Invitation to Sociology Essay

Peter L. Berger (1963, pp. 23–24) [2] noted in his classic book Invitation to Sociology, â€Å"The first wisdom of sociology is this—things are not what they seem.† Social reality, he said, has â€Å"many layers of meaning,† and a goal of sociology is to help us discover these multiple meanings. He continued, â€Å"People who like to avoid shocking discoveries†¦should stay away from sociology.† As Berger was emphasizing, sociology helps us see through conventional understandings of how society works. He referred to this theme of sociology as the debunking motif. By â€Å"looking for levels of reality other than those given in the official interpretations of society† (p. 38), [3] Berger said, sociology looks beyond on-the-surface understandings of social reality and helps us recognize the value of alternative understandings. In this manner, sociology often challenges conventional understandings about social reality and social institutions . For example, suppose two people meet at a college dance. They are interested in getting to know each other. What would be an on-the-surface understanding and description of their interaction over the next few minutes? What do they say? If they are like a typical couple who just met, they will ask questions like, What’s your name? Where are you from? What dorm do you live in? What’s your major? Now, such a description of their interaction is OK as far as it goes, but what is really going on here? Does either of the two people really care that much about the other person’s answers to these questions? Isn’t each one more concerned about how the other person is responding, both verbally and nonverbally, during this brief interaction? For example, is the other person paying attention and smiling? Isn’t this kind of understanding a more complete analysis of these few minutes of interaction than an understanding based solely on the answers to questions like, What’s your major? For the most complete understanding of this brief encounter, then, we must look beyond the rather superficial things the two people are telling each other to uncover the true meaning of what is going on. As another example, consider the power structure in a city or state. To know who has the power to make decisions, we would probably consult a city or state charter or constitution that spells out the powers of the branches of government. This written document would indicate who mak es decisions and has  power, but what would it not talk about? To put it another way, who or what else has power to influence the decisions elected officials make? Big corporations? Labor unions? The media? Lobbying groups representing all sorts of interests? The city or state charter or constitution may indicate who has the power to make decisions, but this understanding would be limited unless one looks beyond these written documents to get a deeper, more complete understanding of how power really operates in the setting being studied.

Essay on Edgar Allen Poe’s Fall of House of Usher

Bipolar disorder affects many people today as well as in the time of Edgar Allen Poe when it was then called melancholia. Poe was diagnosed with this disorder and it plays an integral role in his story, â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† (1839). This story is heavily influenced by this disorder or its presently associated symptoms and also describes one way that bipolar disorder can genetically affect an entire family. To fully understand a story involving this disorder, it is cardinal to know the exact definition of bipolar disorder, as well as its symptoms and previous aliases.The Oxford English Dictionary defines bipolar disorder as: â€Å"a form of mental illness characterized by one or more episodes of mania typically accompanied by one or more episodes of major depression† (Cite? ). Some terms used for what is now considered bipolar disorder include melancholia and manic depression. Melancholia is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as: â€Å"A pathologic al state of despondency; severe depression; severe endogenous depression, with loss of interest and pleasure in normal activities, disturbance of sleep and appetite, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, and thoughts of death or suicide. (Cite? ). The first person to associate melancholia and madness as two parts of the same disease was Araeteus from Cappadocia (30-90 AD) (Skeppar 8). Manic Depression is actually included as an equivalent term to bipolar disorder in the Oxford English Dictionary. (Cite? ) There are four main stages of bipolar disorder: hypomania, mania, depressed, and mixed. Hypomania and mania share similar symptoms such as racing thoughts, increased physical activity, lack of sleep and hunger, and heightened sensitivity. Hypomania also has a distinct symptom labeled as an increase in goal directed activity.The depression stage includes symptoms such as constant depression, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation, energy loss, trouble thinking, and indecisive ness. As expected the mixed stage has some common symptoms as the other stages and also more severe such as thoughts of death and suicidal ideations. These symptoms previously mentioned play an immense role in diagnosing the character of Roderick Usher. It is common knowledge that bipolar disorder has symptoms of mood swings both high and low which is why it is justly named.Not commonly known, however, is the link between artistry and this disorder (Jamison). The wise Aristotle is quoted as saying, â€Å"Why is it that all men who are outstanding in philosophy, poetry or the arts are melancholic? † (Jamison 51). A side note to this is evident when Jamison states: â€Å"The manic drive in its controlled form and phase is of value only if joined to ability† (Jamison 55). The artistic tendencies frequently common with bipolar syndrome help the reader to diagnose Roderick Usher in the story â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher†.It is overwhelmingly clear that throug hout Poe’s story, Roderick Usher suffers from bipolar disorder. It is clear from early on in the story that Usher is suffering not only from depression, but also from an illness in his mind as shown in his letter to the narrator: â€Å"The writer spoke of acute bodily illness — of a mental disorder which oppressed him — and of an earnest desire to see me, as his best, and indeed his only personal friend, with a view of attempting, by the cheerfulness of my society, some alleviation of his malady. † (Poe).The narrator also notices his mood swings evidenced by the different ways in which he would talk displayed by this passage: â€Å"His voice varied rapidly from a tremulous indecision (when the animal spirits seemed utterly in abeyance) to that species of energetic concision — that abrupt, weighty, unhurried, and hollow-sounding enunciation — that leaden, self-balanced and perfectly modulated guttural utterance, which may be observed in the lost drunkard, or the irreclaimable eater of opium, during the periods of his most intense excitement. † (Poe). Another way that Usher displays signs of bipolar disorder is through his artistic expression.Not only does he paint, but he also reads heavily and plays musical instruments which shown a sign of increased goal related activity. Also, Usher â€Å"suffered much from a morbid acuteness of the senses; the most insipid food was alone endurable; he could wear only garments of certain texture; the odors of all flowers were oppressive; his eyes were tortured by even a faint light; and there were but peculiar sounds, and these from stringed instruments, which did not inspire him with horror. † (Poe). This heightened sensitivity is evidence of the mania stage associated with bipolar syndrome.Also, a possible episode of mania would be the scene involving Usher’s sister coming from the dead. This could surely be seen as an hallucination and sign of a manic episode. To recap, Usher has symptoms from the hypomania, mania, and depressed stages meaning the ailment that he suffers from is not melancholia, but instead a modern case of bipolar or manic depression disorder. One reason for a character in a story having a particular disorder would be that the author has real life experience with it. Such is the case with Edgar Allen Poe and â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher†.Poe most definitely suffered from what would now be considered a form of manic-depression disorder. During his final year on Earth, he showed signs of mania, constantly relocating to various cities (Meyers 244). Also during this year, he is reported as saying to a friend named Frederic Thomas: â€Å"You will be pleased to hear that I am in better health than I ever knew myself to be- full of energy and bent on success. † (Meyers 245). This evidence of a prolonged state of mania or even hypomania as he reports having an increase in energy, goal related activated, an d seems to be experiencing delusions of grandeur.He also experienced stages of depression including binges of drinking and even hallucinations (Meyers 252). Poe also had a recorded attempt of suicide in November 1848 (Meyers 252). According to Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison, â€Å"Poe was scarcely alone in suffering from both manic-depressive illness and alcohol and drug abuse† (Jamison 37). Jamison seems to have diagnosed Poe with manic-depression or bipolar disorder. From other places in Jamison’s book, Touched with Fire: Manic Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament, it’s reasonable to believe that Poe’s artistry most likely stems from his disorder allowing him to be even more creative.Perhaps Poe’s own psychological problems influenced his portrayal of Usher in this short story. As aforementioned, both Poe and his fictitious character Roderick Usher suffer from bipolar disorder. This was not by coincidence. It seems clear that Poe’s re asoning for this is to give the public a way to see inside Poe’s on diseased mind and better understand not only his works, but also himself. An author’s best ways to display his own problems are to weave them into a story as is done in â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher. † One can better understand his mind through a story than with descriptions of his symptoms alone.Bipolar disorder is a hereditary disease. According to Dr. Francis J. McMahon of the National Institute of Mental Health in regards to the genetic inheritance of this disorder, â€Å"about two-thirds of the risk for bipolar disorder can be explained by genes† (â€Å"NIH†). This information is known due to twin studies: if one identicle twin has manic depression then it is a 60 to 80% likelihood that the other twin has it (â€Å"NIH’). The genetic inheritance of this disorder amongst sufferers is around 79 to 93% (Backlund 501). This means that most manic-depressive people ac quired the trait from family members instead of from environmental factors alone.The exact genes that cause bipolar disorder are not yet known but different genes have been isolated (Jamison 16). One of these possible genes could be the P2RX7 gene (Backlund 501). This gene affects the way in which dopamine is unleashed in the brain which brings about its association with the manic episodes of manic-depression (Backlund 501). The heredity of bipolar disorder plays an interesting role in â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher†. Roderick Usher inherited his manic-depressive disorder in a modernly bizarre way: through inbreeding.Usher belong to a wealthy prominent family as shown by his massive, gothic style house. Many of these wealthy families practiced inbreeding in order to keep bloodlines strong and to prevent the spreading of wealth. This is shown when the narrator says â€Å"I had learned, too, the very remarkable fact, that the stem of the Usher race, all time-honored as i t was, had put forth, at no period, any enduring branch; in other words, that the entire family lay in the direct line of descent, and had always, with very trifling and very temporary variation, so lain† (Poe).This quote visibly projects an image of inbreeding as it says the family tree was essentially bare of branches. Due to the influence that genetics plays on bipolar disorder, if one person in his family had it then he is also likely to have it. A lack of genetic diversity means that many other people in his family most likely suffered from the same disorder as him. It seems likely that his sister also suffered due to the constant presence of a doctor in the house.Early on in the story, the narrator says that the family for generations had been interested in music and the sciences (Poe). When looking at this through a bipolar perspective, these interests could be a derivative of an entire family suffering from the same disorder. Another note is that the narrator says that â€Å"’House of Usher’ — an appellation which seemed to include, in the minds of the peasantry who used it, both the family and the family mansion† (Poe) Therefore, when the House of Usher crumbles at the end of the story; perhaps it is in reality the crumbling of Usher’s mind.The correlation between inbreeding in this story and bipolar disorder is strong. By knowing the way in which inbreeding affects bipolar sufferers, one can better understand the story. Also, the knowledge of Poe’s melancholia can also explain why this story may have been written: to portray this disorder in a way in which people can better understand it. A better understanding of these disorder not only helps people understand the mysterious mind of Poe, but also people they may encounter in real life.

