Choose a specific commodity, idea, or institution and evaluate its Essay

Choose a specific commodity, idea, or institution and evaluate its impact on history at any point prior to 1815 - Essay Example It gives brief information about the impact of gunpowder on history and also explains how it created gunpowder empires. This paper also focuses on the most famous Gunpowder Empires in the early modern period. The creation of gunpowder empires was considered to be a giant leap for Islamic countries towards stabilizing the politics and identifying themselves as territories. All these empires impacted politics and cultures of various parts of the world. Invention of Fireworks, which is led by Gunpowder in the 9th century by Chinese Alchemists as an elixir of immortality has largely impacted the entire world (Sivin, Nathan, 1994). Initially gunpowder was used in fireworks and pill-making process in the 9th century. When the formulae of gunpowder came to the strategists, they made it as a substance, which was explosive in nature. According to the Chinese formulae in the 10th and 11th centuries, Gunpowder was made with 27 to 50 percent of nitrate. But as time passed, the nitrate levels in Gunpowder was increased to large extent so that it could become an explosive bomb such as grenade bomb. When you read the book â€Å"Huolongjing† written by Jiao Yu, you can clearly understand that the nitrate levels in the 14th century were increased to 90 percent (Needham, Joseph, 1986) Most of the Islamic countries were also impacted due to the Gunpowder. By the mid of the 12th century most of the Arab scientists also acquired the knowledge on gunpowder. During the wars against Transoxania in 1219 and 1240, Genghis Khan used a Chinese catapult unit to invade Caucasus. It is not a surprise to say that the invention or introduction of Gunpowder had changed the destiny of many wars in the world (Khan, Iqtidar Alam, 1994). With the introduction of Gunpowder to Medieval Army, the facets of medieval warfare have been changed. The use of Gunpowder had been continued in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries in

Flag Protection Act of 1989 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Flag Protection Act of 1989 - Essay Example (2) This subsection does not prohibit any conduct consisting of the disposal of a flag when it has become worn or soiled. (c) Nothing in this section shall be construed as indicating an intent on the part of Congress to deprive any State, territory, possession, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico of jurisdiction over any offense over which it would have jurisdiction in the absence of this section. (d)(1) An appeal may be taken directly to the Supreme Court of the United States from any interlocutory or final judgment, decree, or order issued by a United States district court ruling upon the constitutionality of subsection (a). (2) The Supreme Court shall, if it has not previously ruled on the question, accept jurisdiction over the appeal and advance on the docket and expedite to the greatest extent possible. " 1989 - Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 101-131, Sec. 2(a), amended subsec. (a) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (a) read as follows: ''Whoever knowingly casts contempt upon any flag of the United States by publicly mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning, or trampling upon it shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.'' Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 101-131, Sec. 2(b), amended subsec. (b) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. ... any flag of the United States by publicly mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning, or trampling upon it shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.'' Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 101-131, Sec. 2(b), amended subsec. (b) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (b) read as follows: ''The term 'flag of the United States' as used in this section, shall include any flag, standard colors, ensign, or any picture or representation of either, or of any part or parts of either, made of any substance or represented on any substance, of any size evidently purporting to be either of said flag, standard, color, or ensign of the United States of America, or a picture or a representation of either, upon which shall be shown the colors, the stars and the stripes, in any number of either thereof, or of any part or parts of either, by which the average person seeing the same without deliberation may believe the same to represent the flag, standards, colors, or ensign of the United States of America.'' Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 101-131, Sec. 3, added subsec. (d). SHORT TITLE OF 1989 AMENDMENT Section 1 of Pub. L. 101-131 provided that: ''This Act (amending this section) may be cited as the 'Flag Protection Act of 1989' [1].'' Texas v. Johnson In first 20 years, the Act was upheld by the local courts and Supreme Court refused to notice it, but then in 1984, during the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Johnson set the flag on fire during the protest. He was convicted of desecration and was sentenced one year in prison and was also fined $ 2000.00. The case went to Supreme Court which affirmed this decision. As a result of this, Congress enacted the Flag Protection Act 1989, according to which, the country's flag should never be desecrated in any form

Developmental Delays and Trauma Essay Example for Free

