Critical Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Critical Thinking - Essay Example Indeed, the probability of having a true conclusion is also very low and hence the uncogency. Argument 2 The premise of this argument is that Hamilton is in New York State if he is in the United States. Consequently, the conclusion of the argument is that Hamilton is not in New York State since he is not in U.S. This is a deductive, cogent argument. We can derive that the argument is deductive because the premises succeed in supporting and guaranteeing the truth of the conclusion (Bassham et al, 2011). Indeed, since the premises are true, the conclusion is also true. This generates a valid argument. The argument is also cogent since the premises are true and the conclusion has a high probability of being true. Ideally, since the argument is valid and the conclusion is true, then it is a sound argument. Argument 3 The premise of this argument is that Ontario must be in Canada if he is in North America. Consequently, the conclusion of the argument is that Ontario is in Canada since he is in North America. This is a deductive, cogent argument. In this case, the premises succeed in providing strong support for the conclusion thus guaranteeing its truthfulness. Indeed, since the premises are true, the conclusion is also true, and the argument is thus valid. ... Notably, this is an inductive, uncogent argument. Indeed, although some statements are true, the premise is false, and the conclusion is likely to be false. We can establish that the argument is inductive since it depicts a statistical argument, leads to a false conclusion, and its conclusion has an induction indicator word ‘probably.’ Furthermore, the argument is uncogent since it is weak and has at least one false premise. Argument 5 The premise of this argument is that feminism is nonsense because my bartender said so. Consequently, the conclusion of the argument is that feminism is indeed nonsense since my bartender never lies. Notably, this is an inductive, uncogent argument. Assuredly, the conclusion lacks logic and is indeed false since feminism carries a lot of sense. We can establish that the argument is inductive since it depicts a statistical argument and leads to a false conclusion. Indeed, the conclusion does not follow logically from the statements and the bartender has no capacity to discredit feminism. Furthermore, the argument is uncogent since it is weak and has at least one false premise. Indeed, the probability of having a true conclusion is also very low and hence the uncogency. Argument 6 The premise of this argument is that all poker players are card players and some card players are gamblers. Consequently, the conclusion is that all poker players are gamblers. Notably, this is an inductive, cogent argument. Assuredly, the conclusion lacks logic and is indeed false even though the premises are true. We can establish that the argument is inductive since it depicts a statistical argument and leads to a false conclusion. Furthermore, the argument is cogent since it is

Recruiting in the High Schools Essay Example for Free

Recruiting in the High Schools Essay You see them everywhere dressed up head to toe in camouflage and shiny boots, with the image of a super hero. With the recent conflicts in the Middle East, parents across America have protested the military being inside of our children’s schools auctioning off a better life. Let’s face it, who can give a better life to you than your mother? In 2002 the government made a flagship program designed to help underprivileged kids called the â€Å"No Child Left Behind Act†. â€Å"Since 2002 the â€Å"No Child Left Behind Act† has meant that US schools which receive government money must allow the military in to talk to students† (Act of Congress). So this poses a huge problem for the parents that are trying to fight to get the military out of the schools and to put a ban on recruiting from within the confines. The military shouldn’t be able to recruit in high schools for many reasons. The most important reasons why the military shouldn’t recruit inside of high schools is because the mind of a high school student isn’t developed enough to make the right decisions to join; the military gives false hope to kids of financial freedom, and the possibility of death isn’t realistically depicted by the recruiters to the high school students. Why are we recruiting in high schools instead of on college campuses? There could be a lot of reasons behind it, but first and foremost is that seventeen year olds aren’t ready to join. The mind of a seventeen year old isn’t fully developed until their in their twenties. So the judgment of a right and a wrong decision isn’t mindfully thought through. Yes, a seventeen year old only needs a high school diploma and parental consent but, how can they think they are ready for war when they can’t even drink alcohol or vote for their commander and chief? In high schools there are cliques and like any kid they want to be in these so called cliques. Robert Ayers discusses in his book how kids are looking for a clique or group to belong to, â€Å"High school kids are at an age when being a member of an identifiable group with a grand mission and a shared spirit — and never underestimate a distinctive uniform — is of exaggerated importance, something gang recruiters in big cities also note with interest and exploit with skill† (William Ayers). Ayers is depicting to us how easy it is to manipulate, and convince a young mind, seventeen years old, just wants to be part of a group with an image no matter what group it is. All someone has to do is depict an image of greatness and the young people are sold. The fact and bottom line is that our kids look up to a glorified image that the military and their commercials depict from a young age and they shouldn’t be capitalized on nor taken advantage of due to this overwhelming lopsided image. The military is currently under quota of manpower that they need to run a successful defense, so turning to seventeen year olds without the knowledge of military recruiting tactics is the logical and more efficient way to get people to join our depleted military. But this is not a reason to prey on sixteen and seventeen year olds who aren’t even old enough to vote nor drive, but they can make life and death decisions to join the military. But having the undeveloped brain, like we all went through, as they do they are not old enough to cypher through the presentations that the recruiter gives in order to make a valid and rational decision. Why do you see more recruiters in poverty stricken areas contrast to those in areas of good or well financial being? This is because the military is unethically targeting the vulnerable kids in our school system. Recruiters unethically target low income kids while promising them financial aid for school after these students serve in the military. Some of the students are promised is school fully paid for via the â€Å"Post 9/11 bill† and the â€Å"GI Bill†. But if you go www. va. gov website you will see the underlying criteria to actually get 100 percent free tuition. The Veteran Affairs website referenced these criteria’s; Active duty status, months and years served, months retired and a plethora of underlying circumstances. Getting high school students seem to be the plan for high school students, â€Å"The U. S. military’s practice of targeting low-income youth and students of color for recruitment, in combination with exaggerated promises of financial rewards for enlistment, undermines the voluntariness of their enlistment† (Soldiers of Misfortune). So why does the military seem to recruit people of color? Well according to www. census. gov the website tells us a lot about Caucasian children eighteen and under below the poverty line was seventeen percent and the children of the minority races were thirty five percent and higher. So this is actually the ideal place for a recruiter to so called â€Å"fill their quota†. Going back to the argument of recruiters promising false financing of school, this could be an advantage for the recruiters. Promising people who don’t have anything something is unethical and misleading. This is mostly unethical because the recruiters that are usually E-4 to E-6 have no pull to get you in different schooling programs nor give you the position that you could want, in terms of career and financing. â€Å"Many possible recruits are promised that they will receive tens of thousands of dollars in education when, in actuality, 57 percent of veterans who have applied for Government Issue (GI) benefits have not received any financial aid, according to the non-profit organization Finding Alternatives to Military Enlistment† (FAME). Promising financial benefits to kids that less than the majority of the military veterans receive is morally and ethically wrong. Also, the recruiters don’t tell you that in some circumstance you can’t attend school while in an â€Å"Active Duty Status†. Reason being is that you could get deployed and be called off to duty at any time and then the government would have to reimburse the institution for the incomplete credits. The recruiters also don’t tell recruits that if you are a reservist you are not eligible for the GI Bill, being in the reserve status it will be impossible to accumulate four years’ worth of active duty. The military also made it so that this could never be reached, it’s like a safe guard they have in place. The U. S. government also targets disadvantaged communities and areas. The philosophy of recruiters seem to be â€Å" The more in poverty a student is, the more likely they will look for a way out and join the ranks†. When the recruiters target these areas their showing that the more fortunate kids lives are more valuable and worth sparing more than others. It just isn’t right to exploit children from these backgrounds and hold their lives to a lesser status than other backgrounds. Why isn’t war realistically depicted to recruits before they join? Because, it’s nothing like what you see on the video games like â€Å"Call of Duty† or movies like â€Å"The Expendables or The ‘A’ Team†, when people shoot a plethora of bullets at you someone or something gets hit. â€Å"War is catastrophic for human beings, and, indeed, for the continuation of life on Earth. With over 120 military bases around the globe and the second largest military force ever assembled, the U. S.  government is engaged in a constant state of war, and American society is necessarily distorted and disfigured around the aims of war† (William Ayers). A good statistic that should be shared while a recruit is debating whether or not to join the military is, â€Å"During the last decade of that spectacular century, two million children were killed, 20 million displaced, six million disabled† (William Ayers). Now this is a statistic that should get shared with recruits along with the good statistics that are put in there to glorify military service. Another good fact that recruits probably don’t know about â€Å"108 million people were slaughtered in wars during the 20th century† (William Ayers). Now the recruiters should tell the recruits to put this into perspective. 108 million people like you and me were killed within 100 years due to war and military conflict. The kids in high school need to understand that those were kids their age and younger, on some continents that were getting killed over things not fully understood. Then when your contract is up and you are honorably discharged from your branch of service people are still left with images of war and relive it every day. â€Å"Vets suffer long-term health consequences including greater risk of depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, sleep disorders, and more. About one-third of Vietnam vets suffered full-blown post-traumatic stress disorder. Another 22% suffered partial post-traumatic stress disorder. This is the nature of the beast. Anyone who’s been there knows† (William Ayers). If kids the age of 18 and lower are allowed to see and experience these things, then when their brains are fully developed they will be brain washed and war could be instilled in them with no turning back. This could also be that kid’s brains are not fully developed so they don’t have a clear concept of death. Recruiting in the high schools is ethically wrong due to the lack of the recruits’ brain development to cypher through and make a decision based on facts instead of the image the recruiters portray of the military. Also, the recruiters promise tens of thousands of dollars to these kids when that is a very farfetched truth. The recruiters need to tell them what you actually have to do to earn and qualify for that money so it can actually be yours’. Military recruiters also don’t depict a clear picture of war and all that is lost during it. People’s sanity, lives and total way of living are altered forever. Recruiting in high schools should be closely monitored in schools if not done away with all together. Kids eighteen and younger just don’t have a grasp on what’s reality and what’s fabricated. Works Cited Ayers, William. Hearts and Minds: Military Recruitment and the High School Battlefield. Www. democraticdialogue. com. N. p. , 07 Apr. 2006. Web. Cave, Damien. Growing Problem for Military Recruiters: Parents. Editorial. New York Times [New York] 3 June 2005: B6. Www. newyorktimes. com. Web. Census Bureau Homepage. Census Bureau Homepage. N. p. , n. d. Web. 02 Nov. 2012. http://www. census. gov/. FAME Time Series. FAME Time Series. N. p. , n. d. Web. 02 Nov. 2012. http://www. fame. com/. Www. gibill. va. gov. N. p. , n. d. Web.