Impacts of Globalization on an Economy Essay

Globalization is a phenomenon, which demonstrates a significant growth in the overall international trade of goods, services and other financial assets as observed in an economy. Globalization also commonly refers to a situation where in one country highly interacts with other countries or economies via trade, competition or investments. In such situations any change taking place in one economy and lead to significant impacts and changes in the economies and financial situations of other economies and countries. Globalization is also a situation where in the performances and economies of multiple countries across the globe become interrelated to each another and the impact of changes in any one economy can cause significant changes in other economies. There are different ways by which globalization can have some impact on an economy. The first and the most crucial way is through the changes taking place in the policy. Different countries adopt different policies but in the case of globalization, it is often observed that the policies of one economy are adjusted slightly in order to make them align to the policies of other economies. Thus, the use of policy is one major aspect that leads to the impact of globalization on an economy. One of the very common example of how globalization affects economic policies is that the central banks of any country do not have the privilege of lowering their inflation targets because under globalization purview, inflation cannot be used as a tool in order to manage or change the demand or supply functions in a country. Globalization also significantly affects the trade taking place from one country. A country is usually involved into some form of exports, as well as imports and the prices and the exchange rates for such trade and export and import are shown to be highly dependent on the globalization. Thus, the economies change significantly because of the globalization and the global exports and imports taking place from a country. Innovation and growth are two important pillars of an economy and both of these factors are highly affected by globalization. Globalization is shown to lead to innovation, which in turn affects the overall development of an economy. The productivity and the prices of any goods being exported or imported from a country are highly affected by globalization, thus affecting the entire economy. Thus, we see that there is a strong connection between globalization and the development or non-development of an economy. In a situation where the economies of different countries are highly correlated to each other, it is important for the countries to work according to the international scenario. Globalization can act in the favor or not in the favor of an economy depending on the situation but definitely has an impact on all economies. Reference: http://classof1.com/homework-help/international-economics-homework-help/

Technology for Climate Change Mitigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Technology for Climate Change Mitigation - Essay Example With reference to Yamaguchi, climate change and agriculture are connected. This implies that climate change is contributed to through agricultural practices while on the other hand, agriculture sectors suffer most due to the implications of climate change in the globe. The primary source of climate change draws links to the agricultural activities in the environment. Therefore, it is of great essence to draw a climate change mitigation technology within the agricultural sphere. Different greenhouse gases are emitted through agricultural activities in the environment. For instance; use of fertilizers, land conversion to agriculture and biomass burning contribute to Nitrous oxide. Rice paddy cultivation, biomass burning and ruminants contribute to methane gas, while the aerosol sprays contribute to chlorofluorocarbons. Nitrogen Oxide Mitigation TechnologyThe agricultural by-products involving the diverse kinds of fertilizers and their technological applications and related land uses ad d to over 62% of Nitrogen oxide. There are two sources of nitrous oxide in the agricultural field. These are from the animal rearing and plant or crop growing. The animal husbandry practices produce larger amounts of nitrous oxide than the gardening practices. Though for efficiency in controlling nitrous oxide emissions in the agricultural fields, technologies are integrated with between. Nitrous oxide accounts for approximately 7.9% of greenhouse gases in totality. Nitrification and urease inhibitors technology highly applies to this study.

Management Development Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Management Development - Coursework Example In this study the Anglo Saxon and the French management development styles are explored to find the difference in their respective styles of management. For this diversity in the management style there are mainly four reasons that influence this cultural difference. Firstly, organizations with different Power distance or hierarchical structures have different power levels and thus creating a structural difference in the organization. Secondly, organizations sometimes have employees who try to avoid uncertain situations and some times have a responsible manager who ambitiously likes to tackle risks. The third factor is Individualism. With high individualism managers are more hard working takes initiatives in different actions. Finally, with high masculinity employees are very stressful and the workplaces are not very employee friendly. Based on these practices within the organization different management styles have evolved in different parts of the world (Vedpuriswar, n.d., p.1). Ang lo Saxon styles of management development The Anglo Saxons are the Germanic tribes in the east and the south of Great Britain. Migrating tribes of the German into the Britain which is now known as northern Germany mainly comprises of three types of people i.e. Angles, Saxons and the Jutes. Anglo-Saxon countries have many similarities between the British and Canadian, US-American and also Australian cultures of business strategies. The main reason behind this similarity is due to the reason of immigration of all these countries are from the same origin Great Britain. Because of this reason the language spoken by these countries are also same to some extent. In Anglo-Saxon culture of business it is mainly done through well connected network of some third party. They feel more comfortable in doing businesses with the people whom they like or they trust very well. The Anglo Saxons are generally more interested in doing business with some long term relationship rather than doing business with quick deal. While doing business they often use humors and understatements to confuse opponents which results in the delay of business. They avoid sensitive topics like religious, poor service and sexuality in their meetings or small discussion. The British culture of business is mainly hierarchical. They have a tendency of giving orders to the people who are under their power and on the other hand talking and discussing topics with the top management. The hierarchy is very strongly maintained within each organization business culture. But they like to work in teams and also they have a strong sense of fair play. With the hierarchical structure of business the employees reach a business decision but the boss or the top management is the final decision approver in this type of business organization. In this business model the functional areas of finance, accountancy and the law department are most valued of all. Thus it results in underrepresentation of technical qualification of people even if they are managers of the firms. In Anglo Saxon business organization status of the R & D departments are very lower. They believe in on the job training system for their organization rather than educational

Supreme Court Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Supreme Court - Assignment Example t the Supreme Court is expected to carry out constitutional review in order to equalize the constitution with the major changes that have taken place in the land for the last 223 years since the constitution was ratified. It is true that the constitution was ratified during that time to conform to the then demographic, social, industrial and technological structures. These have duly changed; hence, amendment to the constitution is also required. The Supreme Court in so doing should take a non-originalist point of view as these people give a more substantial weighting to precedent, consequences and to the natural law. It therefore means that, the non-originalists will not just take precedents the way they are, but give them some analysis and weighting before considering them. Considering the Supreme Court ruling on the gay rights, the Supreme Court actually had to amend the constitution from how it had been allow people from same sex to enjoy certain rights and privileges which they were deprived of earlier. It therefore means that, after the issue being contested in the Supreme Court for Nine Circuits, the court finally found no reason for depriving people of same sex their right to marry (Adam, 2013). This decision was based on the non-originalist view that looked into the other precedents keenly to allow the constitution make amendments in favor of those who wanted to have same sex

Healthypeople Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Healthypeople - Essay Example People now tend to behave as consumers, through more responsibilities and choices they become more active participants in improving and managing their healthcare. Consumerism is evident in the healthy people 2020 as the healthy people strives to identify the improvements to be made in the health department, increase the public understanding and awareness in the determinants of disability health and disease and identify research, evaluation and the needs for data collection. The healthy people 2020 aims at ensuring that the consumers of heath care are more informed, healthier and, more collaborative (Braveman, 2014, p.29) The institute of medicine in the healthy people 2020 focuses on the consumers as they aim at the promotion of health and giving objectives for disease prevention. These reports give guidance and create awareness on different types of diseases and the best methods of prevention. Through this reports the consumers get up to date information regarding healthcare and are able to take better care of themselves, an example includes the article written on type 2 diabetes prevention. The consumers should be open to the information provided to them and should take it seriously in order to benefit from it and improve their health status (Finkelman,

Abortion Issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Abortion Issue - Essay Example Regarding the abortion dilemma, here we should adhere to the point that killing a person is a bad action, probably the worst thing to do, according to Kantian Deontology. If a fetus is a person, killing it through abortion beyond dispute is an immoral action, because it has intrinsically immoral roots. Moreover, taking into consideration the fact that a fetus is a person that can’t protect itself and completely depends on another human being, abortion appears to be an extremely atrocious kind of murder. According to Kant, such act as murder shouldn’t be committed under any circumstances ever, because it violates any rules of morality and doing it is unfair towards another person; especially if this person is a weaker vessel which a fetus is. Mill’s position on the matter of abortion is less strict and flexible than the Kantian one. Mill’s Utilitarian doctrine is based on the Greatest Happiness Principle, which claims that people should correlate their acti ons and decisions with their own utility; they should also don’t make any harm to other people, trying to reduce the overall quantity of unhappiness in the world. The fact that a fetus is a person and has a right to live seems to make the resolution of the abortion issue similar to the Kantian one because killing a person can’t bring much happiness to normal people. If to pay closer attention to different circumstances that make women bent on abortion, it turns out that in some cases abortion can be a moral resolution of a case.