Developmental Delays and Trauma Essay Developmental delays is when your child does not reach their developmental milestones at the projected times. It is an ongoing major or minor delay in the course of development. Developmental delays can have many different causes. There are many types of Developmental delays in children; they include problems with language or speech, vision, movement (motor skills), social, emotional and cognitive skills (van der Kolk, 1995). Developmental delays are easily distinguished if you pay close attention to the development and milestone periods contained by children; for example if you notice a child having a low attention span, they can’t stay still, they’re highly active and energetic all the time, that’s perhaps due to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, known as ADHD. There are so many different things that can cause developmental delays and children aren’t always born with developmental delays. Although, developmental delays can be genetic or born with, there are times when trauma at different ages can cause developmental delays such as a child being abused and suffering brain trauma, concussion, which could cause memory lost. Or there could be an accident and a child or adult undergo serious injuries to the spine, eyes, etc. Spinal injuries can be of damage to you motor skills. Spinal injuries or brain injuries if serious can lead to you basically having to start over as if you were a baby learning to walk, read, jump, or talk. The Shaken baby syndrome also can be a trauma that can cause brain injuries. There are numerous of things that have major components to play in developmental delays. Trauma definitely plays a one of those major parts in developmental delays. There are a number of Trauma’s that can cause development delays. It doesn’t always have to be abuse or accidents. Trauma can be caused by divorce, neglect, bullying, sports injuries, or even bad relationship breaks up. These types of trauma are called psychological trauma. Psychological  traumas effects are mostly emotional and it isn’t always permanent. Psychological trauma causes anger, irritability; mood swings, guilt, hopeless, anxiety, withdrawing, and disconnected to name a few. For divorce, Feldman says (2011) ch ildren and adults may experience depression, and disturbances and phobias and these things last from 6 months up until 2 years. Feldman states children whose parents are divorcing blames themselves for the breakup. He also states, evidence shows that twice as many children of divorced parents enter psychological counseling (Feldman, 2011). Children under the age 18 suffer 40% more anxiety as a result of divorce (van der Kolk, 1995). About 10-15 percent of students are bullied one time or the other (Feldman, 2011) and almost 85% of girls and 80% of boys are being bullied (Feldman, 2011). Those who are bullied lack social skills, cry easy (Feldman, 2011), and they experience depression, stress, anger, etc. Prayer and meditation help brain activity. Mediation to the mind is like an aerobic exercise to the body. Studies have also shown that meditation promotes mindfulness, decreased stress, insomnia, illnesses, depression, anxiety and panic. Spiritual connection brings comfort and healing to trauma. Researchers are learning the parts of the brain that are responsible for the spiritual thoughts, prayer and meditation. In one of our presentations his week, Dr. Jeanne Brooks stated that we have a spir itual part in our brain (2014). There are good and bad parts to everyone, I believe the good part is the spiritual part in everyone. For example, we’ve all seen cartoons in which there was a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. The shoulder with the angel is the part of us, the part of our brain or conscious that’s spiritual. References Brooks, Jeanne Dr. â€Å"Divorce and Stress† video presentation. LUO (2014) Feldman, R.S. (2014). Development across the Life Span (7th edition) Namka,, L. (2001). Children who are traumatized by bullying. alk, Trust and Feel Therapeutics., p. 18. Van Der Kolk, an der Kolk, B. (1995). developmental trauma disorder : Towards a rational diagnosis for children with complex trauma histories.

Examples Of Green Technology Methods Environmental Sciences Essay

Examples Of Green Technology Methods Environmental Sciences Essay Green technology is a continuously evolving group of methods of using materials that are being disposed of and recycling them to be used for other things that will not harm the environment. Building materials and landscaping are just a couple of things that can be done with waste materials. Things that can be recycled so that we can reuse them for generating energy to nontoxic cleaning products and other non-harmful things-things that could/can be harmful to our planet, ozone, and environment. We need to find things that we can do to help clean up our environment and planet before we totally destroy what is left of it. By using green technology, we can [meet] the needs of society in ways that will continue indefinitely into the future and without damaging or depleting natural resources. (Green technology, 2010) Examples of green technology are energy, green building, environmentally preferred purchasing, green chemistry, and green nanotechnology. All of these resources can keep our planet clean and we will be able to recycle smartly. We will be able to use, then re-use, as needed. As we build and use, we will be able to tear down what we have built and reuse the waste for other things. According to Green-technology.org, here are the definitions of the examples from above: Energy the development of alternative fuels, new means of generating energy and energy efficiency. Green building encompasses everything from the choice of building materials to where a building is located. Environmentally Preferred Purchasing (EPP) government innovation that involves the search for products whose contents and methods of production have the smallest possible impact on the environment and mandates that these be the preferred products for government purchasing. Green-chemistry the invention, design, and application of chemical products and processes to reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. Green nanotechnology the application of green chemistry and green engineering principals in the field of manipulation of materials at the scale of the nanometer (one billionth of a meter). Green energy is the use of alternative energy other than gasoline. One such alternative is ethanol and corn fuels. These burn cleaner than gas and, in todays automobiles these fuels even provide greater fuel mileage. This has been a concern of consumers for a long time. However, in older model cars, these types of fuels do not work and dry out piston rings but car manufacturers are remedying this and designing cars to run on ethanol and corn fuels. This technology is already being used today. Even battery powered cars are on the roads; cars that dont use any type