among firms that survive the initial inception stage. Whereas the specific factor that led to the failure of this business was poor operational plan, a congregations of other factors was responsible for the failure of this business. This means that Jason Fast Foods failed because of a combination of poor product/service, marketing plan, operation plan and financial plan. The dynamics of changing demographics and consumer purchasing patterns, coupled with ever stronger competition, put increased pressure on Jason Fast Foods enterprises. This impacted a lot on the small business who had to devise new avenues for driving productivity and develop distinct competencies that was aimed at ensuring their survival. Basically, Jason Fast Foods suffered from limited information, finance, management time and experience and was vulnerable to environmental changes. The scale of operations was also low which meant that this firm did not benefit from the economies of scale which limited its operations and generally inhibited its growth and ability to develop and dominate the markets. The small firm sector has been described as very turbulent, with fluctuations in profits and sales being more imminent than larger firms, mainly because they are more likely to depend on single products or customers (Storey et al., 1987). Large firms on the other hand often exist becaus e competitive factors within industries make the use of economies of scale in productions which are necessary for survival. Operational factor that greatly contributed to the failure of Jason Fast Foods was the inability to attract higher quality people than its competitors. The differentiators between success and failures lie in the ability of a firm adopting strategies in the utilization of its capabilities that ensure the firm has higher quality people than its competitors, its able to develop and nurture its capabilities and that a culture is developed that encourages organizational learning. When competition intensified, the possession of these competencies became increasingly important for the firms continued success. Moreover, these were the distinctive capabilities that supported a market position that was valuable and difficult to imitate. The aim of developing and improving the resources basses and capabilities are aimed at achieving a strategic fit between resources and the opportunities that will ensure for added value from the effective deployment of resources. The overall inability to effect ively deploy resources for the best operational practice was inhibited by its scarcity. In addition to the above, the interaction between competitive advantage and distinctive competencies are well researched issues that Jason Fast Foods failed to exploit. The general concurrence is that firms that develop and exploit their distinctive capabilities and key competencies generally outperform their rivals and are able thrive in the said markets. For example, Day (1994) found that smaller firms that chose to compete with clearly defined strategies outperformed those firms with a less clearly defined focus. These believe is supported by Armstrong (2007) who found a close correlation between the entrepreneurial orientation of firms and the possession of a wide assortment of distinctive competencies. Operational inefficiency deprived Jason Fast Foods the ability to find a close correlation between its entrepreneurial orientation and the possession of a wide assortment of distinctive competencies. The role of financial factor contribution to the failure of Jason Fast Foods was precipitated by the skyrocketing health care and energy costs, tightening credit conditions and increasing labor costs. Generally, the small businesses are facing a challenging economic environment. The major constraints that were facing Jason Fast Foods can be broadly categorized into four groups that are cost factors, credit conditions, trade competitiveness and industry metrics (HSBC, 2005). The major cost factors associated with doing business in America for the small businesses stems from the health care, oil, natural gas, retirement and savings and total employee compensation and regulatory costs (HSBC, 2005). These costs continue to rise by day, meaning that the proprietors of Jason Fast Foods were receiving the same amounts of inputs to run their businesses but at a higher cost. These increased costs limited the ability of Jason Fast Foods to purchase new equipments, hire new employees and expand businesses. The most significant increase in these costs has been the rising oil and natural gas prices. Additionally, the employees compensation costs have also grown, coupled with increased health care and medical costs which continued to impact on the bottom line of Jason Fast Foods. Another constraint that led to the failure of this firm was with credit conditions and access to credit. A lot of researchers agree that business financing is a key ingredient to business success through the provision of the ability for entrepreneurs to start or develop an existing business. As Child (1972) intones, capital availability ebbs and flows as business cycles evolve, essentially meaning that enough capital resources should be available at all stages of growth. The major contributing ingredients to the ease with which small business can gain access to capital encompasses such issues as budget deficits, commercial and industrial loans, interest rates and venture capital. For example, most credit that is extended to businesses either in the form of credit cards or commercial loans are tied to the prime rending rates, which are dictated by the overall operating conditions. These are basically reflected by the prevailing rending rates, which have been rising of late with severe implication on the cost of doing business. The fact that Jason Fast Foods encountered more difficulties in generating alternative financing (example through issuance of stock or commercial paper) become more resilient, meaning that they were being forced to pay high interest costs to secure a loan to finance ventures. This was compounded by the fact that interest rates are usually higher as private sources of capital compete with the public sector for investors in an economy, meaning that borrowing costs continues to rise regardless of growths in the economy. The end result is that small businesses are hugely disadvantaged. Without favorable credit conditions, entrepreneurs will either pay higher prices for capital or forgo adequate capitalization all together (HSBC, 2005). Another constraint faced by Jason Fast Foods that led to its failure was with regards to growth and development and the competitiveness of the operative industry. The major factors as regards competitiveness usually stem from trade deficits and the trends and manufactures new order. The contentious issues are that while the increased globalization has provided business owners with the opportunity to market and sell their goods abroad, small business have continually struggled and failed to exploit the potential. All the above factors clearly illustrate the major difficulties faced by small business in their endeavors that eventually led to the failure of Jason Fast Foods. While the same factors have been found to also impact on the larger counterparts, a clear deduction can be discerned that the impacts have greater implications on the small businesses.