Explain how the introduction of a minimum wage may affect the level of Essay

Explain how the introduction of a minimum wage may affect the level of employment in theory. Examine and critically assess the e - Essay Example When the government enforces the laws of minimum wages, then the market forces are disturbed and equilibrium ceases to exist creating a gap between the demand and supply, which is of labor in this case. The disequilibrium in theory results in a rise in the supply of labor but the demand reduces as the labor is now more costly. However, the magnitude by which this disequilibrium is caused depends upon the circumstances prevailing in each economy and varies from country to country which we will see later. The diagram to the right shows the labor market curve. When the market forces were independent and not disturbed, the market was in equilibrium that is the supply and demand curve intersected at a point which is known as the equilibrium point represented as L0 with the quantity of labor and W0 as the equilibrium wage rate. However, the market forces were disturbed and the minimum wage rate was introduced with the representation of Wmin. This created disequilibrium in the economy and t he supply and demand curves no longer intersect at the equilibrium point. There now is a gap between the demand and supply of labor which is equivalent to L2-L1 and this is the excess labor which is not required. Since the employment has gone down from L0 to L1, this shows that the implementation of a minimum wage policy results in a decline in unemployment in an economy. Several economists and business owner, small businesses in particular, have voiced their concerns that minimum wages will result in a rise in unemployment. The worst aspect of this rise in unemployment is the fact that the people who will be most affected are the poor people who are not too educated. When the minimum wage policy will be implemented, the costs of hiring on part of the employers will rise and they will be forced to wither cut the current staff or freeze their hiring programs. They think that the poor and uneducated people will be most affected since the policy is affecting only them. The educated or wealthy people are already employed on jobs at higher management levels and their current wages or salaries are nowhere near the minimum wages. It is the lower level staff whose wages are affected and hence the employers will be forced to take action against these employees. However, a liberal think tank with the name of Economic Policy Institute have conducted a research and it has suggested that there is little evidence to suggest that there is more or less no difference in the employment levels between states in America in some industries even though there is a difference in the minimum wage rates among the states. This suggests that the impact of an introduction of minimum wage policy is dependent upon other factors as well that is industry to industry in this case. This suggests that a minimum wage policy may not have such a significant impact as economists have previously suggested. As a matter of fact, it may even increase employment in some cases because the workers were act ually being paid less than the worth of revenue and profits that they were contributing to the firm economically. The findings have gone as far as suggesting that rather than creating disequilibrium in the market as a result of minimum wages, it may even help the market to come nearer to the equilibrium level by forcing the employers to pay a fairer wage to the employees. Furthermore, the employers always have the choice of reducing the supervision, training, and recruitment costs in order to balance

Qualities Important in Becoming an Officer in the United States Army Essay Example for Free

Qualities Important in Becoming an Officer in the United States Army Essay I don’t believe anyone could argue that it takes a good amount of leadership in order to become a successful United States Military Academy cadet, as well as an officer in the United States Army. This is almost certainly one of the first things someone would look for in a strong officer. A strong leader can impact his soldiers in various ways. If your soldiers don’t stand behind you, and don’t have faith in you, they are more prone to disagree with or disobey your orders. Aside from leadership, a USMA cadet should be able to easily demonstrate confidence. What good is an officer who knows what must be done, but cannot effectively stand in front of his soldiers and tell them what needs to be done? As an officer in the Army, there will be numerous times where you will need to speak to groups of soldiers of varying sizes. Whether it’s something as simple as giving a safety brief, or something more important such as a mission briefing, you will need to have confidence in yourself in order to accomplish this. A USMA cadet should also have integrity, which happens to be one of the seven army values as well. I define integrity as doing the right thing, even when you think no one is watching. Lacking integrity in the civilian world is one thing, however in the military it is incredibly more dangerous as it could result in the death of fellow soldiers or even yourself. For example if you’re on guard for the night and decide that you would rather catch up on your sleep, you are endangering yourself along with all your battle buddies. A successful Army officer is also going to benefit from having a willingness to learn. Although West Point will have done it’s very best to prepare you for the duties of an officer, there is only so much you can learn from a classroom environment. While a brand new 2nd Lieutenant Platoon Leader may outrank a Sergeant First Class, there is still a vast amount of knowledge that the new Lieutenant can pick up from that E7. In my short time in the Army I have noticed that the young Lieutenants are almost always willing to take advice from their senior noncommissioned officers. Another important quality in an Army officer is bravery. Even if you are not serving in a combat MOS, you never know when you will be required to be brave You also need to have the courage to stand up for what you believe in, and for what you know to be right. Another quality that will keep your soldiers on your side is loyalty. If you can’t stay loyal to your soldiers, they will not have as much motivation to stay loyal to you. That also ties into the obvious loyalty to your country that is required of any military member. There are so many integral qualities and morals that are required of an officer in the Army. Unfortunately I am restricted with the length of this essay, but I have tried to highlight what I believe to be some of the most important values that should be deep inside all officers. Without values and morals your character will most likely be lacking and who would want to follow you at that point?