of fuel except battery power. This is another form of green technology. Solar heat and power are another form of energy that is green. Solar heat can be captured to heat water. This type of energy is already being implemented in the world today. Solar panels capture the suns heat and this is used to heat water plus used for power to run lights in homes. Some homes are totally powered by solar panels as are prototype solar cars. Even geothermal energy is used in certain geographical areas of the world to run generators by steam. Wind power also runs many items, including homes that would normally rely on electricity to power lights, appliances, etc. Manyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦fields of wind turbines are being built in areas of the world to take advantage of constant winds to provide economical and sustainable energy. (EzineArticles, 2010, para. 4) Another source of green energy would be the use of a Magnetic Power Generator (MPG). This would produce free energy indefinitely and power a whole house. This device would not cost much to build-not thousands of dollars-and if you are a do it yourself type of person, you could make one for fairly cheap. According to Greendepot.com, Green building practices, as well as the selection of the appropriate building materials, revolve around a few basic principles of science. (Greendepot, 2010). Using recycled materials to build will result in a totally green building with all parts of the building originating from recycled material from the floor to the walls, ceilings, cabinets, and even furniture can be made from recycled material and when old, can be recycled again. Not only can we build from recycled materials but we can do just about anything with those materials from building homes to landscaping. One material that is being used for home building is called Durisol. These are hollow-core blocks [that] are made from mineralized wood shavings and portland cement, stacked into walls then finished with reinforcing steel and concrete. (Greendepot, 2010) Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) helps the federal government buy green and uses the governments buying power to stimulate market demand for green products and services. (epa.gov, 2010) It helps agencies within the federal government comply with green requirements and agencies are directed by federal law and such to purchase things with the environment in mind. The EPA created the EPP in 1993 to help meet the already mentioned requirements. Green chemistry reduces or eliminates the use of hazardous substances. It applies across the life cycle of a chemical product, including its design, manufacture, and use (epa.gov, 2010) It reduces or eliminates negative environmental impact and is an effective approach to pollution prevention because it applies solutions to environmental problems and situations. The 12 Principles of Green Chemistry was originally published by Paul Anastas and John Warner in Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice (Oxford University Press: New York, 1998) and provides a guide for chemists to implement Green Technology (epa.org, 2010). The twelve principles are as follows: Prevention Atom Economy Less Hazardous Chemical Synthesis Designing Safer Chemicals Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries Design for Energy Efficiency Use of Reusable Feedstock Reduce Derivatives Catalysis Design for Degradation Real-time Analysis for Pollution Prevention Inherently Safer Chemistry for Accidental Prevention (Anastas, P.T; Warner, J.C.; Green, 1998) Currently, China is a world leader in the manufacture of solar panels and research into carbon capture, the process of burning coal while not emitting greenhouse gases. This country is providing a model of how countries should foster a green economy.(RONAN McGREEVY.   (2010,  November  13) Nanotechnology is defined as the art and science of manipulating matter at the nanoscale to create new and unique products and materials. (Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, 2010). The nanoscale is the scale of atoms and molecules. As products are made using the nanometer-scale, there is a growing demand for this technology to help clean up the environment by reducing pollution and trying to produce a cleaner environment and economy. It is easier than we may think. Experiments with nanotechnology are happening all the time. Using this nanotechnology, science has been experimenting on all types of things. From using DNA molecules in processes to building nanoscale patterns on silicon chips and other surfaces to print things (versus lithography) to removing arsenic in a solution base and by being able to detect pollutants at the level of parts per billion. (Project on Emerging Technology nano (2007, April 26). Nanotechnology has opened promising routes to improving and lowering the cost of fuel cells and is leaning toward tools for removing toxic and hazardous materials in waste sites. This kind of technology is essential if we are going to clean up our planet and it is a growing technology to be sure and, according to Lux Research, in 2005, more than $30 billion in nanotech products were sold globally. This figure is estimated to grow to $2.6 trillion by the year 2014. Green technology is an every-growing technology to find what is best for our planet and its continued survival and evolution. We cannot continue down the path we started on years and years ago or we will not have a planet that will sustain life. Using green technology will allow us to clean up our rivers, lakes and waterways as well as our environment. Recycling is one way to do this. Not only does this help us use waste materials but it keeps these waste materials out of dumps and landfills. Even appliances are going green. A plug, developed by 2 brothers, called the GreenPlug, plugs into a normal wall outlet, between the wall and the appliance, and stops excess power to the appliance. It stops the flow of unused energy to the appliance thus saving on energy and power. The GreenPlug helps appliances cut down on the amount of energy that they consume and it will add to the life of older appliances as well. There are hopes that green technology can jump-start the economy which has been failing and struggling. By