Tourism Planning And Sustainable Tourism Tourism Essay

Tourism Planning And Sustainable Tourism Tourism Essay Singapore has always been an innovative country. Ever since the tourist boom, and the change of policy by the government to ease the policy by letting foreigners into Singapore and having the decision to be converted into PR (Permanent Resident). In the year 2009, the Integrated Resort (IR) was made where there are 2010 hotel rooms and a casino made. Since the World Wide Web or the Internet was created, the world has been experiencing quick pace changes on the tourism sector. Tourist also can be affected by the Internet, either positively or negatively. But positively, is always For a long time that the diffusion of the technologies that is in the tourism improved travel service supply in efficiency, quality and flexibility. Based on a concept of a tourism system, the world is experiencing quick pace changes because the tourism has become a major economic sector and the Internet is one of the most influential technologies that will change travellers behaviours and habits. The Internet are able to help online travellers to receive the updated time and unlimited travel information before travelling abroad they also can choose their final destination. Therefore, information through destination website plays an important role in influencing decision-making and increasing actual arrivals. In the way of the technological trend and the development, National Tourism Organisations monitor their online travel informations and continuously make sure that it meets the needs of consumers and develop online service to meet consumers satisfaction and experience. http://www.ifitt.org/admin/public/uploads/KaoLouvieris.pdf Singapore hosted one round of the 2008 FIA Formula One, The World Championship. The race, held on a new street circuit at Marina Bay, was the very first night-time event for Formula One history. The event was considered a success due to the sheer amount of organisation, planning and cooperation put in the event. Also in 2010, Singapore hosted the inaugural YOG (Youth Olympic Games) then the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), who says the Games, is expected to have a minimum of 180,000 visitors per nights for Singapore. The negative impacts are such as needed of more manpower to tighten the security to prevent increasing of crime rate. As many tourist who visit Singapore, there is an increase of tourist who are being targeted for robbery and theft. Law re-enforcement is needed to ensure safety for either the citizen or the tourist. Traffic congestion is another major problem due to increase of tourist and taxi is there only means of transportation. Currently there is an estimated of 20,000 taxi(sgforum 17 Oct) which flood most of the road in Singapore within 660sq kilometre. In order to cater to more taxi, Certificate of Entitlement (COE) has increased, preventing the local to unable to afford the car. Increase of tourism does affect the regions and natural environment, such as beaches, water supply, heritage sites and the natural reserve. It affects the environment due to over usage and air pollution through traffic emission. Economic Singapore, one of the most fast moving countries in Southeast Asia at the same time perhaps the most prosper country in the world and the safest place to be at. Each day transaction could reach up to billions of dollar flowing in and out of Singapore, creating many business opportunity and jobs for the local. With the fast growing economic, Singapore attracts 19 million (Singapore tourism board 17 cot) of tourist flying into this region for work or holiday in 2011. Tourism industry is one of the most important sectors in boosting the economy of Singapore. With the increasing number of tourist each year, more hotels are building and upgraded to accommodate to the needs. In order to cater to the tourism sectors, the board of tourism has created much sight for tourist to visit. Tourist attraction such as the Singapore Zoological Garden and Singapore Night Safari located at Mandai, Sentosa Island, Marina Bay Sands Singapore and Garden By the Bay. DEMAND FOR JOBS As the economy of Singapore is growing and more tourist visiting each year, there will definitely cause positive and negative impact affecting the general economy. The positive impact would be creating jobs to the tourism sector. In order to cater to the amount of tourist visiting Singapore, more chamber maid is hired to improve the efficiency in cleaning the room. Not only the chamber maid has increased, more jobs related to the tourism sector have relatively in need of manpower to cater the huge amount of visitor every year. As more people are employed, more people are able to afford on goods and services CURRENCY Even though Singapore has a strong currency, there are still many visitors visiting Singapore each year. Comparing with the European country, foreigners prefer coming to Singapore to spend because the currency exchange towards Singapore exchange rate is inferior to them. They would usually do their shopping because it is much way cheaper compared to Europe. DEMAND FOR GOODS AND SERVICES There is always a strong demand for goods due to the quality of product. In Singapore, products are differentiated from other country. Buyers are afraid of purchasing fake goods. The chances of buying a fake product in Singapore are very low as the immigration is very strict on imitation goods. Service provided is of higher quality compared too much other country. They would rather profit at customer satisfaction. Goods may be also being in demand as they are cheaper. Prices may vary due to many reasons like tax or shipping. NEGATIVE ECONOMIC IMPACT Even though the economics of travel and tourism manly emphasise on the benefit of tourism. There is much negative impact on the economy such as over-dependence on tourism. Many countries might be over-dependence on the tourism sector, these results in negligence on other sectors of income. Singapore has no natural resources to rely on and therefore they rely on largely tourism sector. Leakages of expenditure are due to spending on foreign based company. For example, Hilton hotel is a foreign based company and all the money earns are leakage to other country. Positive Economic Impact The are many positive economic impact on the tourism sector such as taxes collected from the visitors visiting Singapore. Those taxes collected manly used to fund the needy and the school, building proper roads and upgrading of facilities. As tourism increases, more jobs for locals at the Tourism sector and FB sectors. As more jobs are created, locals would be able to spend more. As demanded, it would also lead to an increase in the import and export trade. TOURISM PLANNING SUSTAINABLE TOURISM The country we have picked is Singapore, which is the little red dot on the South East Asia area below the Peninsula. We have been considered a well prosperous and flourished country to our achievement we have had due to the amount of tourist coming and some even decide to become a permanent resident here and not be called foreigner any more. For example, Singapore is famous for its inaugural Night Race for Formula One in 2008 and it is already in its fifth year. Every year after the night race is over, there is a group of event organiser that plans the night race for the next night race and it requires some skills and requirements. In addition, we have a few popular attractions such as Universal Studios Singapore (USS), Marina Bay Sands (MBS), the new Garden By The Bay and the up-coming Marine Life-Park which is going to be located at Resort World Sentosa (RWS) which is going to be worlds largest oceanarium and also the S.E.A. Aquarium, the worlds largest aquarium. Not all these wil l happen without the people behind the scenes. In addition, with these people, planning, achievable goal is needed. Tourism planning is oriented by goals, as there is a need to achieve specific objectives by using resources programmes with peoples needs and wants. Comprehensive planning requires a systematic approach. The planning objectives may be easy to set, but executing it will be tedious. First step is to define goals and objectives. Second is identifying the tourism system. Third is generated and evaluate alternatives. Fourth is select and implement and last is monitor and evaluate. Follow these few steps and planning will be made easy. Definition of tourism planning is plans that are made to attract tourist from other countries to visit Singapore for all sort of forms of activities, either leisure, holiday, backpacking, recreation or even business. The goals and objectives of planning an event in Singapore sounds simple but due to the constraint of space, most space will either be taken up for months or need to be booked a year before the event happens. Setting the objective to get a place for an event is important, as it is the beginning of the first step. Next, identify the tourism system. Meaning, the changes in places of visit and channels of distribution such as tour agents. The third steps are to generate and evaluate alternatives, for example, generating another plan or venue for the event to be organised. For events such as F1 in Singapore, having an alternative venue will be almost impossible because the preparation needed is massive. Once an alternative has been chosen, evaluate the decision with other organiser to know that the correct decision has been made. Next, select and implement meaning, put the things that has been planned into action. Everything the organisers have decided, will be executed, contacting event management let them know who to be contacted who what purpose. Example, TKH Lighting Electrical Pte Ltd is to set up the lights and electrical works by a certain period. The last step is, monitor and evaluate. Monitor the progress of each department, whether they are doing things according to plan. Sustainable tourism is the impact of tourist on the locals and environment. The aim is to ensure that positivity of the locals towards tourism companies and the tourist are kept up. Even though there have been some issues about employment here, some Singaporeans think that tourist can help to boost up on Singapores economy to sustain the tourism industry.. Singapore is a very vibrant country with its ever popular nightspots, dining restaurants, some extravagant shopping malls and the list goes on. However, Singapore is truly a paradise for tourist and even locals as the history attracts people Singapore. Here, we have Chinese, Malay and Indian culture and is very unique from the other South East Asia countries. The time to explore this little red dot has to offer, would take a lifetime. Sustainable tourism is to attempt to make a low impact environment and local culture while it is to help generate future employment for the locals. In addition, the aim to sustain tourism is to develop positive experience for local people, tourist, foreigners and tourism companies.