Business Plan For Patel Electric Scooter Marketing Essay

Business Plan For Patel Electric Scooter Marketing Essay PATEL Electric Scooters will offer quality used electric scooters and electric scooter parts to a growing market of electric scooter hobbyists. PATEL Electric Scooters will sell new and second-hand electric scooters as well as accessories, such as jackets, boots, jeans, helmets, waxing products, childrens clothing, and spares. It will also repair and service electric scooters. Additional services such as insurance may be provided. Why are electric scooters better than gas ones?  · Environmentally Friendly: Zero tailpipe emissions. Save the planet!  · Lower Operating Costs: Approximately 1/20th of gas equivalents. And since gas prices continue to rise, this gap will only widen. Plus, most electrics require little or no maintenance.  · Quieter Usage: Electrics are extremely quiet, with no loud noisy engine, which means they can be used in areas which require quiet, such as corporate walkways between buildings of an office campus.  · Cleaner Operation: No gas, fumes, or smokes to deal with. Youll smell better.  · More Reliable: Fewer moving parts for less maintenance and less that can break.  · Reduced Oil Dependence: The more electric motors we use, the less we depend on gas motors, and hence the less oil your country depends on. In the beginning, Patel electric scooters will offer excellent value for the first scooters. These will not bust the customers budget as 50 to 75 percent of the costs for repairs and modifications will be reduced due to experienced riders and the quality parts that will be used. Sales of scooters continue to rise as they are seen as an answer to many traffic problems; they take up less space on the road, emit fewer harmful gases and are far cheaper to run than cars. Demand for touring and specialist scooters has also increased. Traffic schemes, which allow electric scooters, mopeds and motor scooters to use their own lanes to ease congestion, are likely to become more widespread. PATEL Scooters will specialize in scooter rentals for leisure and corporate travelers at discount prices. PATEL Scooters will offer a rental rate that is guaranteed to be the lowest among all scooter rental companies. This is PATEL Scooters commitment to customer satisfaction. Scooters are more efficient then cars in many ways: they have better fuel efficiency, go at low maintenance and have lower operating costs .And also the insurance is available for a cheap price of $30-$50 a year. The targeted customers for business will be about 125000 students from Connecticut State (USA). And so the word of the customer service will eventually spread There a lot of students who use the public transport to due the problem of finding parking spaces. As the public transport offer very few options we are expecting the economical moped and car services will come into action very quickly. There are a lot of students who cannot afford to buy a car or moped but they can afford to rent a car or a moped for $50 a month or can chip in for to rent one car together. Connecticut Scooters would purchase used scooters for less than $1,000 and lease them out. Patels connection with the electric scooter community and the growing demand for quality used electric scooters and electric scooter parts will make PATEL Electric Scooters one of the most popular shops in the city. Objectives The objectives of PATEL Electric Scooters are: Capture the majority of the used electric scooter business in the Connecticut State. give a good quality service for less. â‚ ¬Ã‚  a survey will be conducted for measuring customer satisfaction; repeat customers will be the targeted customers for surveys. Primary goal will be to achieve 45% of profit margin in first two years. Mission The mission of PATEL Electric Scooters is to become the primary resource for used electric scooter parts in Connecticut. Ways of Success The key ways of success for PATEL Electric Scooters are: Repeat customers Satisfaction. Maintaining the price, quality and time beyond customers expectation. Joining experienced professionals and putting them together to work in a team. Secure and busy location near by University. As supplier play main role in any business, so establishing a supplier network become a necessity. Somehow business also depends on employee moral behavior, so rewarding them at their success, is a step ahead in customer satisfaction direction. Company Summary PATEL Electric Scooters will offer quality used electric scooters and electric scooter parts to a growing market of electric scooter hobbyists. The shop will purchase used and damaged scooters as well as used electric scooter parts. Company Ownership PATEL Electric Scooters is owned by Sumitraben Patel Start-up Expenses A electric scooter sales, repair and servicing business costs will vary considerably, depending on services provided. By selling electric scooter parts, riders who undertake their own repairs will be attracted. The premises must be big enough to display several large scooters plus accessories. An existing business could be purchased, with established reputation and customer goodwill, etc. Electric scooter Trader Directory lists suppliers of machines, components, spares, auctioneers, etc, with contact names and addresses. Initial and ongoing costs could include: A range of electric scooters, scooters, mopeds, etc. A large range of accessories, clothing, spare parts, etc. A tool kit ($300-$700). Spot welder ($200). Paint stripping equipment (from $50). Other equipment, e.g. scales ($250), brake tester ($3,700-$4,750), headlamp tester ($495). Electric scooters lift ($520-$1,300). Paddocks stand ($150). Tire fitting equipment, e.g. tire changer ($1300-$1600), wheel balancer ($1500-$1900). Mig welder (from $350). Manuals. Promotion. Staff. Insurance. Start-up Summary Sumitraben Patel will invest and also secure a $20,000 loan. The focus of the initial inventory will be on engine and electrical parts. The source of these parts is electric scooter hobbyists who sell the parts in order to purchase upgrade parts for their own electric scooters. The following table and chart show projected initial start-up costs for PATEL Electric Scooters. Legal $1,000 Stationery etc. $500 Insurance $500 Rent $1,000 Display Equipment $3,000 Expensed Equipment $5,000 Total Start-up Expense $11,000 Start-up Assets Needed Cash Balance on Starting Date $24,000 Start-up Inventory $45,000 Total Assets $69,000 Total Requirements $80,000 Funding Investment Sumitraben Patel $80,000 Total Investment $80,000 Total anticipated annual turnover for first year: $250,000 Total anticipated annual net profit: $112,500 Products We believe it is important to have quality electric scooters at a low cost, and will back each cycle with a 30 day limited warranty. Our company will make a profit by generating sales. It will provide job satisfaction and fair compensation to its employees, and a fair return to its owners. Hard work and performance is rewarded through bonuses and commissions. Job satisfaction is very important for employees and owners; we will create a work environment that is enjoyable and profitable for all. Why are electric scooters better than gas ones?  · Environmentally Friendly: Zero tailpipe emissions. Save the planet!  · Lower Operating Costs: Approximately 1/20th of gas equivalents. And since gas prices continue to rise, this gap will only widen. Plus, most electrics require little or no maintenance.  · Quieter Usage: Electrics are extremely quiet, with no loud noisy engine, which means they can be used in areas which require quiet, such as corporate walkways between buildings of an office campus.  · Cleaner Operation: No gas, fumes, or smokes to deal with. Youll smell better.  · More Reliable: Fewer moving parts for less maintenance and less that can break.  · Reduced Oil Dependence: The more electric motors we use, the less we depend on gas motors, and hence the less oil your country depends on. Electric scooters are more preferable because they:  · Scooting desires are fulfilled;  · Easy and quick, fun making local errand; Environmental friendly while saves some bucks; Convenient point to point transportation; Solves problem of parking and helps with shortcuts; Brings more fun and freedom in ones life. In comparison to gas-powered scooters, electric scooters bring better advantages for transportation as well as recreation. Comparing to gas-powered scooters, electric scooters are allowed in train plane bus etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Reduction of Noise as well as air pollution. Maintenance is lowered due to use of simple electric motors. Quick and better response when starting or climbing on hill. Many times electric scooters are purchased as a toy, still they have long life as transportation. 1.(a) rules of safety while riding scooters.  · Riders do no duck out of the traffic irresponsibly.  · Friends should not let friends ride scooters when drunk.  · Riders should not ride at high speeds on the sidewalk.  · People should not let inexperienced riders ride soaped-up scooters.  · Riders should keep in mind that pedestrians always have the right to pass first.  · Responsible parents should be sure that their children wear proper safety gear when riding scooters. PATEL Electric Scooters offers the following products: Used Electric scooters: These cycles have been inspected and occasionally reconditioned in order to offer the customer the best value. Used Parts: These quality parts include engine parts, bodywork, gas tanks, electrical parts, frame, and chassis wheels and brakes. Used Electric scooters We will have at times 20 to 50 used electric scooters. Electric scooter crash repairs PATEL Electric Scooters offers a complete range of electric scooter crash and damage repair services: Fuel Tank Repair Damaged fuel tanks dent will be repaired by using needed stud gun which welds dent area with draw pins, with the use of side hammer the dent will be pulled, by these way it makes possible to remove dent without drilling or filling. After that area will be cleared by a thin coat of glazing surface, block sand, and then high premier quality coat will be added. When it dries, tank gets ready for wet sand and final base color coat which gives a perfect finish. Plastic Repair and Welding. We will Repair plastic body parts that are costlier, like parts having scathes, cracks etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ plastic welder and rods will be used of best quality to repair cracked parts. Surety for quality We get hundred percent guarantees when the parts are perfect. And there will be no sign of damage. We will occasionally be able to repair damaged race fiberglass. We will recommend replacing the with new parts if the body work has moderate to heavy damage. parts. It takes hours get a heavily damaged part into the right shape so that it can be painted. And if the job is not dome properly the paint will look ugly and we are very keen on having a good painting job done. The money spent on the repair of a heavy damaged part will be twice the cost of a new part and secondly the part will always have the mark of the crash or the signs of hairline cracks around the mounting holes. The cost to repair a less damaged part is  ¼ the cost of a new part. In such cases we recommend to get it repaired rather than replace it. Electric scooter Insurance Repairs We will handle insurance repairs and claims to get your electric scooter back in perfect shape. All repairs will be done using factory OEM replacement parts where needed. Pick-up will be available by appointment. Electric scooter Insurance Repairs and Claim Handling PATEL Electric Scooters will work with you and your insurance company. We handle everything from writing your repair estimate and handling your insurance claim to picking up your crashed electric scooter. The insurance repair process will work as follows: Once an scooter arrives at the Patel electric scooters it will be inspected for any crash damages and a detailed written document will be made that will cover all the all the damages that occurred before the scooter arrived. We call the insurance company once the estimate of the repairs is complete they will then send an adjuster to our shop to compare our estimate to theirs. Once the estimate has been approved by the adjuster and gives the approval for the estimate after that only will the insurance company sand us the payment for the Upon approval of the estimate by the adjuster, he will submit approval of payment to the insurance company. Factory oem replacements will be ordered for every part that need replacements for the scooter to get ready for re assembling when the the new parts