Kids’ Shoes

Have your children's feet measured when buying shoes, since what might seem comfortable to them for a minute or two in the store is very different from what will be comfortable after a day of playing. Feet should be measured while standing, and always have both feet measured. Since one foot is usually larger than the other, buy shoes to accommodate the larger of the two feet.When your child is wearing the shoes, and their feet are fully extended (watch for toe crunching!), there should be a bit of room between the edge of the shoe toe and the edge of your child's toes – about a half inch.With the rate children outgrow shoes, it's probably tempting to buy shoes that are too big, but you should never buy shoes that are more than one size  too large for your child. Shoes that are too big can cause a child to trip and develop foot problems while trying to walk in shoes that are too large.Obviously a shoe that has too tight of a heel will cause discomfort, but having shoes that a re too loose is also very problematic. The heel of the shoes should rest snugly but not tightly around your the back of the child's heel.As adults, we often say we're â€Å"breaking in† a pair of shoes – this is really a bad idea for anyone, but particularly for kids. Shoes need to be immediately comfortable – don't allow for a breaking in period or expect shoes to get more comfortable over time – they need to fit and feel good now. Children's shoes should have laces, velcro or some other fastening system. As a general rule, avoid backless or slip-on shoes for kids.Look for shoes made from breathable materials, such such as canvas or leather. In addition to being more durable, they will help to keep the child's foot cooler and dryer, helping to prevent blisters, discomfort, and smelly shoes.While they may look cute, always avoid heels on children's shoes. Not only is it difficult for kids to walk in heels, they are particularly bad for proper foot develop ment. When it comes to children's shoes, stick with flats and even soles.Look for a pattern or textured sole, as this will provide traction and help prevent your child from easily slipping on slick surfaces.Soles should be sturdy and thick enough to protect the feet from pain and injury, but the sole also needs to be flexible too so that it will bend with the foot.Once you've found shoes that fit and are appropriately designed for a child's feet, allow your children some input as to which shoes they prefer. It's bound to make for a better shopping experience if they get to choose a color or design they like from shoes that fit well and are appropriate for growing feet.