Euthanasia in Australia Essay example -- Argument for Euthanasia

Although euthanasia is a complex and controversial subject, under certain conditions people should have the right to decide to end their own lives. Is euthanasia murder or mercy? We need to understand what Mercy, Murder and Euthanasia are before we can form any opinion. (Oxford dictionary) Mercy / (say mersee) Compassionate or kindly forbearance shown towards: an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence. Murder / (say merduh) Unlawful killing of a human being by an act done: with intention to kill or to inflict grievous bodily harm. To kill or slaughter, inhumanly or barbarously. Euthanasia is such a controversial word that it creates many discussions and even arguments. This has gone on since well before the first legal case of euthanasia had even happened and will continue for a long time to come. The Oxford dictionary defines Euthanasia as (1) Painless, peaceful death (2) The deliberate putting to death painlessly of a person suffering from an incurable disease: also called mercy killing. That seems simple enough as it is worded but there are different degrees of Euthanasia these are: Passive (voluntary/non-voluntary) Euthanasia- This is where life sustaining treatment is either withheld or withdrawn, in order to bring about a quick and/or painless end or because continuing treatment may be unduly burdensome and/or medically futile. Double Effect: This term is used to deny responsibility of an unforeseen death when medication is used to control pain and suffering but where the quantity of medication is the actual cause of death. Medical/Physician Assisted Suicide: This is where a Doctor provides medication to a patient under their supervision to hasten his or her d... ...st be drawn to decide what Euthanasia is and what is not. Is it Mercy or Murder? These groups don’t seem to know, can you make that decision? The right to life organisations believe in the right to live and therefore will always see euthanasia as a killing. The many people who chose relief from the any illnesses will always look at euthanasia as a peaceful end to their suffering live. The Australian laws continue at this time to see euthanasia as a murder thus making it a crime and these crimes are punishable in the courts the same way as any other murder. The euthanasia debate will continue for many years to come. Euthanasia touches some of the deepest feelings in human beings. It is the power over life and death, and responsibilities no one wishes to take or have to be taken. This of course leads to the natural ultimatum, that it is the patient's own choice.

The building of Greek State after the 1821 revolution

March 25, 1821, was the day of the Annunciation of the Theotokos of the Greek Orthodox. It was also the day of Greek rebellion and declaration of independence which was actually achieved in 1829. This paper examines the events, some issues, and prominent figures who contributed in building the Greek State which started in 1821. The influences of the Great Powers (Great Britain, France and Russia) The Greeks were suppressed and controlled by Turks under Ottoman Empire resulting to the death of 25,000 Greeks on the island of Chios and 15,000 Greeks and 40,000 Turks in the Peloponessos.The Greeks started to revolt in 1821. The Philiki Etairian leaders wanted to foster consciousness and resistance against the oppression of the Turks. Its leadership was first offered to Ioannis Kapodistrias of Corfu, who refused to accept due to misguided venture and a wrong timing, but it was accepted by Alexander Ipsiladis, a Phanariot, in 1820. Kapodistrias was assassinated after a few years. The Great Powers (France, Russia, and Great Britain) ruled Greece with the leadership of King Ludwig I of Bavaria who imposed monarchy but he was eventually voted out by the Greek Parliament.George I of Denmark took over after Ludwig I. Before 1824 has ended, the Peloponnese, including 2000 Egyptian army lead by Papaflesas was invaded by Sultan Mahmoud II and Ibrahim with 6000 Turks. They attacked and killed around 600 Greeks in Maniaki on the 20th day of May 1825. The Great Powers, favored the Greeks, initiated direct military intervention in July 1827, and mediated the quarrel between the Turks and the Greeks. Russia maintained the significance of Orthodox Christianity while France showed strong sympathy towards the Greek volunteers.The Orthodox Church was the basis of people’s cultural and economic life and it also hindered the stated from rapid change towards development since its ideas and teachings were opposed to those of the western nations. The Allied forces proposed an armis tice in order to conclude the battle. Greece accepted it but Turkey refused to reconcile. As a result, the Allied fleet was set to sail off the west coast of the Peloponnese through Navarino on October 20, 1827 under Admiral Codrington to support Greece.The Ottoman fleet fought against the Allied forces but it failed. In September 1829, Demetrios Ypsilanti, the brother of Alexander Ypsilanti, defeated the Turkish force in the border between Thebes and Livadia. This was the last engagement of the Turks and the time when Greek independence was achieved through the attainment of Peace of Adrianople between Russia and Turkey. People who contributed in the success of Greek revolution The attainment of freedom in Greece was realized due to the contribution of prominent figures that fought for freedom.Five among them were: (1) Theodoros Kolokotronis (1770 – 1834), a local hero, who lead in defeating Mahmud Dramali's army in 1822 of the Ottoman Empire as well the siege of Tripolis, w hich eventually surrendered and it marked the success of the Greek revolution for the first time; (2) Georgios Karaiskakis (1782 – 1827) was a military genius appointed as chief marshal of Eastern Greece and the first one to take part in the Greek revolution whose two victories at Arachova and Distomo made him famous; (3) Constantinos Kanaris (1793 – 1877) from Psara was successful in destroying Turkish fleets at Chios, Tenedos, Mytilene, Samos, and Alexandrian port to prevent Mehmet Ali's war preparations, for example; (4) Gregorios Dikaios (1788 – 1825), also named Papaflesas, was born at Messinia and became a monk in his teens. He was forced by the Turks to leave Greece due to his revolutionary character so he reached Constantinople and joined â€Å"Filiki Etairia†.Ypsilantis ordered him to return to Peloponnesos where he and started recruiting people for the revolution. He courageously fought against Ibrahim with 6000 Turks on 20 May 1825 until he die d; and (5) Nikitaras, head of the pallikars band, had successfully fought Kiaya Bey at Kaki Scala in March and April 1822 at Ayia Marina under Odysseus rule and was given a nickname of Tourkophagos when he killed 3,000 Turks in the battle. The diaspora and the building of the new State The Ottoman Empire had paralyzed the Greeks who had not undergone Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment which resulted to slow progress and development of the lies of people in rural communities.The proponents of modernization brought western culture and parliamentary government, bureaucracy, and educational institutions to keep the nation in tact but its counterparts wanted to maintain their relationship with the motherland, which hindered modernization. The number of Greek migrants has increased with their aspirations for economic freedom and improvement. Romanticism became apparent through Lord Byron who supported the Greek revolutionaries and died in 1824. In 1828, Greece embraced a republic an constitution and the Turkish troops who occupied Acropolis left when the Allied Forces turned Greece into a monarchial democratic State in which the government’s political and judicial affairs are ruled of a Royal leader.They were interested in sovereign, the head of the State with the will of the people through election as the only source of the head’s power. The Greeks, including the ethnic group were able to expand its boundaries and conquered European territories. Many of them succeed, became leaders, and gained support from other nations. This diaspora has led to the building of the modern Greek State in 1830. The new State: Identities, political issues, and other problems Greeks who were living outside their motherland hoped for an independent State similar to the European model with a centralized constitution, army and navy, and diplomatic representatives. It was only realized under the leadership of King Otho of Bavaria.In 1831, the Allied Powers conducted a conference in London regarding the establishment of the new State and issued a protocol on February 23, 1832. One significant problem of the new State was that it is filled with Russian leaders. Otho was only seventeen years old when he was offered for the throne, but it was in 1833 when he arrived at Nauplia. However, it was not extremely disadvantageous they aimed to support the building the Greek State. Alexander Mavrokordatos was a National Assembly civilian leader who supporting the mission of Orlandos and Louriottis. He became a Secretary-General of the Executive Council (1823), Greece Prime Minister (1831, 1841, 1844, 1854-5), and a President of the legislative Senate. In 1835, King Otho ruled Athens.He neglected the promised National Assembly as the basis of the Constitution despite the earnest advice of Lord Palmerston and Sir Robert Peel. As a consequence, German influence developed a feeling of discontent and led to another revolt in 1841. On 15th September 1843, the peo ple dismissed Otho due to his failure in creating a constitutional regime. Finally, Greece attained freedom from foreign domination. Its liberation brought economic and intellectual progress. For instance, the University of Athens was established in 1837, which served as the center for propagation and preservation of Hellenic culture as well as in producing competitive professions.While others were not open to transformation and new opportunities, many Greeks accepted modernization, created a Western-liberal identity, entered the commercial world, and explored the ideas of the Enlightenment and Reason. The triple alliance supported the revolution and the upbringing of the new state but it faced many challenges such as: Greek’s debt incurred during the war; the oppressive taxation that resulted to brigandage; the free press and rights to express opinion; and the disputes between the members of Council of Regency. In spite of the difficulties, the Allied Powers remained morally responsible in building the State. Synthesis Greece was under the control of the Turks during the Ottoman Empire.Greece started the revolution in 1821 and its initiative to promote peace won the sympathy of the Allied Forces that helped won the battle in 1829. The building of the newly freed State in the early 1830s, however, was ruled mostly by Russian nationals. The Allied Forces encountered oppositions and obstacles in addition to public contempt of its oppressive and unfavorable political system. It was early in 1840s that Greece was totally liberated from foreign control. It was the diaspora, which started before the revolution and continued until 1830s that led to the transformation of the Greek state. It was the time when many Greek who crossed borders became successful in their life in the West.They were recognized by other European nations because of their exceptional talents, knowledge, skills ad the ability to succeed outside their native land. Indeed, education has brou ght light and true freedom to the Greek community. Bibliography 2005. â€Å"Greece,† Architectural Science Review 8(4). Crawley, C. W. The Question of Greek Independence: A Study of British Policy in the Near East, 1821-1833. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1930. Forster, Edward S. A Short History of Modern Greece, 1821-1956. London: Methuen, 1958. Glencross, Michael, â€Å"Greece Restored: Greece and the Greek War of Independence in French Romantic Historiography 1821-1830.† Journal of European Studies 27(1) (1997). Kaloudis, George, 2006. â€Å"Greeks of the Diaspora: Modernizers or an Obstacle to Progress?. † International Journal on World Peace 23(2). Kolokotronis, Theodoros. Encyclop? dia Britannica. (2007) Encyclop? dia Britannica Online, http://www. britannica. com/eb/article-9045950. Nostos, â€Å"Greek Revolution 1821 – 1829. † nostos. com (2005), http://www. nostos. com/greekrev/ Schofield, Philip, and Jonathan Harris, eds . Legislator of the World: Writings on Codification, Law, and Education. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1998. Van Steen, Gonda, 2000. Venom in Verse: Aristophanes in Modern Greece. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Implications For The Future Paper Essay