arrive. Market Analysis Summary The traditional customers of a electric scooter retailer are young males. The number of riders taking basic training has risen, largely due to an increase in the number of older riders (25+). They may or may not have had scooters before, will buy for leisure purposes and also tend to buy higher price scooters which have higher profit margins for the retailer. They will be car owners, and being used to service from the car market, will want to buy from clean, smart dealerships. Higher prices could be charged, as they will generally be willing to pay for a high level of service and will have a higher disposable income to spend on accessories. Women are an increasingly important customer group, as the number of female riders rises. Customers are becoming more demanding of good service, back-up and information provision, so keeping ahead of the competition will involve rigorous training for employer and staff in order to keep abreast of new technology in the market. Only a small proportion of the population owns a electric scooter, therefore there is still a large potential market for sales. The number of full electric scooter licenses held in this country far exceeds the number of scooters on the road, so it is not essential to target new riders. It may be possible to persuade lapsed riders to take up the hobby again. There is also a business sector. As roads become more clogged, car speeds in cities are decreasing significantly, and a electric scooter courier industry has developed. In such conditions scooters are substantially faster. The police and paramedics have begun to use more electric scooters for the same reason. A shop could develop a relationship with a commercial or public sector customer, taking on supply and upkeep of a fleet of scooters. Some of the larger electric scooter dealers have suffered over the last year as consumer demand has decreased. Electric scooter dealers usually have multi-franchises; links with several manufacturers rather than selling the product of one manufacturer, as happens in the car dealership market. However, developing links with a manufacturer can be very difficult. Manufacturers are trying to increase profits, and this usually means developing and assisting existing successful franchise outlets. Most areas are now well covered for dealerships. Competition also includes the car market. Despite environmental concerns, for most people the car is still the first choice for independent travel. Over the past ten years, riding has developed an entirely new customer base among baby boomer men, ages 40 to 65. Last year, electric scooter sales for this age group were twice that of young men, ages 18 to 25. These two groups represent 80% of electric scooter sales. In Connecticut State, electric scooter sales exceeded $36 million in 2009 and sales are predicted to grow by 10% this year. The demographics suggest that there is a large market for used electric scooters and electric scooter parts, especially among experienced scooters. This is particularly important because the experienced customer will seek out a shop where the owner has a reputation for quality and service in the electric scooter community. Market Segmentation PATEL Electric Scooters will focus on two customer groups: Male baby boomers, ages 40 65. Young men, ages 18 25. Competitive Comparison The suppliers have the lot of power in negotiating and setting of the prices of the products on the shop. This is a fact that the suppliers earn the most money form these kind shops and companies. It is consolidate that the repair industry have the deepest pockets and a a limit numbers of substitute customers. Finally there are the only most important suppliers to Connecticut electric scooters industry. Market Trends The market demand for electric scooter sales, repair and service industry has been relatively stable over the past decade. However, the average price per scooter has seen a steady increase, especially within the last five years. These more expensive scooters have, on average, much higher repair costs per vehicle than any older scooters. This has upset the short-term equilibrium of the industry and given incentives for new firms to enter the market. Strategy and Implementation Summary The location of a electric scooter sales, repair and services business is very important in attracting customers. A site close to the centre of town will be easily accessible to potential customers in all areas of the region. Being located near public transport routes will make it convenient for customers to use alternative forms of transport while their electric scooter is being serviced. Early and evening opening hours will accommodate those customers who need to drop off their electric scooters on their way to work, or collect them afterwards. Good presentation of the shop and staff will be useful for attracting repeat business. Neat premises and helpful, friendly staff will instill confidence in customers and further promote the business through word of mouth recommendation. To target customers in the local area, advertisements can be placed in local publications. Listings in directories will be useful, e.g. the Yellow Pages. Advertising monthly special deals on certain types of repair work in the local newspapers, is another option. Some parts suppliers offer promotional support programs for independent garages in return for stocking only their products. Often these packages include signage, point of purchase support material as well as advertising support. An increasing number of businesses are advertising their services on the Internet. Competitive Edge Sumitraben Patel, owner of PATEL Electric Scooters is one of most respected and best known Business man in Connecticut, she also own three motels in different parts of United States. Marketing Strategy PATEL Electric Scooters will establish and maintain close links with a electric scooter rider training company. Licensing requirements mean most learners will look first for a rider training company; they may not approach a dealer until they have passed their test. A good reputation is essential. If the business establishes a reputation for a friendly, knowledgeable and helpful service, new riders (including women and older riders) will be encouraged to trust and buy from it in an ongoing relationship. There are many electric scooter exhibitions and festivals; these are a good place to meet customers and others in the trade. Advertising will be undertaken according to the target market. The majority of active motorcyclists in the US read a electric scooter magazine all of which have a Product and Services Guide, plus adverts from dealers. Listings in the Yellow Pages and local business directories will be worthwhile. Local electric scooter clubs will be contacted to inform them of the services. Sales Strategy PATEL Electric Scooters will open with a Customization Show and Competition. During the first month of operation, PATEL Electric Scooters will offer a 15% discount on all purchases over $50. Sumitraben will also offer a standard 10% discount to members of the citys seven electric scooter organizations. Management Summary Bhagvat Patel will manage the daily operations of the shop under sumitraben patels supervision. Yakub and zahgir are two motorcyclist specialist, will be handling all repairs, where there salary will be 1250/month for each. Besides Sumitraben Patel, PATEL Electric Scooters will have three additional employees. Strategic Direction SWOT Analysis This is a summary of the businesss most important strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths of the Business Excellent quality product Which means that Adds to reputation. Good management skills. Which means that Well run business Good ability to extract information. Which means that Can control the business.- Weaknesses of the Business New Player. Which means that Credibility problem may affect initial sales Lack of systems Which means that The Company needs to develop systemised operational sales techniques or sacrifice profits Opportunities in the Marketplace Add-on products such as ** Which means that A potentially enormous market for PATEL electric scooters to tap into. Growing market segments. Which means that PATEL electric scooters should target these segments. Threats in the Marketplace Increasing supplier prices. Which means that Resulting in reduced profitability. Declining size of the ** segment. Which means that Need to focus on growing segments to spread the companys portfolio The Actual Plan (annually) Business Objectives Corporate Objectives (Goals) Short Term Corporate To achieve a sales level of $250000 To achieve profit level of 45% Marketing Objectives (Goals) {your product} #1 Segment: To achieve sales to $30000 #2 Segment: To achieve sales to $60000 #3 Segment: To achieve sales to $70000 #4 Segment: To achieve sales to $90000 New Products To evaluate and launch new products or services which will turn over $120000 in the first year. Other Objectives (Goals) To not exceed a marketing budget of $4800 To not exceed a payroll budget of $42000 To not exceed a general overhead budget of $21360 The major task objectives for each area of the organization, together with responsibilities and timings are detailed in the Roll-Out Plan. Marketing Plan MARKETING OBJECTIVES Sales Objective To achieve sales by 45% Sales Objectives by Market Segment. #1 Segment: To achieve sales to $30000 #2 Segment: To achieve sales to $60000 #3 Segment: To achieve sales to $70000 PROMOTIONAL STRATEGIES Print Advertising Develop a corporate brochure. Advertise in local publications Advertise monthly in magazines that are specifically targeted to the ** and ** segments. Advertise monthly in magazines that are aimed at the general industry. Lead Generation Program Conduct monthly on-going lead generation program. Send out monthly direct mail leaflets with response coupons. Qualify leads and make appointments by using telemarketing staff. Centres Of Influence Program Personally contact at least ten potential partners each week. Produce a monthly newsletter that shows examples of (your products) and how customers have benefited from using them. PR Program PR release to be initiated each month to various trade journals and magazines. Sales Force Employ telemarketing staff. Implement a new structural program for the sales force, allocating sales reps to accounts and segments rather than area. Organize training program to be implemented. Lost Customers Contact monthly all past customers that have not re-ordered to ask why not and see whether we can win back their business. Follow up Enquiries Contact all enquirers monthly and determine if they have purchased from a competitor and, if so, why. Existing Customers Follow up all new customers two weeks after they purchase to ensure they are satisfied with the product. Send quarterly newsletter to existing customers to keep them informed of our other products. Try and up-sell all enquiries for our standard range to our premium range. Sales Promotion Develop an ongoing sales promotion to target existing customers. GENERAL MARKETING STRATEGIES Competitor Profile Keep updated competitor profile. Marketing information system Document on every enquiry How did you hear about us? Document on every order How did you hear about us? Produce monthly sales reports by product, by market segment, by territory and by sales representative. Financial Plan FINANCIAL Next Years Objectives Net Profit To achieve forecast net profit of $112500. Budget To not exceed the following expense budgets. Marketing Budget $ 4800 Payroll Budget $ 42000 Management Overheads $ 21360 FINANCIAL STRATEGIES Cash Flow Eliminate cash shortage in the traditional tight periods of December to January Collection Days Reduce the average collection days from 30 days to 15 days. Payment Days Maintain payment of bills, on average, to 20 days. Expenses Develop and implement new policies on approval and signatories on expenses. Leases Pay off the existing lease on PATEL equipment, thus reducing the monthly financial burden. Wages Pay all wages on a monthly basis instead of weekly. Inventory Improve the number of stock turns to 30000 a year. Rent Negotiate new terms on the premises and reduce existing payments by 10% Organizational Plan ORGANISATIONAL AND MANAGEMENT Next Years Objectives Budget To not exceed the payroll budget of $42000 HUMAN RESOURCE STRATEGIES Organizational Draw organizational chart. Develop incentive scheme related to job requirements. Policies and procedures Develop policies and procedures manual. Employ telemarketers. Training Carry out training needs analysis. Morale Install suggestion box. Organize monthly meetings to follow up tasks