Search of Identity in Society

Identity can be generally defined as the personal characteristics and traits which differentiate each individual from the other, however in â€Å"The myth of the Latin woman: I just met a girl named Maria† by Cofer, Judith Ortiz and â€Å"The joy of reading and writing: superman and me† by Alexei Sherman, both authors demonstrate the theme identity in a different manner. Judith Cofer portrays how the society often stereotype individuals into groups without a doubt, in this particular essay, the offensive stereotype of Latino women without any particular reason but merely due to their identity.Alexei Sherman in â€Å"The joy of reading and writing: superman and me† also describes how society can have an impact on one’s identity; however Alexei was determined to build himself and challenge the society despite of its expectations. Similarities in this particular comparison overcome the differences; the similarities which are clearly seen between these two sho rt stories are how the society belittles people and stereotype them simply due to their identity. Another common theme between both stories is multiculturalism and how it’s faced.The difference however is how each author dealt with this stereotyping and how they defined their own identity despite of how people interrupted it for them. Expectations can alter the way a person feels about living their life the way they desire. Society determines and expects a role that every individual must perform according to who they are such as: age, gender, race, ethnic etc. In the essay the â€Å"The joy of reading and writing: superman and me†, the author talks about his life as an Indian boy and how writing and reading shaped his life to what it is today.Sherman talks about how as an Indian boy living in a reservation in the United States, Indians were expected to fail and be uneducated; but because he was â€Å"smart, arrogant and lucky† he broke the mold and became a crea tive writer. In Cofer’s case there were no mold’s to be broken but merely society’s perception about Latinas. She collects all the misconceptions of Latin women, comparing them with her personal experiences Our perception of anything can change and the way we view our selves can sometimes be altered by the events that happen in our life, our self-image and self-esteem can be also altered by these events too.Cofer, in her autobiographical short story describes how she feels like an object of sexual desire and a person of lower class because of her Puerto Rican ethnicity. She starts the essay by reliving an incident which happened to her with a drunken man who re-enacted â€Å"Maria† from West Side Story even though she was aggravated, she tried to keep her cool when everyone around her was laughing and applauding. The author shows how the society degrades her because she is simply Latina regardless of the fact that is she an educated women seeking knowledg e from Oxford university.Later she states, â€Å"I do not wear my diplomas around my neck†- By this Cofer implies that there are many other women exactly like her, Latin women who do have the advantage of an education, however other individuals within societies racial misconceptions lead them to believe that every Latin woman is either a â€Å"housemaid† or a â€Å"counter girl†- which is obviously not the case. Cofer continues to subjectively analyses and defends the negative stereotypes that Latin women encounter.Since something can be natural in a determined culture and offensive in another, it is easy to find a variety of behaves that are misunderstood. This misunderstood is what promotes the existence of prejudice. She collects all the misconceptions of Latin women, comparing them with her personal experiences. Eventually the author tries to deliver a message, a â€Å"universal truth†, is to try to replace the old pervasive stereotypes, individuals s hould not be judged entirely due to their place of origin, â€Å"skin color, accent or cloths† but should be seen for who they truly are.Cofer emphasizes that â€Å"we cannot change this (the myth of Latina as whore, domestic or criminal) by legislating the way people look at us the transformation, as I see it, has to occur at a much more individual level†. Again this is something which is also seen in Sherman’s essay and it’s evident from his writing. Sherman says he saw the world in paragraphs, this is a metaphoric term he created.   

Flowers in the Dustbin essays

Flowers in the Dustbin essays The sixties were turbulent times in American culture. With war, racism, and a changing society, the nation needed a way to channel their thoughts and emotions. Music became this channel. Some of the best music in the history of the America came from this time of social insecurity. Creative minds seemed to unite to provide a voice for the people and comfort them in unsure times. With this creativity and social unrest came the use of drugs and the freedom of sex. Music in the sixties helped, hindered, and left us with perhaps one of the most memorable styles of music known to America. Music from the sixties helped the generation cope with many of the puzzling issues that plagued society in this decade. Music gave America motivation for social change, a form of expression, and boosted hopes and morale for our soldiers in Vietnam. The music of any specific era is like a mirror reflecting the concerns of a culture at that specific time. Sometimes it reflects these images in an indirect way, sometimes very directly. The decade of the sixties was a revolutionary and turbulent time for social and political change. The music and musical styles of the sixties reflected American culture and had an effect on the political activism for which the sixties are best remembered. Sixties music can be distinguished from other periods by three main characteristics. First, it reflected the new sexual permissiveness by including obviously sexy lyrics. Second, until the mid-1950's, popular music was aimed at both teenager and their parents. During the sixties, a "youth culture" formed that was distinct from the rest of society. "Third, until the mid-fifties, both popular music musicians and their audiences were overwhelmingly middle-class and white. During the sixties this changed when a number of divergent forces came together to create a new kind of music and a particular audience for that music. One major force was the mass migratio...