Environmental problems exist everywhere in this world today; whether it is in air, the water, traffic, crowding, or noise. Dubois, Pennsylvania which is known for its lumber and coal mining has 7, 794 people living here today. When this land was founded and cleared it was sold as one acre parcels, and each land owner had to determine their own road systems; which is why most of the roads in Dubois are narrow today. Dubois was known as â€Å"The Divided City† back in the very early stages of it growth. There was the Dubois side, and Rumbarger side, and separated by a low beaver damn. As population and business grows the town becomes one and is known as Dubois today. At first way of transportation in Dubois was railroads and then street cars, it was not until 1901 when Dubois got it first car called â€Å"Steamers.† As the area grows highway 219 was introduced through Dubois. This highway also known as Corridor 21 runs from Bluefield, West Virginia thru Dubois, Pennsylvania right down the main part of town to the South of Buffalo, New York. With this highway the traffic congestion through Dubois, Pennsylvania can become very chaotic at times. We have large amounts of trucks, and cars that use this route. As we continue on we will provide two strategies for promoting positive environmental behavior, how positive and negative consequences can increase pro-environmental behavior, describe one positive and one negative example how technology advances have impacted our environment, and talk about the influence of the environmental policies. Two Strategies for Promoting Positive Environmental Behavior One strategy that would help to promote a positive environmental behavior would be Positive Cueing. Cues are elements in the environment that convey important information or trigger an affective reaction. Steg, Van Den Berg, & DeGroot, (2013) stated, â€Å"By using positive cues from the environment such  as bicycling to work the individual will have provided a positive behavior towards the environment.† (p.120) Individuals who ride a bicycle to work, and to get around town will help cut down on the traffic congestion that goes through the town. Other cues such as walking, or if you have to drive finding other routes that are not congested would also help cut down on traffic congestion through the town. Another strategy that can be used to help positive environmental behavior is an individual’s attitude. An individual’s attitude can reflect whether their behavior is going to have a negative or positive outcome. Self-perception theory argues that people’s attitudes are formed from the perceptions of their own previous behavior. (Cornelissen, Pandelaere, Luk, & DeWitte, 2008). For example, if a person recycles in the past then their attitude for recycling in the future will be the same and will show positive environmental behavior. For the town of Dubois attitudes amongst these individuals seem to be divided. There are individuals who drive, one’s who walk, and others who like to ride a bike. Ways of promoting positive cues and better attitudes for a more positive environmental behavior is by educating individuals on how their behavior can affect their environment. Positive and Negative Consequences of Traffic can Increase Pro-environmental Behavior The positive and negative consequences of traffic have the ability of increasing pro-environmental behavior in certain ways. It may seem as if negative consequences of traffic cannot increase pro-environmental behavior but it can. The negative consequences of traffic are delays, the burning of fossil fuels and amount of pollution being into the air by vehicles, and road rage. Steg, Van Den Berg, & DeGroot, (2013) stated, â€Å"High levels of traffic congestion may lead to elevated physiological stress and negative affect.† (p.33) These negative effects not only affect an individual’s health and can cause many numerous respiratory problems, but also can affect our environment as well, by causing not only traffic congestion, but also can cause air pollution, and noise pollution. These kind of negative consequences can lead to positive pro-environmental behavior in regards to raising gas prices, building alternate routes around town, keeping sidewalks clean for individuals to walk on, and putting in bike lanes. By raising gas prices individuals do not travel as much so less traffic congestion and  pollution, adding alternate routes around the town can help break up the flow of traffic, and adding bicycle lanes, and keeping sidewalks clean will help encourage individuals who live in town to ride bicycles, and walk. Positive consequences of traffic is that it encourages motorist to re-time their road trip to when the traffic is not as congested, and also by reducing speeds can cause less road accidents. One Positive and Negative Example how Technology Advances have Impacted Our Environment Technology is making distribution, processing, production, development, and exploration of natural resources and alternative resources more cost effective, and protective in regard to the environment. The Technology that we have today has given humans a way of reducing negative effects on the environment that we have caused; such as the depletion of natural resources, the burning of fossil fuels, and other behaviors which have caused negative environmental effects. One effective way for technology to have a positive impact on our environment is what they call â€Å"Smart Technology† this technology can help ease traffic congestion. This smart technology helps reduce travel delays, provides a more convenient access to transportation alternatives, it can customize routes on real-time traffic conditions, also can reduces the carbon dioxide emissions going into the air, and at the same time save individuals on the cost of fuel. Steg, Van Den Berg, & DeGroot, (2013) stated, â€Å"Despite remarkably improved car technology, the total negative environmental impact of car use has risen over the last 100 years.† (p.244) Because of such advance technology, cars are more fuel efficient so individuals go out to buy larger vehicles, and take longer trips which in the end produces more carbon dioxide emissions, causing more pollution, and with the increase of buying cars causes traffic congestion to get worse. Influence of Environmental Policies Environmental policies are put into effect at all levels in our society from individual, group, large companies, and even municipal. These policies can have a positive outcome, or a negative outcome based on the individuals or group of people. There are policies that taxe things such as fuel, electric bill, water bills, so they can encourage individuals or groups to conserve our natural resources. These policies can also encourage individuals to  change their behavior towards the environment by using energy efficient items such as; light bulbs, televisions, and computers to name a few. Also by having policies we can implement other energy sources such as solar panels, or wind turbines. For these policies to have a positive outcome on our environment the individual or group of people would have to have acceptability of the policy so it would have a strong influence on implementing these policies. Acceptability of any policies outcome is based on the attitude of the individual or group of people about the policy. If an individual does not like the policy that is being implemented, for example recycling then most likely this individual will not recycle. If individuals have a good attitude about the policy for the environment then this can influence change in their behavior towards the environment. Conclusion Traffic congestion is an environmental problem that has existed for many years, and many to come. Not only does it cause delays to where you need to be, but can also cause air pollution, noise pollution, and from that many health issues to the human race as well. Technology has improved traffic congestion by reducing delays, finding alternate routes around, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and lower fuel cost. Though, there have been many positive outcomes with technology and things that benefit our environment technology can have negative impacts on the environment as well. The negative impacts from technology could be things such cars that are more fuel efficient having individuals buying larger vehicles, taking longer trips which will eventually increase traffic congestion and cause more air pollution. With environmental policies in place we can change our behavior towards the environment by using more energy efficient items such as lights, computers, and televisions. These policies that we implement can use more natural resources such as solar or wind energy, and this type of natural resource does not hurt the environment as much as burning fossil fuels. By utilize resources provided in the environment, setting up polices, and having positive attitudes we can change our behavior towards the environment, and make traffic congestion through Dubois, Pennsylvania less stress and less hurtful to the environment. References Steg, L., Van Den Berg, A., & DeGroot, J. I.M. (2013). Environmental Psychology: In Introduction [University of Phoenix Custom Edition eBook]. West Sussex, UK: British Psychological Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, PSY460 website. Cornelissen, G., Pandelaere, M., Luk, W., & DeWitte, S., (2008, February). Positive Cueing: Promoting Sustainable Consumer Behavior by Cueing Common Environmental Behaviors as Environmental. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 25(1), 46-55. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/science/article/pii/S0167811607000699 Steg, L., Van Den Berg, A., & DeGroot, J. I.M. (2013). Environmental Psychology: In Introduction [University of Phoenix Custom Edition eBook]. West Sussex, UK: British Psychological Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, PSY460 website. Steg, L., Van Den Berg, A., & DeGroot, J. I.M. (2013). Environmental Psychology: In Introduction [University of Phoenix Custom Edition eBook]. West Sussex, UK: British Psychological Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, PSY460 website.

genetic researc h essays

genetic researc h essays Genetic engineering is the directed alteration of genetic material by intervention in genetic processes (Websters 9th New Collegiate Dictionary). Genetic engineering is a controversial subject. Some people think that it is necessary while others think that it is harmful. Genetic engineering can be used in agriculture to make better plants. It can also be used in the courtroom for fingerprinting. Some techniques in genetic engineering are the selective breeding of plants and animals, recombinant DNA, and the reproduction between different strains or species (hybridization) (Encarta Encyclopedia 2001). B. Julie Johnson fears that genetic engineering will result in the devaluing of life because genes, embryos, and ultimately people will all be thought of as commodities to be bought and sold (Bender, 17). Test tube birth is mostly controversial because of religious and ethical reasons. People wonder if test tube babies will have souls or if they will go to a form of afterlife when they die. In our society there are two values which will allow anyone to do whatever he/she wants in human reproduction, said ethicist Daniel Callahan. One is the nearly absolute right to reproduce-or not- as you see fit. The other is that just about anything goes in the pursuit of improved health. (Stanley, 52) By law, naturally occurring organisms are not patenable. However, in April 1988, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) declared that a mouse in which experimenters inserted a gene associated with cancer was a manmade invention. The land mark mouse patent caused so much controversy that several bills for a moratorium on animal patents have since been unsuccessfully introduced. Meanwhile, in May 1992, Gen-Pharm International, a silicon Valley biotech company announced that USPTO would soon grant it the worlds second and third patents on mammals. One of the patents is for a ge...