UK Guidelines for Eye Screening

UK Guidelines for Eye Screening DOES THE UK CURRENTLY SCREEN THE POPULATION FOR APPROPRIATE EYE CONDITIONS? WHAT IS SCREENING? Screening is a way of identifying those individuals who are at a higher risk of developing a certain health problem; this allows them to have appropriate early treatment and information in order to prevent further deterioration. There are many different screening programmes which are offered by the NHS, for example, Screening for newborn babies, Diabetic Eye screening, Cervical Screening, Bowel Cancer Screening etc. (Nhs.uk, 2017). The screening process uses tests which can be applied to a large number of people and is an initial examination which requires further investigation and follow up. There are many different types of screening, for example, Mass screening (e.g. chest x-rays for TB), Multiple screening (e.g. annual health check), Targeted screening for those at a higher risk of developing specific diseases e.g. battery workers would be at a greater risk of developing cancer or problems with their nervous system (Anon,2017) and lastly Opportunistic screening. Opportunistic scr eening relates to identifying those at a higher risk to see whether they actually have signs of a condition as we carry out the pre-screening process/sight test, for example, we tend to check the pressures and fields of the people (maybe should write of patients over..) over the age of 40 in order to check for any signs of glaucoma, however, this cannot be classified as screening as it is opportunistic (Anon, 2017). Within this essay I will mainly be discussing Diabetic Eye Screening and Amblyopia Screening, I will be analysing how well these relate and correspond to the criteria set by the WHO guidelines for screening, how the screening programmes could be improved and what screening programmes are out in the world which could benefit us if brought within the UK. A full discussion of the classifications of diabetes or amblyopia is beyond the scope of this essay. 10 CRITERIA 1968 WHO GUIDELINES FOR SCREENING There are 10 main criteria/principles that a screening programme should meet in order to be an effective, practical and appropriate way of screening within the UK. These were brought about in 1968 by Wilson and Jungner (WHO) (Patient.info, 2017). Further down in this essay how well Diabetic Eye Screening and Amblyopia screening match the 10 criteria will be discussed, table 1.1 summarises the findings and a potential condition that we could screen for in order to enhance appropriateness of screening for eye conditions within the UK (Gp-training.net, 2017): (TABLE 1.1) 1968 WHO GUIDELINES DIABETIC EYE SCREENING AMBLYOPIA SCREENING AMD 1. The condition being screened for should be an important health problem à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ ? à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ 2. The natural history of the condition should be well understood. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ 3. There should be a detectable early stage à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ 4. Treatment at an early stage should be of more benefit than at a later stage. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ 5. A suitable test should be advised for the early stage. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ » ? 6. The test should be acceptable. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ » à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ » 7. Intervals for repeating the test should be determined. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ ? 8. Adequate health service provision should be made for the extra clinical workload resulting from screening. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ ? 9. The risks, both physical and psychological, should be less than the benefits. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ 10. The costs should be balanced against the benefits à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ » DIABETIC EYE SCREENING It is estimated that within the UK, 4.5 million people have diabetes and around 1.1 million people have yet to be diagnosed (Anon, 2017). It is essential that we screen individuals who have diabetes as the development of Diabetic Retinopathy is one of the major complications of diabetes and early diagnosis can lead to appropriate and effective treatment (Hamid et al, 2016). This Diabetic Eye Screening (DES) is separate from a sight test and is to be carried out annually. If a woman is pregnant she will be offered additional tests as the development of gestational diabetes is common i.e. diabetes which only occurs during pregnancy, however, if the mother already has diabetes she also has a higher risk of Diabetic Retinopathy development (Nhs.uk, 2017). 1.1 Attendance at Diabetic Screenings Forster et al. (2013), evaluated whether patients who did not attend their DES were at a greater risk of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR).   They carried out a longitudinal cohort study over 3 years (2008-2011) in which diabetic residents were invited for the screening. Forster et al found that 5.6% of the patients who did not attend in 1 year for their DES developed STDR. 2.6% patients who previously had no retinopathy at their first screen had developed STDR when they did not attend in 1 year and 5.7% of participants developed STDR when they did not attend for 2 consecutive years. With participants who previously had mild non-proliferative retinopathy at their first screen, 16.8% of these developed STDR when they did not attend for their DES in 1 year and 17% developed STDR when they did not attend for 2 years. (is this in your own words if not results should be quoted just to avoid plagerism)The results found for referable maculopathy also followed the same pat tern but the affected participants were smaller. This longitudinal study has its benefits as a large number of data can be collected however as it is over the period of 3 years, there is a risk of individuals dropping out of the study and therefore data for one year may not be comparable to the data from the next year as there would be subject differences. The findings of this study suggest that there is importance for DES and it can be deemed as an appropriate eye condition to be screened for within the UK as it does allow early detection of diabetic referable retinopathy and the greater the time between the DES the greater the risk of the development of STDR. However whether we need to screen individuals annually could be further discussed (Forster et al, 2013). 1.2 Improvements for DES Screenings To improve how we currently screen within the UK for appropriate eye conditions we could consider, increasing the time between the DES by making them biennial i.e. every 2 years. Forster et al found that participants had a 10.84 times higher chance of referable retinopathy if they had not attended their screening for 2 consecutive years, compared to those participants who were screened for every year.(I think should be kept in but change to own words if not already.) He found that for those patients who attended every 2 years had no significant increased risk of referable retinopathy compared to those who attended annually. A number of benefits can be seen from increasing the time between the screenings. Firstly this would mean that less DES would be carried out, this frees up time and space; in practices, this allows more time for regular sight tests and at the hospital, it allows more space for other important appointments. Reducing the number of DES also means that fewer professio nals would be required for these screenings; this would cut down the costs made by the NHS. Some could argue that this could lead to a cut down in the number of optometrists who specialise in the DES, however, this would allow the current professionals specialised in the DES or the ones that do carry out the training to become more skilled and have more focused knowledge on DES. Scanlon et al. (2013), found that those who were not screened promptly after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes had a raised rate of detection of referable diabetic retinopathy. The study didnt show whether those who were screened at a later date had a more severe form of diabetic retinopathy or whether it was anything to do with patient compliance but it did indicate that screening patients within the Quality standards set by NICE were more beneficial for the patients (Scanlon, Aldington, and Stratton, 2013). This supports that the UK does currently screen appropriately for eye conditions such as Diabetes and in a timely manner, as the earlier we screen a patient after being diagnosed with diabetes, the less of a chance for the development of severe/unnoticed diabetic retinopathy, as the development of DR is most prominent within the first two decades of developing the disease (Fong et al, 2017). In the UK, patients information once being diagnosed with diabetes is transferred via their GP to the Diabetic Eye Screening Services as soon as they are diagnosed, this allows appropriate treatment and screening for the patient immediately. We cannot solely rely on this study as it does not include any facts or figures regarding how raised the risk is for referable DR if a DES is not carried out every year. Therefore to improve screening within the UK; following Forster et al study, we could increase the time between the screenings i.e. make it biennial. The Health Improvement and Analytical Team of the Department of Health found that it would be more cost effective if the screening intervals were increased from one year to another when carrying out a cost-utility assessment for those who have low risk of development of Diabetic Retinopathy; these being defined as those who have been graded to have no background retinopathy in either eye, therefore one way of improving the screening in the UK could be by increasing the intervals between the DES (James, 2000). Currently, within the UK, Diabetic eye screening is offered to individuals who are 12 years and older. They are contacted by their local Diabetic Eye Screening service informing the patient as regards to what practices are available for them to attend for their screening i.e. a local opticians, hospital or clinic. Hamid et al. (2016) carried out a retrospective analysis of 143 patients aged between 7 and 12 in order to see whether DES should be carried out on children under the age 12. 73 of these patients were below the age of 12 and the other 70 were 12 years of age. He found that both these groups had a similar prevalence of background diabetic retinopathy (early stage of diabetic retinopathy) and none had STDR. From Hamid et al results, it can be seen that there would be no benefit to starting the DR at an earlier age as the same results are found in both groups, therefore supporting the current English protocol of starting DES at 12 years of age.   A DES test within the U K is fairly easy to carry out and requires the patient to be dilated; once the patient is dilated they are unable to drive for roughly 4-6hours in order for their pupils to return to normal.(this could be referenced from somewhere see if you can find from article or anything on how its done then reference that) This could be considered as some inconvenience to the patient as they may be required to take a day off work or prevent doing specific tasks that day however as the DES is carried out annually it is only a matter of a few hours, which could easily be rearranged or time off work can be taken. The risks of the drops are very low; a few symptoms could be experienced for example pain, discomfort, redness of the eye, blurry vision and haloes around lights which can lead to Angle Closure Glaucoma. ACG can be treated and the benefit of carrying out the DES is much greater and outweighs the risks. 1.3 DES Screening In India Currently, in India, in addition to the current Diabetic eye screening that is being carried out in practices, they are also going to be trialing (think it needs double ll m grammerly says youve spelt it the American way) Mobile DES services. This will benefit patients in several ways; firstly those who are not able to leave their homes are able to get screening and treatment readily. Furthermore, not all clinics have the appropriate equipment required in order to carry out DES, therefore, with the Mobile DES services patients are able to still get the adequate healthcare required. This is yet to be trailed therefore the success rates are unpredictable. If in the future, this helped patients get the adequate screening and healthcare required in India, then this could also be trialled within the UK in order for improving eye screening for appropriate conditions (Kalra et al, 2016). AMBLYOPIC SCREENING The common vision defects in children aged around 4-5years tend to include amblyopia, strabismus (squint) and refractive error (short or long sighted). (is this referenced from tailor et al like the next sentence, if not then needs a reference) An estimation of the prevalence of amblyopia in the UK varies between 2% and 5% (Tailor et al, 2016). Amblyopia is well understood and occurs when the nerve pathway from one eye to the brain does not develop adequately during childhood (Medlineplus.gov, 2017). Individuals are said to have an amblyopic eye when their vision is worse than 6/9 Snellen or 0.2 LogMar in the affected eye.(reference needed)   The UK National Screening Committee along with the recommendations from the Health for All Children agreed that orthoptic-led services should offer to screen for visual impairments for children aged 4-5 years (Legacyscreening.phe.org.uk, 2017). If the amblyopia is treated while the visual system is plastic i.e. still developing within the critical period (first seven to eight years of life), then this can be an effective way of restoring normal vision. Untreated amblyopia can have a negative impact on an individuals adult life; within the UK it was found that only 35% (36 out of 102) of people were able to continue their employment after losing the vision in their non-amblyopic eye (Rahi, 2002). 