implementing green technology, it is going to be the next global job and wealth creation engine. (McNally, S., 2009) But green technology has a long way to go before it can become a key in the economy. It has not been around long enough to make an effect as yet. Green technology is still so new that it is going to take a long while before it will put any kind of dent in the recession we are currently in. It is going to take a lot of initiative on the parts of companies; both small and large. Green technology will more than likely come first to the health and transportation sector as both are made more efficient by governments. The economic downturn makes companies more susceptible to change and change, like green technology, will probably be embraced quickly because of the openness for change that is currently felt all over the world. There are so many ways that we have already begun to use this technology. The postal service in Key West, Florida, for example, has begun using electric delivery carts instead of automobiles. Not only the postal service but other government agencies as well are trying to make transportation eco-friendly. Other areas are seeing solar power as an alternative to electricity. There are solar powered homes, businesses, and just recently, electronics are becoming solar powered. Like the worlds first solar powered keyboard made my Logitech. It is also wireless which means it can be completely recharged just by putting it in the sun or any other light source. Every part of the keyboard, including the packaging, is recyclable making the first green keyboard. As we continue to evolve, so does the world around us. In order for this world and planet to get cleaned up, we need to keep experimenting with the things that will ultimately make this world cleaner and better. All the cleaning up in the world makes no difference if we do not have a plan to turn green and make things eco-friendly. We will always have some sort of solid waste but even some of that can be turned into something that is usable and reusable. Even sewage can be used as a means of a heat source. Cleaning up our planet is of the utmost importance and finding new way to do that can be done. Recycling and e-cycling need to be important and we need to pursue and continue to pursue every avenue until this planet goes totally green. That is our future; our goal. Social awareness about the need for cleaner, environmentally-friendly products and services is crucial if we are to clean up our environment. Academically, green technology needs to be taught to our children as well as learning about it ourselves. It should be mandatory that our children be taught; not only our elementary children but college students as well. The industrial segment needs to be pushed forward to come out with more environment-friendly production and consumption processes. Various incentives need to be given to the industrial sector, which is ready to innovate and implement green technology. (Green technology is the future at large.  (2010,  November  14). Businesses need to man up and do their part as well by going green and having their employees do the same and give incentives for doing so. We all have to start somewhere and the big and small businesses need to do their part too. By recycling products that we use every day, we come closer to turning our environment green and cleaning up our world. Other countries need to know this technology and need to implement it. Without the technology, we will inevitably end up destroying ourselves and our planet. Going green with green technology is the only viable conclusion.

The Digital Divide Essay -- Technology Society

The Digital Divide A new generation is forming the way its members will be written into history books. These are the members of the digital culture, a lifestyle relying on the use of technology and the Internet as a tool of communication and information-sharing. Nevertheless, as with the generations of the past, some individuals are not participating in this new cultural experience. It is common knowledge that some citizens do not use the Internet. Many do not use the Internet simply due to economic or social restrictions that prevent them from easily accessing the technology. However, what is not as common is why some members of our society are even choosing not to use the Internet. â€Å"Access, Civic Involvement, and Social Interaction† from the American Behavioral Scientist compare users and nonusers of the Internet across the United States: â€Å"8% were dropouts in 1995, 11% in 1996, 10% in 1997, and 11.5% in 2000† (Katz et al., Access 411). http://www.sci ls.rutgers.edu/~jimkatz/publications.htm No matter how small the statistic is, a choice not to use the Internet must have legitimate reasons and may result in conflicting effects. However, while it shows the amount of never users to be shrinking, the amount of former users is growing, implying that some people are already logging off the Internet while most are logging on. A lack of participation in the digital culture could have an effect on society, including both those who use the Internet, and those who do not. It is possible that either users or nonusers could have an advantage in the end due to their choice. Although the numbers are a minority, the nonusers must be analyzed and predictions need to be made about the reasons and effects of not... ...aythornthwaite, Caroline. â€Å"The Internet in Everyday Life.† American Behavioral Scientist. Vol. 45 No. 3, November 2001 363-382. Katz, James, and Philip Aspden. Communications of the ACM. Vol. 40 No. 4. April 1997. Katz, James, Ronald Rice, and Philip Aspden. â€Å"Access, Civic Involvement, and Social Interaction.† American Behavioral Scientist. Vol. 45 No. 3, November 2001 405-419 National Telecommunications and Information Administration. â€Å"A NATION ONLINE: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use Of The Internet.† September 2001. 21 February 2003 http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/html/Chapter8.htm Sources Consulted www.icdri.org/technology/ indexbp.htm www.foreignpolicy.com/issue_janfeb_2002/ digital_divide.html www.cliffsnotes.com/internet/ www.tpj.org/reports/luddites02/ luddites02.jpg www.executive.govt.nz/minister/ maharey/divide/01-01.htm