buy custom The Social Responsibility of Apple essay

buy custom The Social Responsibility of Apple essay Apple Company is driven by the practice of the highest standard of social responsibility to both its workers and chain of suppliers. The company is mandated to the provision of safe working environment to the workers. Their value is to accord respect to workers and deploy manufacturing processes that are environmentally friendly. It is through this spirit of upholding the companys ethos that the company is committed to its social responsibility. The company outlines its responsibilities in areas such human labor, health, safety, and environmental management (APPLE Report, 2011). The companys continued effort in exercising their code of conduct is outlined further in their commitment to monitor the compliance of their activities. This is efficiently done through the factorys auditing procedures, corrective action plans, and measures of verifications. They also have extensive capacity building to the overall management of the company (Warr, 1986). These on site programs are aimed at addressing the underlying issues within the industry groups and other stakeholders. Capacity building is also meant to enforce the trust between the company and suppliers and workers. Social responsibility, therefore, remains fundamental tool to Apples business (Warr, 1986). Apples social responsibility include complete monitoring on compliance of supply materials, and expansion on training facilities in order to absorb more workers within the company. Through capacity building initiative, workers are supposed to understand their rights and the accorded protections whenever such rights are violated. The company also draws remarkably from various resources to protect the right of workers who undertake jobs in the foreign countries. The situations that clout foreign workers comprise exorbitant charges that plunge workers into debt. Apple move to curb these violations are part of their incredible activities. They engage in search of these violations and respond positively to protect the right of workers. Suppliers in the foreign branches are also protected through constant auditing of production. These standards have so far seen workers remunerated well, and recruitment fee is also lowered. For example, in Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, in the year 2008, t here was a reimbursement $3.4 million to cater for overcharges that were imposed on the recruitment fee. This was followed by rigorous training to the foreign workers in areas of ethical and legal obligations. Suppliers of the products are also trained on how to conduct their recruitment process in order to improve business practices (Apple Report, 2011). Apple Company is committed to prevention of child labor. They company is equipped with facilities that verify the age factor and are able to detect underage workers. To contain this situation, they participate in education to instill best practices in managing recruitment of the third parties. The companys significant move is to ensure that the underage are returned to school and levies imposed on them as education fee is paid. To ensure free conflict environment in the work place, apples responsibility has been to identify areas of potential conflict within the suppliers as well as the workers. This paper, therefore, provides a detailed social responsibility undertaken by Apple Company to its workers, suppliers and consumers (Deane, 1997). Workers empowerment Empowering workers remains the central responsibility and focus of Apple Company. The company has undertaken various measures and strategies to ensure that there is awareness among workers. This is done through social trainings of managers, supervisors and workers. For example, in the year 2009, the company organized a training program for all workers, managers and supervisors. This particular on site training was meant for those who worked on apple products. The training was based on the rights of the workers under apple code of conduct (Apple Progress Report, 2011). Extension on the training initiative was facilitated by ensuring subsequent additional of training facilities which enabled delivery of social training. Areas that are given major focus during the training process include rights of the workers, laws regarding labor, prevention of occupational diseases and work related injuries, general health and safety measures. Apple Company also ensures that their social responsibili ty is lived by training managers and supervisors on various ways to protect the interest of the workers. The overall purpose of training within the company is to impact social responsibility and trust from the company to the workers as well as workers to the company (Apple Report, 2011; John et al, 1976). Throughout the training process towards empowering workers, quality is of the essence to the company. It is within their mandate to enhance training of high quality. They have achieved this through bringing other companies on board to facilitate training process. This has been the inclusion of internationally recognized NGOs like fair labor association. It provides a critical evaluation of training regarding social responsibility involving the high level assembly manufacturers (Kenichie, 1999). Venturing into training issues is to increase the level of awareness among workers especially on their right to work. The training is also meant to eliminate harassment, discrimination and grievances that may arise from the workers. Apple Company has undertaken this through initiating various interactive sessions between employers and employees to get employees perceptions and expectations (Ruggie, 2004). Foreign workers protection Foreign workers and suppliers have been harassed at the work place. Examples are in countries like Malaysia, and Taiwan. They are also charged exorbitantly in terms of recruitment fee. However, through various audits that the company carried out, they were able to establish forms of exploitations that have been subjected to migrant workers. Apple addresses these issues through taking actions that regard hiring practices that are outside companys ethos. Foreign workers have been embarked through a complex recruitment process. They paid exorbitant recruitment fee to obtain work permit. Following this mismanagement in the recruitment process, Apple Company has moved swiftly to protect its workers in the foreign country. Some of the measures have included measures for recruiting foreign workers such as reimbursement of charges in cases of overcharge. Other future measures towards protection of workers have included working together with governments agencies and stakeholders to educate su ppliers on how to improve recruitment practices. Workers have also been enlightened on their obligations to legal and ethical issues surrounding their work environment (Zadek, 2004). Issues of recruitment fee are the central focus to Apple Company. In cases where suppliers have engaged third parties, workers have been rendered into debts especially in accessing employment. Apple Company has a strict code of ethics that regulates and prohibits debt and overcharges in labor industry. They ensure that their recruitment fee is limited and equivalent to that of monthly wages. The code of conducts requires that the suppliers embark on reimbursement of overcharge funds to foreigners who are contract workers (Cogan, 2003). Auditing programs are also provided to the countries known to be the destination of the contract workers. For example, apple has done the exercise in Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia relating to facilities that are available in those countries. The key organization of the auditing process involved proper understanding of workers rights, laws that govern their rights and the language that they understand best in the destination country (Holliday, 2002). Apple has been able to prevent foreign contract workers violation by putting significant business clout behind. It however, focuses on initiatives that changes relationships between labor brokers, and suppliers. They have also reiterated their commitments towards work related issues in the foreign countries. This work issues entails cases of debts and unethical recruitment. Their auditing programs have been supported by a number of companies such as standards for prevention of involuntary labor. Main areas of concern in protection of for eign workers have been focused in areas such as workers grievances, management of various agencies, handling of workers transports, work requirements, and other management practices associated with the company. Other measures to sustain social responsibilities of the company have been to uphold suppliers as totally responsible for the recruitment practices. This is emphasized in agencies that deal with work related issues and recruitment practices. According to progress report of Apple Company for the year 2010, there were various auditing undertaken at 18 facilities at the most risky countries. The results revealed how most workers have paid exorbitant fees for the recruitment process. The company was to ask the suppliers involved in the recruitment process to embark on reimbursement process. Apple Company also curtailed such cases by ensuring that there was an initiated workshop for all the management bodies especially those in Taiwan. The workshop was meant to cover ways of preventing forced labor, and child labor. Other practices that were discussed and implemented by the company included monitoring labor agency and its related practices, processes of hiring, and management of foreign workers on site. The company incorporated countries like Thailand, Philippines, and Taiwan into management programs in order to protect foreign workers. The talk was supposed to offer a wide range of information. Information was supposed to ac cessed and shared across the aforementioned countries. This is to protect the rights of the foreign workers. Provision of laws and programs regarding recruitment practices were also initiated to ensure that management issues and hiring processes are properly handled (Deming, 1986). Child labor prevention The company does not make a nuisance of child labor. Any worker that is found below the stipulated working age has grossly violated apple company code of conduct. This audit reports showing cases of underage workers usually call for immediate actions that include those of returning such workers to school. Once one is redirected back to education mainstream, all the funds regarding educational practices are provided. To ensure that there will be no repeat of such cases, the company usually moves to improve onthe management facilities and human resource. Apple Company has established both educational and vocational facilities to improve on the sources of labor. Institutions ensure that the provided workers meet labor demands (Baron, 2007). Practices in search for underage laborers also became central concern for Apple Company. In 2010, for example, the company did a search on underage labor by interviewing workers regarding their recruitment procedures. The other areas that were scrutinized include workers identity and employment status. Lack of scrutiny on labor issues clouded Chinese labor practices. There were established unsophisticated materials for hiring workers. These systems were inconsistent in terms of verifying the age of workers and their identities. To ensure utmost social responsibility, the company has instituted policies and procedures. This is aimed at preventing recruitment of underage workers. Training of managers is also undertaken within the company, and the affected areas in order to enhance that recruitment of workers are done on the best ways possible. The company has also required various suppliers to take up the responsibilities of taking underage workers back to school. They are also require d to meet the expenses that may be incurred in school, this also include the payments regarding living standards. Necessary support is also accorded to students who are taken back to school to meet their needs and boost expectations. However, underage workers are not just taken back to school. Apple ensures that the family members especially parents are contacted and students are enrolled in schools. The progress is monitored through check ups. Monitoring is also done on the educational and career options of the students in areas that interest them the most (Apple Progress Report, 2011). The key social responsibility of the apple industry is to prevent and proscribe underage labor. There are established standards within the company towards prevention of underage labor. These standards contain methods of preventing underage labor. The standards also give clarification on the responsibilities of managers especially with regards to recruiting workers. Workers are required to maintain proper documentation and verification of age before any recruitment is done. The labor standards also demands that issues regarding labor and employments are uphold. Employment agencies and school programs are suppose to exercise efficacy in bringing on board employees. This is a responsibility that is left for the suppliers. Apple Company has also launched a training initiative with interactive workshop between human resource managers and workers as well as the suppliers. This workshop is meant to provide an opportunity to share information regarding challenges and gain best practices. Ind ividual interaction between the company and suppliers has also favored implementation of measures and strategies to improve management systems (Deane, 1997). Conflict free environment Social responsibility of Apple Company has also been extended to an environment that is free from conflicts. Areas where raw materials are extracted require that it does not conflict with the expectations of the local inhabitants, especially their social way of life. Extraction of materials such as metals is done in a more friendly way. To ensure that this act is maintained to the standards, Apple Company ensures that their suppliers only supply materials that are outsourced to a conflict free environment. The extraction of materials must always adhere to the companys regulations and standards on maintaining a healthy and friendly environment for humans. However, the company usually face a great challenge, since mining of core materials used in the industry is done mainly by family members or the businesses of mining is a family run. The companys combination of chain of suppliers makes it difficult to track and establish the exact place of mining (Ruggie, 2004). Despite of the challenges faced, apple is still strong to face and tackle the various challenges imposed on the environment. The company develops mechanisms that map the supply chain to a smelter level. This is to enable the company to identify particular suppliers that supply low quality raw materials. The act of tracking supply chain helps in establishing whether resources are obtained from a conflict free environment. Apple Company also works in a joint effort with other global initiatives towards environmental sustainability. The main aim of these initiatives is to validate the practices by smelters on the ores and free conflict sources. The company also lives to their business ethics. Through this they ensure that only smelters that meet the company code of ethics for environmental sustainability are allowed to smelt the sources of metals. Smelters are, therefore, required to smelt only from sources that comply with companys standards (Warr, 1986). The other major obligation of the company regarding extractions is to identify the origin of ores. This is followed by a credible validation on whether the sources are safe for human health. To ensure that everything is put under proper procedure and guideline, the company audits to identify smelters who show that company secure