Chemistry Abbreviations Starting with W, X, Y, Z

Chemistry Abbreviations Starting with W, X, Y, Z Chemistry abbreviations and acronyms are common in all fields of science. This collection offers common abbreviations and acronyms beginning with the letter W, X, Y, or Z used in chemistry and chemical engineering. Chemistry Abbreviations Starting with the Letter W W - TungstenW - WattW5 - Which Was What We WantedWA - Weak AcidWAC - Weak Acid CationWB - Water BasedWB - Weak BaseWB - Weak BondWBA - Weak Base AnionWC - Water CosolventWCS - Worst Case ScenarioWD - Water DispersantWD - Water DisplacementWD - Wet/DryWIAP - Water In All PhasesWIN - Water Insoluble NitrogenWNA - World Nuclear AssociationWO - Weak OxidizerWP - White PhosphorusWPS - Water Phase SaltWR - Water RepellentWS - Wash SolutionWS - Water SolubleWSPI - Water-Soluble Phosphorous, InorganicWSPO - Water-Soluble Phosphorous, OrganicWSS - Water Soluble StabilizerWST - Weighted Settling TimeWSNZ - Water Soluble ZincWV - Water VaporWVDA - Water Vapor Diffusion AnalysisWVM - Water Vapor MonitorWVN - Water Vapor NitrogenWVP - Water Vapor PermeabilityWVT - Water Vapor TransportWW - Waste WaterWWIX - Waste Water Ion eXchangeWYOL - Write Your Own LabWYOLA - Write Your Own Lab AssignmentWYU - What You Use Chemistry Abbreviations Starting with the Letter X XAG - Silver Troy OunceXAU - Gold Troy OunceXAN - XANthineXDB - eXtra Dense BondingXe - XenonXLS - Xenon Light SourceXOD - Xanthine OxidaseXPD - Palladium Troy OunceXPT - Platinum Troy OunceXUM - X-ray Ultra-MicroscopeXYD - XYliDine Chemistry Abbreviations Starting with the Letter Y y - yoctoY - YottaY - YttriumYb - YtterbiumYBCO - Yttrium Barium Copper OxideYAG - Yttrium Aluminum GarnetYAP - Yield Analysis PatternYBG - Your Best GuessYCC - American Chemical Society Younger Chemists CommitteeYd - YardYIC - Yttrium Lithium FluorideYZN - Yellow ZiNc dichromate Chemistry Abbreviations Starting with the Letter Z z - zeptoZ - ZettaZn - ZincZB - Zinc BlendeZC - Zinc CompositeZCG - Zeolite Crystal GrowthZCR - Zinc ChromiumZCS - Zinc Coated SteelZDC - Zero Degrees KelvinZEKE - Zero Electron Kinetic EnergyZINC - Zinc Is Not CopperZK - Zero KelvinZP - Zero PressureZr - ZirconiumZRE - Zinc Responsive Element

Critical research and individualism Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical research and individualism - Coursework Example The field of nursing research helps in integrating the various aspects of patient care including biological, social, emotional, as well as scientific and philosophical that have a direct and far-reaching impact on the provision of healthcare. The recent developments in the field of nursing science play a key role in influencing and shaping the discipline of nursing through a range of philosophical approaches. This essay aims to assess the various philosophical underpinnings of this profession, the implications of nursing theories in practice, and a critical analysis of various competing theories of scientific method, particularly the critical theory and the concept of individualism. Critical social theory: The critical social theory has been recently gaining increasing significance in the field of nursing science due to its philosophical approach towards understanding of science. The concept of individual liberty is somewhat restricted in contemporary society due to a range of socio- political restrictions. Such restrictive policies which are rampant across all sections of the society tend to have various negative implications on individuals due to its dominant presence as an integral element of the societal structure resulting in oppression of individual expression. The critical analysis of a given situation helps in highlighting the issue of oppression and the socially constructed borders on human freedom. The critical social theory helps in understanding the manner in which the dominant social values affect and influence the profession of nursing and subsequently the health and welfare of the society at large (Munhall, 2011). The critical social theory is hence involved in transforming existing social orders with a view to influence and coax a positive change in the social norms and hence the power relations to enable greater freedom and promote the greater social and moral values of equality, freedom, and justice (Hitchcock, Schubert, and Thomas, 2003). The field of nursing, being a 'practice science', is essentially involved in pursuing the primary goal of nursing inquiry and knowledge development in order to enable informed decision making and application of the same in practice in ways which are both - socially relevant as well as scientifically sound (Browne, 2000). This theory plays a key role in elucidating the relationship between theory and practice. It insists that the relationship between nursing theory and practice is reflexive in nature thus implying that 'theory feeds into practice, and practice informs theory' (Daly, Speedy, and Jackson, 2009: 116). According to Mill, Allen, and Morrow (2001) critical theory has the ability to "provide the broad philosophical foundation required by the discipline of nursing" (p. 112). The potential contributions of critical social theory in the field of nursing as well as its philosophical implications are fundamental to the field of nursing and healthcare delivery in general. The applica tion of critical social theory has been widely recommended by various nursing theorists for specific research, as a guide to nursing research and to use as a framework for developing the discipline. According to Habermas (1968 qtd. in Browne, 2000) "critically oriented science should produce emancipatory knowledge that promotes social change and a more just society" (Browne, 2000: 40). Individualism: Individualism is one of the most basic foundations on which