The clinical career path for nurse Essay

Introduction A ‘Nurse Practitioner’ (NP) has been defined as â€Å"a registered nurse with the capability to practice autonomously and collaboratively with other health professions† (Mosby’s Dictionary of Medicine p. 2010). NPs must complete a , Master’s degree in education, as approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (Australian Nursing Federation 2011). [you need to signal that you are going to review the history and development of NPs] The role of a NP is to provide cost effective care and safe accessible treatment and to improve of health care and patient outcomes (Australian College of Nurse Practitioners, 2012).[I’ve moved this text to the start of your introduction] An overview of the development of the role of NPs is as follows. [you can use your own words but you need a signal here!] In October 1990, the first NP committee convened in New South Wales (Australian College of Nurse Practitioners,2012) and this committee contributed to the establishment of f the NP role in Australia in1 2001 (Australian College of Nurse Practitioners 2012; Taylor 2007). In the United States and England the role has been in existence since the 1960s (N3ET2 2006 p. 1). Since 2001 (?), NPs have been slowly spreading all over Australia (Driscoll et al. 2005, p. 141) and the role now exists in all states and territories (Australian College of Nurse Practitioner s, 2012). Diverse skills, experience and qualifications are all vital components in meeting the clinical requirements to be endorsed as a NP by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2011). For example [give some examples to elaborate on this sentence Chauvy.] These nurses have advanced and extended roles compared to other registered nurses, particularly within the endorsed areas of their scope of practice (Australian Nursing Federation 2011; Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2011). To illustrate †¦ [elaborate a bit on these roles, endorsed areas, different scopes of practice here.] Despite the contribution made by NPs, barriers exist in Australia which prevent these nurses from providing the full care for which are trained (Taylor 2007). Some of these obstacles include the limited access to a provider number,; the restricted right to prescribe (find a better reference please!!!) and to write referrals (Driscoll et al. 2005, p. 141). [Chauvy, don’t forget the opposition of the AMA as we discussed!] This essay will review the growing clinical career pathway of NPs, the autonomy and limitation within the scope of practice experienced, and will provide an overview of the benefits NPs bring to the health system in Australia. Clinical Career Path In order to qualify as a NP, the applicant needs to meet the requirements issued by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (2011), as specified in the ‘Guidelines on endorsements as a nurse practitioner’ (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2011). These requirements are as follows: Firstly, the applicant must already be a ‘registered nurse’ (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2011) and must not have any record of unsatisfactory professional performance or unprofessional conduct (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2011). Secondly, the applicant must have three years or equivalent experience in advanced practice. These three years or equivalent experience must be acquired within six years from lodging the application (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2011). Lastly, the applicant must have completed the study of ANMAC [explain] accredited and Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (2011) approved NP program at Masters Level. The Heath Practitioner Act 2009 only permits the use of the protected title ‘NP’ by those meeting all of the above requirements (Australian Nursing Federation 2011). After complete the Master’s degree, some health authorities provide internships in Victoria. For example, Wintle, Newsome and Livingston (2011) report that Eastern Health provides such internships, and these assist NPs  in meeting the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia national competencies. The focus is of these competencies is to ensure the development of clinical assessments; diagnostic skills; knowledge of pharmacology; analysis of medical treatment, medication management and clinical leadership – all of which assist in the preparation for endorsement as an NP3. However, recent research suggests that the endorsement process remains problematic and is not consistent across different jurisdictions in Australia. Harvey et al (2011, p.247-8) recommend that the process for becoming a NP in Australia should change, due to the difficulties of endorsement existing in different jurisdictions. The findings of this study demonstrate that different state-based regulatory policies throughout the Australian workforce affect the employment of r NPs (Harvey et al 2011, p.247-8). For example, in Victoria, along with ‘the guidelines of endorsement for a nurse practitioner’ (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2011 – do you need to repeat this ref?), the NPs who wish to prescribe medications must apply for the ‘Explanatory Statement: Nurse Practitioner Category Notion (Victoria) and have that registered against the name (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2010). In contrast, NPs in NSW †¦ (you want to give an example to show how states differ – pick another state and show how prescribing rights vary from one to another to complete the point you are making her e.) It should be acknowledged that the Australian public are often confused about the difference between a NP and a registered nurse (RN). One distinction between a NP and a RN is in the different levels in education. The RN would be qualified in a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (Mosby’s Dictionary of Medicine, 2010), however the NP must also receive not only a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing but the extended study in a Master’s Degree (Australian Nursing Federation 2006). The second difference is the level of autonomy enjoyed by NPs relative to RNs. This autonomy enables the NP to initiate treatment