extractions from sources which are not disputed. The process of auditing includes a thorough review of procedures of doing business and documents the sources of raw materials and methods of purchases. The company also has the obligation to declare the supplier as a noncompliant to the companys rules. This, however, happens in a situation where there is enough evidence that the material raises conflict. Sometimes smelters fail to participate in the auditing processes or fail to produce a good documentation on the source of the material. This is enough evidence to prove that the source of the ore or the ore itself is conflicting. To contain this conflicting sit uation, apple company purchase materials from the suppliers who source materials from a conflict free mine or environment. Practices like validation of the sources have also been incorporated in the regular auditing program (Cogan, 2003). Monitoring Social responsibility of a company such as apple in the corporate world does not rest anywhere. Monitoring program has been part of the apple company. The key responsibility of the audit program is to ensure that conditions under which the companys product is manufactured are socially and environmentally responsible. For compliance of facilities, Apple Company has participated in auditing program. According to progress report of 2011, the company management asserts that the facility that passes the test of compliance within a company is capable of producing the greatest impact. The procedure of auditing involves a series of interviews with employees, contract workers, and firms management team in their areas of the profession (John et al, 1976). Management is sometimes blamed on lack of compliance for facilities. This happens in situations where the management structure weak to support compliance of materials. However, the overall process of auditing usually shows compliance to a number of facilities. Lack of managerial capability drives Apple Company to act upon social responsibility by conducting an examination process to the management system. The company, therefore, defines policies and procedures, responsibilities, roles and training programs that ensure that proper management systems are put into practice. In cases where the violation of the program is recognized, the company undertakes its social responsibility by ensuring that corrective action plan is highly implemented. The implementation of the corrective action plan is supposed to address issues regarding violations of code of conduct within the apples company. The goal of monitoring compliance of facilities wins trust of workers, employers as well as consumers. It is therefore, within the mandate of Apple Company and its existence on a business world, to ensure that all its facilities comply with the code of ethics regarding the business. The result of this assurance and trust is to maintain the social responsibilities for the consumers of technology and the employees population. Interactive verification on the audit program is an assurance that actions are undertaken to ensure social responsibility. This enhanced collaborating with various suppliers to fully address issues dealing with compliance (Friedman, 1970). Broader implications/challenges Violations of ethical standards remain a key concern of the apple company. There are various forms of violations, but the major one being the core violations. Core violation is the practices that are against the code and practices of the apple company. Examples of such violations may include underage workers, harassment, discrimination, involuntary labor, falsification of the audited materials and creating a non conducive environment which may impose significant threats to the work environment (Kenichie, 1999). In circumstances where violations are detected, Apple Company has moved to provide possible solutions to such problems. The strategies are staged to ensure that there is safety, healthy conditions for human living, works rights, and socially conducive environment. Core violations also require that management facilities are put under probation annually in order to ensure that core violations does not occur again. Alongside probation period, Apple Company also works in collaboration with the supplies to explore possible solutions to challenges imposed. The collaborative work focuses on verifications towards corrective measures and set a side improvement strategy. Another challenge that faced Apple Company is suicidal acts by the companys workers. Workers were reported to take their lives in the companys facilities. Since Apple Company is committed to ensuring that their social responsibility is uphold, they engaged other experts from across the globe. These experts took action towards preventing other strategies related to suicide at the work facilities. Taking of ones life is a saddening event and can cause the company through losing confidence in their activities especially by the consumer world. The resultant effect of this is lack of competent participation in the worlds business economy. Social responsibility has since been reiterated within the company by hiring suicide prevention professionals. These specialists act mainly to give advisory services to the company in line with suicide matters (Deming, 1986)). The other areas to ensure that social responsibility is upheld in the business world, especially by Apple Company, saw them constitute a committee. The commission is charged with responsibility of reviewing any reported issue on suicide within the committee. The committee also consists of suicide experts that offer possible prevention mechanisms within the facilities. The constituted team is suppose to investigate on the cause of suicides within the companies facilities, responses to such case, and to recommend the best strategies that should be implemented to help prevent recurrence of such a situation in the future. Other challenges consist of exposure to toxic chemicals or gases. Some irritant chemicals are inhaled within the company by the workers. This is sometimes caused by poor ventilation in the factory, lack of proper handling and disposal of waste materials, inadequate risk assessment measures and training facilities in handling and responding to emergencies. For example, Apple Company has been exposed to a gas referred to as N-Hexane. This is a chemical used as cleaning agents in the factory in manufacturing procedures. In situations where the operations were carried out without ensuring proper ventilation, the gas was reported to have become toxic. This, however, goes against the Apple social responsibility which is to protect the workers from being endangered or exposed to any substance that may become a threat to their safety and general well being. The use of the gas within the facility pushed Apple Company to order for the stoppage of use of the gas and consequent removal of the ga s from the facility. There was needed urgency within the apple facilities in terms of fixing ventilations within the facilities. To cover future recurrence of gases within the facility, apple management has stepped in to work with various experts to improve on environmental health and safety policies or measures. General monitoring of preventive actions is also done by the company, their implementation especially of the corrective measures and auditing of the procedures and the progress of policies to put in place in order to avoid violation of core social responsibilities of the apple company (Ruggie, 2004 and Apple Progress Report, 2011. In line with those who were affected with the toxic chemicals, the company always ensures that their medical cover is taken care of properly until they fully recuperate. Workers who are victims in such circumstances are paid their wages that they may have lost when they are sick in the hospital. They are also provided with meals and the company subsequently continues to monitor their medical progress and prepare a full report of the medical cover up to the time that they are fully recovered. When the workers who are sick register full recovery to the problem, they are ensured that they are returned to their work place so as to continue recovering their economic loses too (Zadek, 2004). Responses Apple mandate is premised at the safeguarding of their social responsibility at the work environment as well as the general environment. In cases where discrimination has been exhibited, apples company code has been applied effectively to protect workers as well as members of the general business world from various forms of discrimination. The code of conduct within apples company protect against discrimination, be it on the basis of sex, race, gender, color or any other form of sexual orientation. It also covers areas to do with ethnicity, religious beliefs, any form of disability, and any form of health conditions of workers, employers as well as the consumers among other factors. In cases where such violations are undertaken in the form of discrimination against others, Apple Company has taken corrective actions to ensure that such practices are recognized as violations of human rights and their dignity. If cases are registered within the facility, the company always requires that the facility move quickly to discontinue these forms of practices. This is achieved through establishing clear guidelines and policies regarding respect to human dignity in order to prevent any future occurrence of such violations (Holliday, 2002). In terms of working hours, the code of work ethics requires that a worker takes 60 work hours per week. The code of the company also stipulates that a person or worker is given at least one day of rest per week among the seven working days in a week. In the case where there are emergencies, the workers are always given time to attend to their emergencies. However, sometimes these are not the case in the company; for example, there have been situations where workers have exceeded their working hours. Some cases have been registered where workers have overworked for more than six days per month. This is taken to be a violation of code of conduct regarding the number of hours one is suppose to discharge their duties. In situations where such violations have been noticed, the company has so far responded by developing a proper management system to improve on the existing management system. This set of the management system is suppose to drive and ensure that there is compliance with work ing hours that are recommended by the company. This is to ensure that the working hours are limited, and at least there must be one day of rest for workers in a week (Friedman, 1970). There are times that there are injuries related to occupation within the company. The core mandate of apple social responsibility is to ensure that safe and healthy environment is provided for the workers. They undertake this by ensuring that there is complete elimination of physical threats within the facilities. Further measures have been to establish an administrative body that regulates and controls the risks that may occur in the work environment. All dangerous machines in the facilities are equipped with the safety devices, and regular maintenance is also performed especially on the old materials to ensure any possible risk is avoided. This is done through the establishment of schedules on which maintenance and inspection is carried out. On this day, the workers are not supposed to report working so as to eliminate any potential injury that may occur. Workers are also subjected to the appropriate training on the safety measures as a response to curb injuries within the facility . They are always equipped with disaster preparedness equipments, licenses and certificates as required by law on industrial maintenance (Deane, 1997). Emergency preparedness and response is always at the centre of any company, and Apple Company is not an exception. The companys code requires that the possible threat to the company is anticipated, and identified by the management team in time. Assessment on the nature of the situation is also carried out. This is done to ensure that there is a minimum impact of any emergency by ensuring that policies regarding safety measures are implemented with both response plans and procedures. Towards emergency prevention, the company has responded by ensuring that there is an adequate supply of facilities involving the supply of first aid kits. Areas that have potential dangers have been supplied with construction of first aid stations in order to contain situations arising from emergencies. The first aid area is maintained under good condition all the time, with a constant supply of the necessary materials to provide access and actions during the time of emergencies. Apple Companys also respond to construct exit points in the facilities. They are always checked to ensure that they are spacious enough to easier evacuation during the time of an emergency (Apple report, 2011). Ergonomics is also another area addressed by the company as part of their social responsibility. The company has codes that require for the assessment of facilities that are likely to cause ergonomic risks and threats. Where such cases are identified, serious response has always been instituted to avoid dangers that may be exposed to workers. Workstations have been designed to provide good posture during the working hours and other work glasses such as the magnifying glasses to ensure proper visibility. Workers are also rotated in the working station especially from one task to another to ensure that there is a reduction in the competitive motion that may confuse the workers. Other responses to ergonomics risks have included hiring professional workers. They are supposed to identify areas in the operations regarding manufacturing that is likely to cause risks and other injuries. They are then supposed to give recommendations on measures to be taken to curb any risk that might come ou t (Apple Report, 2011). The overall mandate of Apple Company regarding social responsibility has been to provide the best management practices. They emphasize on the management commitment to the code regarding social responsibility. These management issues may concern bringing on board dedicated team that is accountable for the compliance of the facilities within the company. The management is also charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the various implementations are undertaken regarding the procedures of corrective measures. This is particularly important when areas of conflict are identified within the facilities. The company, in the midst of ensuring that there are proper management procedures. They also ensure that there are training programs on site for both workers and managers. This is to ensure that there is strong human resource. Appointments are also done based on the qualifications and therefore, highly qualified personnel are brought on board. The aim is that various and important mea sures are implemented in the company and daily operations on the business undertaken. Conclusions Apple Company has been in the forefront in demonstrating its genuine commitment to the global business economy. They have addressed complex business issues in regard to social responsibility within the business companies. Their main interest area has been in recruitment issues, underage workers and general empowerment of workers. Towards achieving their goals, they have taken positive steps by establishing certain limits to control and regulate violations that may occur. In cases of overcharge of recruitment fee, they have been crusaders to reimbursement of such charges. Just like any other company, challenges continue to be the format of daily battle. These obstacles are meant to redefine the steps necessary to define the responsible role the business company protect the rights of workers, managers and consumers. Buy custom The Social Responsibility of Apple essay