2.1 Testing The tests for amblyopia can include monocular visual acuity testing, plus or minus assessment of the extra-ocular muscles, colour vision testing, and binocular status (Stewart et al, 2007). The screening process can vary depending on the density of the amblyopia and age of the patient i.e. this would alter the treatment required. Patching seems to be the most common treatment for amblyopia and is seen to have improvements in vision if it is carried out adequately i.e. compliance is required. Stewart et al. (2007), researched the benefits of patching in which they found 40 children who were patched for 6 hours had an improvement in 0.21 to 0.31 log units of vision compared with another 40 children who were patched for 12 hours had a 0.24 log unit improvement. This supports the idea that patching can be carried out for fewer hours and still produce a similar enhancement in vision. However, when compliance was monitored there wasnt much of a difference between the hours, for the patient s prescribed 6 hours they tended to vary between 3.7 to 4.7 hours and the 12-hour patching children varied between 5.1 and 7.3 hours (Stewart et al, 2007). (maybe some more critical analysis of this study, I know youve got sample size and randomisation but if you can may add some more) These results suggest that Amblyopic patients can be patched for fewer hours and still have the same improvement in vision, however, compliance is necessary. Following on from this study when a randomised trial was carried out in order to see the effectiveness of Atropine and patching as a treatment of Amblyopia, it was found that visual acuity in the amblyopic eye improved for both, therefore supporting patching and atropine as adequate treatments for Amblyopia (Stewart et al, 2007). In this study equal, sample sizes were used and patients were allocated randomly, this allows the removal of subject bias and allows comparisons between the subjects and therefore more reliable results can be obtained. Furthermore, it was found that the younger the child, the less the occlusion in hours that would be required, therefore, the earlier we test the child for amblyopia the better the treatment (Stewart et al, 2007). 2.2 Problems with Patching Referring back to the 1968 guidelines in Table 1.1, patching may not be deemed as an acceptable form of treatment. When a randomised trial was carried out on 4 year old and 5 year old children it was found that they had experienced short term distress and were more upset when having to wear a patch alongside glasses than wearing glasses alone (Williams et al, 2006). Children also reported having been bullied whilst wearing a patch causing emotional problems which in turn led to long term adverse consequences. Williams et al. (2006) carried out a prospective study, in order to test their hypothesis by comparing children who had been screened preschool and required a patch and those who had not. 95% confidence limits were calculated and it was found that the risk of being bullied was the same for those who wore glasses and had been screened preschool and not. However, when comparing the preschool and school children and the rates of bullying whilst wearing the patch it was found that t here was almost a 50% reduction in the group of children who had been screened preschool (Williams et al, 2006). From these results, it can be concluded that pre-school vision screening would reduce down the bullying experienced by the children whilst wearing the patch therefore in order to improve screening within the UK we could potentially screen the children earlier to prevent the psychological stress that the child has to experience. During this study, the data was collected via an interview with the children. Childrens responses could vary depending on who was interviewing the child, the gender of the child (girls would be more(not would-they may be more likely to) likely to admit to being bullied) and other factors too(what other factors-either state them or leave it at the last point); therefore these results could not fully represent whether the child had experienced bullying and this factor should be taken into account when viewing the results. 2.3 Screening for Amblyopia within Japan Currently, outside of the UK, there are different screening processes which occur. The screening process for Amblyopia within Japan starts at the age of one and a half years old and then the children are later screened at 3 years of age by paediatricians. In The School Health Law based in Japan, the Visual Acuities of children ranging from 6 years old to 12 years old are taken by the school teachers then the children are screened by Ophthalmologists to screen for the eye diseases and amblyopia (Matsuo and Matsuo, 2005). Several studies over the years have been collected in order to compare the number of strabismus patients identified in different countries. Comparing these different studies it can be found that overall there were fewer children in Japan who developed strabismus, only 1.28% of the sample. Within the UK when a similar study was carried out it was found that 4.3% of the total number of children screened developed strabismus, this being much larger than those who develop ed it within Japan (Matsuo and Matsuo, 2005). This variation in results may suggest that the screening process in Japan is a lot more thorough compared to the UK and as children in Japan are screened for fairly early on in life, they are continuously kept an eye on, this could increase the detection of the early developments of Amblyopia and therefore appropriate treatment is also given fairly early on. (but is it screened more thoroughly in japan only because japanease children are more prone to amblyopia- is the prevalence of amblyopia higher in japan-if so then that might be why they screen earlier-find out) However, we cannot solely base the development of strabismus on the way we screen the children as there could be other factors as well. One way in which we could modify screening within the UK could be by screening children at an earlier age and more often as well; this would allow early detection of Amblyopia and therefore early appropriate treatment, reducing the number of strabismic individuals. Tailor et al. (2016) identified that a large area of controversy when discussing screening for Amblyopia is that it is currently not clear whether screening children earlier is associated with better outcomes and also whether it is more cost efficient or not, however it is widely agreed that starting screening for amblyopia at the age of 4 to 5 years old it seems to be clinically effective and also cost efficient at the moment therefore further research needs to be carried out in order to see whether we should move the screening for Amblyopia to an early stage or not (Tailor et al, 2016). IMPROVING SCREENING WITHIN THE UK AMD Within the UK to improve screening we could also screen for further conditions such as for Age-Related Macular Degeneration. AMD is an important health problem and accounts for 8.7% of all legal blindness worldwide. The development of Choroidal Neovascularisation (CNV) is the main cause of severe vision loss which leads to the development of Wet or Exudative form of AMD (Schwartz and Loewenstein, 2015). AMD development is pretty well understood by professionals and it can lead to changes in your central vision and also have an impact on the quality of an individuals life. Patients with AMD have reported more difficulties when performing tasks such as reading, leisure activities, shopping etc. (Hassell, 2006). There is currently no treatment for the dry form of AMD, whereas wet AMD is currently being treated using intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents which lead to an improvement in 30-40% patients visual acuity (Schwartz and Loewenstein , 2015). In Table 1.1 an extra column has been added in order to compare how well AMD screening would relate to the WHO criteria if it was to be screened for within the UK. 3.1 Techniques It has been found that the treatment of AMD at an earlier stage is of more benefit than at a later stage. Treatment of CNV within 1 month was found to have a greater gain in visual acuity than treatment which was given after this timeframe (Schwartz and Loewenstein, 2015). If AMD patients were left untreated for a year they would lose two or three lines of vision on average therefore the earlier the detection of AMD the more beneficial (Anon, 2017). The screening process could involve an Optical Coherence tomography (OCT) and a fluorescein angiography (FA) alongside clinical examinations, for example, Amsler charts, Nosefield Perimetry, Near Visual Acuity etc. In Table 1.2 these examination techniques have been presented in a table and the Pros and Cons of each technique can be seen. TABLE 1.2 (Schwartz and Loewenstein à ¯Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¿Int J Retin Vitr (2015) 1:20) 3.2 Screening Criteria If screening programs were to be carried out within the UK for AMD, we would need to consider a few factors. Firstly, at what age would we start to screen individuals for AMD and how often these screenings would take place would need to be considered(-dont need highlighted bit). AMD is most common in individuals who are over the age of 65, however, can be seen in some in their forties or fifties, not only is it affected by age but smoking, family history, UV exposure and diet can also be risk factors for the development of AMD (Rnib.org.uk, 2017). There could be a few different criteria in which individuals would qualify for the screening process of AMD, a few of these criteria could potentially be: Any individual over the age of 60 years old. Any individual over the age of 50 years old with a family history of AMD. Any individual who experiences one or more of the following symptoms: difficulty reading with spectacles, vision not as clear as previously or if experiencing straight lines becoming wavy or distorted (Rnib.org.uk, 2017). Once this screening process is carried out the recall period could vary depending on the patients health, family history, and lifestyle, this could vary from yearly up to a 5 year recall period for those that are normal; have no family history of AMD and good lifestyle. If an individual is diagnosed with Dry AMD then these screening processes would occur much more regularly in order to monitor the health of the eyes and to detect Wet AMD at an early stage. A benefit for the proposition of screening for AMD within the UK is that it would lead to more jobs and professionals to be specialised within AMD. 3.3 Time Efficient       There are a few flaws with screening for AMD. If OCT images were not clear enough patients may need to be dilated, this would mean that the patient would not be able to drive for approximately four to six hours, which could result in the patients having to take a morning/afternoon or a day off work.(maybe you can find a study where people are asked about what they dont like in dilation and it might be they dont like taking time off-then can reference that here) If all the above techniques mentioned in Table 1.2 were to be carried in the screening process for AMD, this in itself would be quite a lengthy process and would also require time to be taken off unless it was carried out on an individuals none working day. Screening for AMD would involve Fluorescein Angiography this may not be accepted by some patients as it is an invasive process and requires fluorescent dye to be injected into their bloodstream. Therefore suitable techniques would be required in which the patient would cons ent to if screening for AMD was to be carried out within the UK. Furthermore, currently within the UK, only half the adult population (48%) have heard of AMD therefore screening for AMD within the UK could be a challenge as public awareness of this disease is very limited therefore the public may be unable to recognize any symptoms or changes in their vision being related to AMD (VISION 2020, 2017). The development of CNV can be very rapid and therefore patients may remain asymptomatic or mechanisms within the brain could lead to overcome the noticeable change in their vision during the early stages of this disease, therefore, it would be difficult to screen the patient in their early stages of AMD (Rnib.org.uk, 2017). Further information should be given to individuals in which they are informed of what symptoms to look out for and also what to do in these instances. 3.4 Costs Practicality Currently within the UK if patients require a private OCT scan this can vary in price ranging from thirty-five pounds (C4 SightCare) to eighty-nine pounds (Leightons Opticians). Free OCT scans may be carried out in hospitals settings or learning institutes, for example, The University of Manchester (Gteye.net, 2017).   If we were to routinely carry out OCT scans for everyone as a technique during AMD screening then this can be very costly if funded by the NHS, in addition, if this was to be carried out privately then patients may not be willing to pay that much for the AMD screening process and therefore the success rates for screening for AMD within the UK would be less as patients wouldnt attend the screening. Furthermore, other techniques such as fluorescein angiography can be costly to be carried out for example if patients require this to be carried out privately they may end up paying up to  £103 (Anon, 2017). Another issue arising with the potential to screen for AMD would be regarding the practicality of the screening process; the equipment and machinery are fairly large and would require the practices to have adequate space in order to carry out these screenings. In addition, the equipment itself is very expensive and companies may not want to invest in such equipment if there turnover isnt worth it. In order to overcome this, we could potentially just carry out AMD screening within a hospital setting however it would still depend on the amount of space available to carry out these processes. Overall screening for AMD is quite a lengthy process and if it was to be carried out within the UK it would require a lot of work in order to make the screening process affordable and time efficient too. CONCLUSION Overall, within the UK we currently do screen for appropriate eye conditions these including Diabetic Eye Screening and Amblyopia. We could further increase this by screening for conditions such as Age-Related Macular Degeneration, as it is a very serious eye condition and early detection and treatment is beneficial. However, there are quite a few different factors which need to be considered if screening for AMD was to be carried out as mentioned above. Also, there are currently limited studies on AMD and therefore further research should focus on AMD and the benefits of continually screening the patient. Currently, as screening is being carried out for Amblyopia, this could be an eye condition that doesnt necessarily need screening for. A Cochrane review(do you need to reference which one) found that there is currently not enough evidence to determine whether the number of children with amblyopia was reduced due to the screening programs or not. The main reason for this was that de finition of Amblyopia is widely debatable and there is a lack of universally accepted definitions of amblyopia, which makes the data collected from different studies difficult to compare. However, it is much easier to leave a screening process in place rather than to remove it as a whole as further complications can arise and screening for this is somewhat beneficial.   From the discussion within this literature, it can be seen that we do currently screen for appropriate eye conditions within the UK. REFERENCES Nhs.uk. (2017). NHS screening Live Well NHS Choices. [online] Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Screening/Pages/screening.aspx#what-is. Anon, (2017). [online] Available at: https://www.med.uottawa.ca/sim/data/Screening_e.htm. [Accessed 5 Feb. 2017]. http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Publications_and_Forms/Publications/Chemical_and_Hazardous_Substances/Safety_with_Lead_at_Work.pdf [Accessed 9 Feb. 2017]. Patient.info. (2017). Screening Programmes in the UK. Find S