without the supervision of the medical practitioner, whereas the RN is under the supervision of a GP at all times (Australian Nursing Federation 2006). However, there are also some similarities among the two health professionals;both are eligible to initiate medical surgical routes and do basic nursing assessments (Oxford Reference Concise 1994,  Australian Nursing F ederation 2006). Scope of Practice The scope of practice (SoP) is the legislative framework which indicates the area of jurisdictions that the NP must work within (Baker, N 2010 p 211). NPs have a wider SoP than RNs (ANF). They can call upon the extended skills and knowledge, interpret test results and scans, perform consultations, content assessments and undertake on planning and research diagnosis (ANF). Any presentation that is out of the jurisdictions of the SoP, the NP must seek assistance of a medical practitioner (Heaps and bounds).The SoP of a NP varies across all health areas (Baker 2010 p) for example; a NP trained in emergency department (ED) as an emergency nurse practitioner (ENP) will have a different SoP to a NP trained in the mental department as a mental nurse practitioner (MNP). To illustrate this further, the study by Lowe (2010 p) demonstrates the current SoP of an ENP at the Alfred Emergency and Trauma Centre (AETC) located in Melbourne. The AETC have established the SoP for ENPs around the model of care (MOC) (Lowe 2010 p) that was based upon the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) cited in the Alfred Health website (2012). The areas in the SoP involve prescribing medications, ordering tests, diagnosing results and admitting and discharging patients (Lowe 2010 p). The assessment of minor injuries or illnesses and initiation of treatments are also part of the ENP’s SoP (Lowe 2010 p). Lastly required at the AETC the ENP must also attend educational classes with other ED medical staff, and further additional classes that will identify the gaps between the ENP’s skill and knowledge and own professional development (Lowe 2010 p80). In comparison, Fry’s research (2011, p58) indicated that the NP in the critical care department (CCD) have separated areas which are adult, paediatric and neonate, however all three areas can fall under the same SoP. The SoP (Fry 2011, p64) involves around direct patient assessments, research of the injury or illness, complex monitoring and therapies of high intensity interventions and care focused by highly acute technology (Association of critical care 2011 p12). NPs in the CCD also follow up with post-intensive care discharge, intensive care retrieval and transfers, and follow up on  outpatient care (Fry 2011, p64). There are times a NP trained in certain an area such as a MNP, can work in a different health department for example ED. A case study by Baker (2010) based in Victoria shows a MNP working in the ED as part of a team, the Youth Early Psychosis (YEP). Bakers (2010) article shows that working as a MNP in the ED in a YEP team can work autonomy to appropriate areas. The SoP involves the combination of a NP working in the MD and ED, in this mostly around the SoP of a MNP; however it is also required for the MNP to obtain an extension of practice within the ED (Baker 2010 p 212). The additional roles within the ED include ‘fast tracking patients’ and attending to other medical concerns (Baker 2010 p 212). The MNP working within the YEP can prescribe a limited range of medication in the duration of seven days, supervise and monitor the progression of the medication, initiate other therapeutic skills and test and take further action towards the patient (Baker 2010 p). The Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) became accessible, albeit in a limited way to NPs on 1 November 2010, were governed by the Health Legislation Amendment ACT 2010 (Medicare Australia 2011). Objections to the NP role have been voiced by the AMA(cited in Taylor 2007, p 20) on the grounds that NPs â€Å"†¦are not adequately educated and trained in areas such as ordering pathology and diagnostic tests, making medical diagnoses, prescribing medications, referring patients to specialist and having hospital privileges†. Furthermore the PBS has constricted the prescribing rights to the NPs’ SoP in the designated state and territory (PBS). In contrast, this is a major progression in the development on expanding the SoP compared to 2008 where the Health Legislation was yet to pass (reference PBS). Dr Phillip Della (cited in Taylor 2007) supported the availability of the MBS and PBS during this time, to provide safe and quality patient care across all access and addition to realising the NPs’ full potential used to improve Australia’s health. Medicare Australia (2011) reports that only NPs working in a private practice  may obtain access to the MBS services, which refer patients to specific specialists and request of some pathology and diagnostic items. easons stated in the Department of Health WA (2011 p. 16), that under the Health Insurance Act 1973 (cited in Department of Health WA, 2011 p. 16), that NPs (or other health professionals) with pre-existing funding arrangements with the governing bodies of the Commonwealth, state or local will not be rebated by Medicare. This is because NPs working in the public sector are to provide a ‘public hospital service’, thus cannot charge a fee for treatment or care initiated to public patients (Department of Health WA, 2011 p. 16). A ‘public hospital service’ is funded by the governing body to a public patient (Department of Health WA, 2011 p.16), and therefore MBS services are only allocated to NPs in the private sectors because patients are being charged. According to the Health Department SA (2011) fact sheet, NPs working in the private sector would be required to obtain a provider number to access to the MBS. NPs working in the public sector would use the provider number of the public hospital. Provider numbers are obtained through the Department of Health and Ageing in the Australia Government (2011). A final requirement to access the MBS, are that NPs must have professional indemnity insurance (Australian Government, Department of Health and Ageing 2011) which can be obtain through the Australian Nursing Federation (2012). Though the initiation