An Overview of Delta Dental Insurance Essay Example for Free

An Overview of Delta Dental Insurance Essay This paper provides an overview of Delta Dental – one of the most successful health care companies in the United States. As good oral health becomes more essential of Americans’ healthy lifestyle, Delta Dental insurance plans help more than 59.5 million people to be covered on their plans. By describing the outline of Delta Dental’s history and current structure, this article focuses on how Delta Dental insurance has grown and improved access and overall health status. Also, this paper explores strengths and weaknesses (especially with healthcare delivery point of view) as well as makes comparison with other dental insurances companies to reveal that why Delta Dental is better and more successful than others. Finally, the future plans of Delta Dental about how to improve oral care delivery of services to clients and enrollees, as well as how it fared compare to its peer insurance companies are initialed at the end of the paper. Keywords: dental benefits programs, strengths and weaknesses, multiple types, expanding, effective benefits Many people in the world may have best access to oral health care, yet millions are unable to get basic dental care. Poor oral hygiene has significant impact on overall personal health. Researches show that poor oral hygiene increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and poor birth outcome. That’s why nobody can deny the importance of oral health care. According to many statistics insurance companies that play a pivotal role in improving oral health care of the communities, we will focus on the Delta Dental insurance and how growth of the company improved access and overall health status. Delta Dental insurance was established in 1966. Over the years it faces many challenges to expand and increase access of dental care in community. The efforts paid the Delta Dental as widely accepted by community. This paper focuses on challenges Delta Dental had to face to build its pillar in the market. After evolution, Delta Dental insurance exponentially expanded due to its benefits and low primer. Over the years it has made strategies so that many people prefer Delta Dental over other insurances for maximum benefits, which helped improve oral health care. This paper will also highlight some of those strategies. Compare to other dental insurance company, Delta Dental insurance provide wide coverage and offer maximum benefits. This is a unique characteristic of the Delta Dental. We will talk about current structure of the Delta Dental and its future about how to improve oral care delivery of services to clients and enrollees, as well as how it fared compare to its peer insurance companies. Finally, the paper will mention about the future plan of the Delta Dental. In order to increase access to oral health care, in 1954, a group of dentists formed a dental service corporation in California, Oregon and Washington. It was lead by Washington Dental Service (WDS), and initiated by providing service to organized labor unions. Later, it expanded its services to all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Delta dental is now a fifteen billion dollar a year nationwide group providing dental insurance to 59 million Americans, making it one of the largest non-profits in the country (â€Å"Our Mission & History†, n.d.). Washington Dental Service was joined by more local organizations, which then created Delta Dental Plans Association (DDPA) in 1966. Shortly a year after, WDS partnered with the International Association of Machinists, which was the first step into creating a multi-state dental benefits program. There was a growing number of out of state subscribers, and therefore in order to meet their needs WDS worked with other Delta Dental member companies and Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association members, to continue serving its clients. It provided coverage until 1980’s this way (â€Å"Our Mission & History†, n.d.). The program continued as such until a bid was won by Delta Dental of California being chosen as the dental benefits carrier for the Office of the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (OCHAMPUS) program. In order for the administration of this very large account to be centralized, other member companies agreed to share its provider data with Delta Dental of California sharing the administrative income and risk. As a result of this change, the National Provider File (NPF), and the establishment in 1990 of Delta USA — was created, the company responsible for overseeing dentist data and enabling the administration of national business (â€Å"Our Mission & History†, n.d.). Currently, there are 39 independent Delta Dental member companies operating in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. As one of the largest dental benefits provider DDPA provides coverage to more than 59.5 million people enrolled in more than 97,000 groups. The company was named Dental Care until 1970’s and then it officially changed its name to Delta Dental (â€Å"About Us Home†, n.d.). All Delta Dental companies are members, or affiliate of members, of the Delta Dental Plans Association – a network of 39 Delta Dental companies throughout the country. Delta Dental companies range from multi-state to single state (â€Å"About Us Home†, n.d.). The multi-state programs consist of the following: Started in 1969, it provides coverage to over 1.5 million residents of New Jersey and Connecticut (â€Å"Delta Dental of New Jersey†, n.d.). * Delta Dental Plan of Michigan Michigan Dental Service (MDS) was established in 1957, and in 1963 it received its non-profit status. In 1980 MDS expanded to Ohio and Indiana. In early 2006, Delta Dental of Michigan, with its affiliates in Ohio and Indiana, and Tennessee, signed an affiliation agreement under a new nonprofit holding company to strengthen their market positions and increase the number of Americans with dental benefits. In 2009, Delta Dental of Kentucky and Delta Dental of New Mexico affiliated with the family of companies. The newest affiliate, Delta Dental of North Carolina, joined the enterprise in 2010. Currently they cover 8.8 million individuals (â€Å"Delta Dental of Michigan†, n.d.). It was founded in 1969, and later expanded to North Dakota. It is the largest program in the upper Midwest, serving 7500 Minnesota based on purchasing groups and 3.8 million members nationwide (â€Å"Delta Dental of Minnesota†, n.d.). Delta Dental of Missouri started 50 years ago and has offered dental and vision benefits in the states of Missouri and South Carolina. More than 1,800 companies in Missouri and South Carolina have selected Delta Dental as their dental benefits carrier. The Delta-Vision plan started in 2011 (â€Å"Delta Dental of Missouri†, n.d.). Dentegra is not affiliated with Delta Dental Plans Association. However, this insurance company is authorized by Delta Dental Plans Association to market and underwrites certain national Delta Dental programs. This plan covers 23 million Americans. It serves the states of: Alabama, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Texas, Utah, Virgin Islands, West Virginia (â€Å"Why do more than†, n.d.). Hawaii Dental Service (HDS) is the first and largest nonprofit dental service corporation in Hawaii providing dental benefit plans to more than a half million members. This plan was incorporated on February 15, 1962, and soon 221 licensed dentists became charter members. HDS serves Guam, Hawaii and Northern Mariana Islands (â€Å"Caring, Visionary Dentists From HDS†, n.d.). NDD offers the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, providing quality dental care to millions of residents (â€Å"Northeast Delta Dental†, n.d.). This plan covers Alaska and Oregon. A research to find affordable dental health by Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union, led them to find Oregon Dental Service in 1955(â€Å"A trailblazer in health†, n.d.). * The single state companies include: Delta Dental of Arizona that started in 1972. Delta Dental of Arkansas, Delta Dental of Colorado began in 1958. Delta Dental of Idaho, Delta Dental of Illinois, Delta Dental of Iowa, Delta Dental of Kansas, Delta Dental of Massachusetts, Delta Dental of Nebraska, Delta Dental of Oklahoma, Delta Dental of Rhode Island, Delta Dental of South Dakota, Washington Dental Service, Delta Dental of Wisconsin, Delta Dental of Wyoming (â€Å"Delta Dental: Members†, n.d.). Delta Dental offers various plans for individuals, families and enrollees. There are 39 member companies of Delta Dental and each of them provides a variety of dental benefits programs. It also forms contacts with small and large business companies to provide dental insurance coverage for their employees (â€Å"Products and Plans†, n.d.). The various plans offered are the following: 1. Delta Dental Premier ®: This is their traditional fee-for-service plan with largest dentist network with more than four out of five nation’s dentist participating (â€Å"Delta Dental Premier ®Ã¢â‚¬ , n.d., p. 2). It allows patients to get treated by any licensed dentist and also can change dentists at any time without notifying Delta Dental. The main attraction for this plan is that you do not have to pay more than the co-insurance percentage specified by your coverage (â€Å"Delta Dental’s plans†, n.d.). The participating dentists agree to accept pre-negotiated fees and are prohibited from billing more. 2. Delta Dental PPOâ„  : This is a mid-priced fee-for-service plan with the secondary largest dentist network. It has an option to get treated by any dentists and still have lower out-of-pocket costs because the dentists in this network have agreed to do so (â€Å"Delta Dental’s plans†, n.d.). It also has a Delta Dental PPO plus Premier plan which includes all the benefits of Delta Dental PPO and also allows for a patient to see a Delta Dental Premier dentist with benefits of that dentist’s contracted fee (â€Å" Delta Dental PPOâ„   †, n.d.). 3. DeltaCare ® USA: It is a HMO-type prepaid plan with a large network of participating dentists. You must select a dentist from their network for this plan. The main features are there is no annual deductibles, no maximums for covered benefits and set copayments (â€Å"Delta Dental’s plans†, n.d .). 