Higher Education Savings Plans Essay -- essays research papers

Higher Education Savings Plans Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This paper is about the Section 529 higher education savings plans that allow family members to receive certain tax breaks while investing for a child’s higher education. The data used in this study is the historical rate of return on a Connecticut 529 plan versus the benchmark, the S&P 500. The time period covered was the inception of this plan starting in 2002 up to the start of research on this study, the end of September, 2004. The tests show that although this particular 529 plan offers tax benefits that could help in investing for higher education, that this particular plan failed to outperform the market during the period observed. Therefore it is my conclusion that there are better investment options on the market to invest in a child’s higher education than this Connecticut 529 savings plan. This study may lead to further observation of other Connecticut 529 plans as well as 529 plans managed nationwide to figure out if 529 plans are as effe ctive as advertised. â€Å"529† college plans have become greatly debated in recent years as a tool for investing for college. The plan, which takes its name for the provision of the tax code that sanctioned them, is a college savings account which allows parents or grandparents to give gifts to children that will be later used to obtain a college education. Although some 529 plans have been around since 1988, the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 made sweeping changes to Section 529, most of which became effective in 2002. These changes offer substantial tax benefits to families seeking to finance the cost of college expenses. 529 plans offer families, regardless of income, the opportunity to generate tax-free earnings on funds specially set aside for higher education. These plans, which are run by individual states, can be of great benefit to children by allowing their family members to give money to them in advance to save for college. It can also be detrimental to not o nly the people who invest but the children who are receiving these gifts. I became aware of these 529 plans by reading â€Å"A Random Walk Down Wall Street† by Burton Malkiel. My motivation was to see if these 529 college saving plans are as effective as advertised and to look at the upsides and downsides of investing in them. Since there are tax deduct... ...  Ã‚  881.69  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  935.11  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  840.31  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  855.7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -2.74%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2-Dec-02  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  941.55  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  954.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  869.42  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  879.82  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -6.03%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1-Nov-02  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  885.76  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  941.85  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  872.02  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  936.31  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5.71%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1-Oct-02  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  816.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  907.49  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  768.58  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  885.77  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

The Death of Socrates :: Ancient Greece Greek History

The Death of Socrates "Crito, you and other people who claimed to be friends to Socrates are all useless! How could you have been so cowardly, or lazy, or stingy, as to allow you 'friend' to die? Surely, with a little courage, energy, and money, you could have saved him." Those are strong accusations coming from someone who obviously did not know Socrates as well as his other students or me. Although, I expected that people would react this way to my actions, or lack of actions, regarding Socrates death. For Socrates, being executed was the only option available to him. Of course we, his friends, could have helped him to escape, but what would that prove? It would only go against everything that Socrates has taught us. It would also defy everything that Socrates stood for in life. Escaping punishment, would have been an unjust and cowardly act for him. Disobeying the law would set a bad example for his fellow citizens. In addition, it would ruin his reputation for being just and following the laws of the government. Socrates believed that, although he was wrongfully accused, he was given a fair trial through the eyes of the law. The fact that he was given a fair trial means that he was given a fair punishment. If this punishment is not carried out, justice will not be served. Escaping punishment would cause a conflict between his teachings and his actions. This would eradicate the moral reputation that Socrates had built for himself throughout his life. The question he would have asked himself would have been, "What kind of example would I be setting if I dishonored my own teachings?" He saw his punishment as a contract between he and the government, and he firmly believed that agreements should not be broken. This is the same government that allowed him to live life as he chose, so why harm an institution that benefited him? The Death of Socrates :: Ancient Greece Greek History The Death of Socrates "Crito, you and other people who claimed to be friends to Socrates are all useless! How could you have been so cowardly, or lazy, or stingy, as to allow you 'friend' to die? Surely, with a little courage, energy, and money, you could have saved him." Those are strong accusations coming from someone who obviously did not know Socrates as well as his other students or me. Although, I expected that people would react this way to my actions, or lack of actions, regarding Socrates death. For Socrates, being executed was the only option available to him. Of course we, his friends, could have helped him to escape, but what would that prove? It would only go against everything that Socrates has taught us. It would also defy everything that Socrates stood for in life. Escaping punishment, would have been an unjust and cowardly act for him. Disobeying the law would set a bad example for his fellow citizens. In addition, it would ruin his reputation for being just and following the laws of the government. Socrates believed that, although he was wrongfully accused, he was given a fair trial through the eyes of the law. The fact that he was given a fair trial means that he was given a fair punishment. If this punishment is not carried out, justice will not be served. Escaping punishment would cause a conflict between his teachings and his actions. This would eradicate the moral reputation that Socrates had built for himself throughout his life. The question he would have asked himself would have been, "What kind of example would I be setting if I dishonored my own teachings?" He saw his punishment as a contract between he and the government, and he firmly believed that agreements should not be broken. This is the same government that allowed him to live life as he chose, so why harm an institution that benefited him?