of the PBS (2010) was enabled for the authorised NPs to prescribe medications under the state and territory legislation, prescribing is still limited due to the SoP of the NP and state and territory rights. Medications are listed for NPs to identified which medicines are available to prescribe are located on the PBS website (Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 2011). NPs can also prescribe when they have a collaborative arrangement with the general practitioner (GP) under certain conditions, this usually occurs when the patient is living in a rural or remote area (Department of Health and Ageing WA, 2011, p). The collaborative arrangement occurs in two forms continuing therapy only (CTO) model and shared care model (SCM) is shown in the Department of Health and Ageing WA (2011 p). The CTO model is when the GP has already initiated the treatment and prescription for the patient and then is continued by the NP  (Australian Government 2011). The SCM is formalised agreement between both NP and GP planned to managed the treatment of the patient (Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing 2011). Value According to the ANF (2011) and ACNP (2012) the role of the NPs is to provide cost effective care, provide patients in rural and remote areas treatment, improve waiting times, faster access to treatment and provide a mentorship and clinical expertise to other health professional. The framework utilized by the Department of Human Services Victoria(2000) recommends various ways in which NPs can assist in improving existing health services and patient flow in Australia (Wintle, Newsome & Livingston 2011). To illustrate, in the emergency department(ED) based in Sunshine Hospital in Melbourne, there has been a shortage of doctors working on site especially after hours (Webster-Brain 2011 p). In 2004 a project developed by the Department of Human Services Victoria (cited in Webster-Brain 2011 p) provided the hospital funding to introduce the role of NP. Webster-Brain (2011 p) suggested that the NP was deemed to be trained in the management of minor presentations, for example minor injuries, infections, complaints and symptoms of miscarriages. The benefit of NPs being available at the ED is that action can be taken immediately and effectively (Webster-Brain 2011 p). The NP provides support in counselling to those whom just experienced a miscarriage, also to educate the emotional impact on the medical and nursing staff (Webster-Brain 2011 p). This area noted in Gabrial et al (2005) that even at early pregnancy loss, practitioners need to be aware at any inappropriate or insensitive responses may cause more grief or trauma towards the patient. Thus this issue can be assisted by the NP through sensitive and supplementary counselling. According to Webster-Brain (2011 p) the successful collaborations between the medical staff, emergency physicians and NPs in the ED, resolved the problem in the lack of services and staff. A survey was conducted by Scully (2006 p) which reviewed the contributions of NPs model care on the patients at Sunshine Hospital. The findings had patients responding positively towards the NPs service and care, thus resulted in the permanent implementation of the NP position at  Sunshine Hospital (Scully 2006, p). There has been some opposition to the expansion of the role of the NP, notably from the Australian Medical Association (AMA) (cited in Taylor 2007, p). The AMA (cited in Taylor, p) does not believe that NPs are adequately trained to prescribe medication and order diagnostic tests, therefore they support limited access to MBS and PBS. Another concern from the AMA are that the role of a medical practitioner may one day be substituted by the growing occupation of NPs (Weiland et al ). They have announced that NPs â€Å"cannot and should not replace the expertise and care provided by general practitioners.† (AMA 1994). However NPs were originally developed in the United States to provide care and utilising treatment in cases of patients in rural and remote health where a medical practitioner cannot be able to attend to (Distoll et al p). Case studies in Australia, which addressed welfare shortages in other suburbs with growing population, have proven positive (Scully 2006 p). Sunshine Hospital in Melbourne utilised the NPs to resolving the outnumbered medical practitioners and staff (Webster-Brain 2011 p), that resulted to the permanent position of the NP role is one example. In this case the AMA (cited in Taylor 2007 p.) had agreed that the shortage of medical practitioners are undeniable and is an issue. In a solution, the AMA (cited in Taylor 2007 p.) have reopposed that Australia should utilise the treatment and care provided by the NP in such areas, however with the consultation of a medical practitioner, whom carries the ultimate clinical responsibility. The awareness of the general public about the role of NPs is limited of this stage. There is limited awareness about the position of NPs in the Australian public (Taylor 2011 p). Professor Glenn (cited in Taylor 2007 p.) argue that the â€Å"State government needs to educate the public about nurse practitioners and how anyone on a waiting lists for category three or four could be receiving care from a health professional. The public would be appalled if they knew how ready nurse practitioners are to provide health services but are restricted by bad policy.† Taylor, M (2007) recommends that those have and are interested in the position of a NP should consider addressing barriers that requires action. Promoting Australia’s public  awareness, utilising and justifying the role of a NP and involved politically to support change are a few of many factors that may alter the restriction to NPs (Taylor 2007). Conclusion In conclusion, Australia is still fairly new as a country towards role of a NP, which has been around internationally for much longer (Distroll et al 2005 p141). The NP has a higher education level at the Master’s Level which can perform specific areas within their scope of practice (Australian Nursing Federation 2006), to help out in different areas of aspects in Australia’s health system (Baker 2010 p). The process of obtaining the title and position of a ‘NP’ is based the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (2011), however was indicated by Harvey et al (2011 p2478) that complications have raised difficulties through the endorsement in different state. The Australian health systems are still in the progress of trial and error with developing and broadening of the SoP of a NP. The accessibility of the MBS and PBS by the legislation has proven to be a great step despite controversies from the AMA (cited in Taylor). Finally the value of NP have been evaluated and have successfully implemented on the Australian health system improving waiting times for patients, assist the workload for medical practitioners, and mentor and enhance communication between patient and medical staff (Webster-Brain 2011 p). References Department of Human Services Victoria (2004) (Webster-Brain 2011). Gabrial et al (2005) Scully (2006)

CSR of Petron Essay

Petron Corporation (Petron) is a Philippines-based company. The Company is the refiner and marketer of petroleum products in the Philippines. As of December 31, 2010, Petron had seven subsidiaries: New Ventures Realty Corporation engaged in acquiring and developing land; Petrogen Insurance Corporation engaged in serving the insurance requirements of Petron and its allied business partners, such as contractors, suppliers and dealers; Overseas Insurance Corporation engaged in expediting the reinsurance of Petron’s insurable interests as covered by Petrogen Insurance Corporation; Petron Foundation, Inc. engaged in functioning and operating as a charitable and research foundation; Petron Freeport Corporation engaged in selling fuels, including gasoline, kerosene, diesel, lubricants and greases, as well as operate retail outlets, restaurants, and convenience stores; Petron Marketing Corporation is engaged in the fuel business, and Petron Singapore Trading Pte. Ltd. established in 2010. Petron Corporation’s over 75 years of existence in the Philippines is a further testament to its commitment to providing quality products and services. Petron’s colorful history dates back to September 7, 1933 whent he Socony Vacuum Oil Company of New York and the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey formed the Standard Vacuum Oil Company (Stanvac). The end of the venture in the early ’60s split the marketing and refining interests of the company between Esso and Mobil.In 1973, Esso sold its business to the government which became the Philippine National Oil Company orPNOC. Subsequently, Mobil also sold its share of the refinery to PNOC.The oil refining and marketing units in PNOC were eventually merged to form Petrophil, which was later renamed as Petron. As part of the government’s privatization program, PNOC sought a strategic partner that would give Petron a reliable supply of oil, plus access to state-of-the-art refining technology. The result was a partnership with the world’s largest oil producer, Saudi Aramco. On February 3, 1994, PNOC and Aramco Overseas Company BV signed a share purchase agreement thatgave both a 40% stake in Petron. The remaining 20% of Petron shares were sold to the public .In May 2008, the Ashmore Group acquired Aramco’s 40% stake in Petron. Following a mandatory tender offer, an additional 10.57% was acquired by the London-based fund. The PNOC likewise sold its share to another Ashmore subsidiary. Such divestment resulted in the Ashmore Group holding approximately 90.57 percent of the outstanding shares of the company. Mission-Vision and Values To be the leading provider of total customer solutions in the energy sector and itsderivative businesses. We will achieve thisby: Being an integral part of our customers’lives, delivering consistent customerexperience through innovative productsandservices; Developing strategic partnership inpursuit of growth and opportunity; Leveraging our refining assets to achievecompetitive advantage; Fostering an entrepreneurial culture thatencourages teamwork, innovation andexcellence; Caring for community and theenvironment; Conducting ourselves withprofessionalism, integrity and fairness; Promoting the best interest of all ourstakeholders. Leaders Behind The Success RAMON S. ANG- Filipino, 56 years old, is the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Petron since January 8, 2009. He is also the Chairman of the Board Executive Committee and Compensation Committee. He is currently the Vice Chairman of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) and President & Chief Operating Officer of SMC, Chairman of Liberty Telecom Holdings Inc. and Vice Chairman and Director of Manila Electric Company. He also holds executive and directorship positions in various SMC subsidiaries. ERIC O. RECTO- Filipino, 46 years old, is the President/Executive Director of the company since October 7, 2008.He became a director of Petron on July 31, 2008. He is a member of the Board Executive Committee and the Nomination and Compensation Committees. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Telecommunications Philippines, Inc. (ETPI) and Vice Chairman& President of ISM Communications Corporation, ETPIs parent company. He is also Vice Chairman of Philweb Corporation and Alphaland Corporation. He was previously Undersecretary of the Department of Finance, in charge of both the International Finance Group and the Privatization Office. BERNARDINO R. ABES-Filipino, 79 years old, has been a non-executive Director of the company since July 2001. He is currently the Chairman of the Government Service Insurance System, following a three-year term as Chairman of the Social Security Commission. EDUARDO M. COJUANGCO, JR.- Filipino, 74, is a non- executive Director of Petron since January 8, 2009.He is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of San Miguel Corporation. He is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ginebra San Miguel Inc.; Chairman of ECJ & Sons Agricultural EnterprisesInc., Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. Foundation Inc., and San Miguel Purefoods Company Inc.. RON W. HADDOCK- American, 69 years old, is a non-executive Director since December 2, 2008. He is amember of the Audit Committee and an alternate member of the Executive Committee. He sits as theChairman of the Board of Ashmore Energy International which he has occupied since September 2006.