4. Delta Dental Individual and Family: Individual and its family can get the same quality dental benefits as provided by the employers under this plan. Delta Dental offers different plans in different states (â€Å"Delta Dental Individual and Family†, n.d.). 5. Delta Dental Legion ®: It is also known as TRICARE Retiree Dental Program. â€Å"The first and only dental benefits plan created by Congress especially for Uniformed Services retirees and their family members and administered by Delta Dental of California.†(â€Å"TRICARE Retiree Dental Program†, n.d.). 6. Delta Dental Patient Direct ®: It is a dental discount plan for individual, families and groups that do not have dental benefits. The patients choose dentists from the network and pay them directly with the discount price at the time of their treatment. No paper work is required and it is available in the selected markets only (â€Å"Delta Dental Patient Direct ®Ã¢â‚¬ , n.d.). 7. DeltaVision ®: This is vision benefit plan, which is offered in the selected markets only. It includes various pre-negotiated pricing eye-care services, such as professional eye exams, eyewear, contact lenses and laser vision correction (â€Å"DeltaVision ®Ã¢â‚¬ , n.d.). 8. Delta Dental Member Companies: â€Å"They serve nearly one-third of the estimated 173 million Americans with Dental insurance, providing dental insurance coverage to more than 54 million people in more than 93,000 groups across the nation.†(â€Å"Delta Dental Member Companies†, n.d.). There are other plans which are available in few selected populations and states like the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Dental Insurance Plan which is exclusively for AARP members and the Costco Group Dental Plan for the Individuals and Families, which is available only in California (â€Å"Delta Dental’s plans, n.d.). Strengths and weaknesses (especially with healthcare delivery point of view): Delta Dental is the largest dental care carrier in the United States, and they provide coverage to more than 59.5 million people enrolled in more than 97,000 groups. The strengths are obviously regarding to the high level access of the dental care. Many years ago, most of people lost their teeth by middle age, but now many Americans have very good oral health because of the various Delta Dental Plans. They may keep their teeth throughout the lifetime. There are some strengths of Delta Dental according to a recent study (â€Å"Delta Dental by the Numbers†, n.d.): * Delta Dental’s nationwide dentist networks offer unprecedented access: * Delta Dental Premier ® offers the largest network of dentists in the country — encompassing more than 142,000 dentists and more than 251,000 office locations. * Delta Dental PPOSM has a national network of more than 83,900 dentists practicing in more than 168,000 locations. * DeltaCare ® USA provides more than 39,800 dentist office locations. * Delta Dental’s PPO Plan delivers the industry’s best effective discount — averaging 19 percent nationally — resulting in nearly $3 billion in annual savings compared to dentists’ average charges. * Delta Dental posted approximately $17 billion in premium revenue during fiscal year 2011, our 32nd consecutive year of financial gains. * Delta Dental’s unique cost-control measures and contractual agreements with dentists help to ensure quality care at moderate fees, collectively saving subscribers with group dental coverage more than $9.0 billion in 2011. * In 2011, Delta Dental member companies processed more than 90 million dental claims or approximately 1.7 million every week, with an accuracy rate of 99.7 percent. Delta Dental focuses on the practice shari ng, best services, performance guarantees, brand name recognition and reputation, whereas, it still have weaknesses such as geographic limitations, innovative practices. Through the numbers above, people might think that we have more and more dentists in large networks so that we would get easy access to dental care, but how do these dentists located? Low-income patients still feel hard to get access to meet one dentist regularly due to the inconvenient transportation, difficulties on appointments, and so on. The president and CEO of Delta Dental, Radine (2011) wrote on â€Å"Annual Report 2011†, â€Å"Delta Dental takes pride in being a single-line carrier with unparalleled expertise in dental benefits, our specialty.† Indeed, they against larger, multi-line insurance companies, and they use competitive strategies to survive during the worst of the economic downturn. However, this kind of single-line model can also be a weakness of dental health care, because coordination of dentists needed to reinforce to increase the quality of companies health care performance. Single-line service may hinder such coordination in between the large dentist network, although they meet the needs for restraining the continuous increased costs. As each program have dissimilar strengths and weaknesses and according to Access to Dental Care/Oral Health Care (American Dental Association, 2012), there are still barriers to getting oral health care: * The dental sections in Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP), which are supposed to provide health care to disadvantaged Americans, rarely have enough money budgeted to do so. Federal law requires that Medicaid cover basic dental services. But many state programs fail to deliver care to even half of their eligible children. * Adult dental coverage through public health programs is even worse; many states simply don’t provide it. It’s not just about the money. Patients covered under public programs still face hurdles, such as transportation to dental appointments and the difficulty of missing work to keep the appointments. Taking care of ourselves is the key to good oral health, and too many Americans lack a basic understanding of how to brush, floss, eat a healthy diet and drink water with fluoride in it. * About one-third of public water systems are not fluoridated, even though that is the single most effective public health measure to protect against tooth decay. And also, people need to treat what form of coverage they require most and make sure the selected plan provides a low price for the needed processes. Comparison of Delta Dental with all other dental insurances: There are many essential things to keep in mind when deciding on a dental insurance plan, such as prices and co-payment options, local dentist availability, actual coverage, whether it meets your needs and more (â€Å"Dental Insurance Review†, n.d.). Delta Dental Insurance ranking at number three after United Concordia and Ameritas Group Dental is one of the top ten insurance plans in the United States (â€Å"2013 Dental Insurance Comparison†, n.d.). As one of the largest dental coverage plans, founded by dentists, it creates dental coverage plans based on current research and designed to keep people their healthiest and most productive (â€Å"Choosing the Right Dental Plan†, n.d.). Delta Dental Insurance pursues their mission by increasing access to benefits, offering the largest national network of dentists, adding innovative new plan features, aggressively working to keep costs down, and supporting p hilanthropic programs that encourage better overall oral health. Delta Dental Insurance plans offer top of the line features and programs to make insurance services more accessible and convenient for its members. Some of the features that Delta Dental Insurance consists are secure and accessible sites for online enrollment, finding dentists and getting information about available plans. It offers Group/Employer plans, which is important as it gives companies information on the cost of getting dental insurance for their employees. This is important as well for families who wish to enroll other members of the family into the insurance plan. Also Delta Dental Insurance offers individual plans, provides up-front cost information for customers and has Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation (â€Å"Dental Insurance Review†, n.d.). Better Business Bureau accreditation is definitely a plus, because they provide ratings based on customer service and satisfaction of members. In addition, Delta Dental Insurance offers multiple types of different plans for its consumers. There is Delta Dental Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), DeltaCare ® USA (Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) option), Fee-for-Service (FFS) Plan, and they also used to offer Discount Plans. But the Discounted Plans are no longer offered by Delta Dental since majority of the members prefer PPO, HMO and FFS plans. The Delta Dental PPO plan is offered worldwide, and for that reason it is more accessible even if the customer relocates (â€Å"Choosing between a PPO and HMO†, n.d.). When choosing a PPO dentist, the out of-pocket costs of customers are often lower because PPO dentists have agreed to charge Delta Dental PPO patients reduced fees. The plan also pays enhanced benefits when patients visit a PPO dentist, so they pay only 20 percent of the PPO dentist’s contracted fee after their deductible for such services as fillings, oral surgery, root canals and treatment of gum disease in addition to other benefit enhancements (â€Å"Types of Dental Plans†, n.d.). Delta Dental PPO does not cover teeth bleaching and other cosmetic procedures (â€Å"University of California†, 2009). The good thing about a PPO plan is that customers have the freedom to choose any licensed dentist, anywhere in the world, each time the member or a family member requires treatment. And there is no referral required for specialty care. On the other hand, DeltaCare ® USA (HMO option) customers must be residents of California to enroll. It provides individuals and their families with inclusive plans and easy referrals to specialists and even has a benefit for teeth bleaching. The plan emphasizes preventive care; so many services are provided at no cost. There is no annual plan maximum for DeltaCare ® USA (â€Å"Types of Dental Plans†, n.d.). As an HMO member, customers are assigned to network dentist that accept the plans and they must be referred specialist by their assigned dentists. Fee-for-service plans, also known as indemnity or traditional plans, typically offer the greatest choice of dentists. It is up to the customer what dentist to choose or procedure they would like to purchase. Like PPO plans, when you visit a network dentist, you typically pay a certain percentage for each service (called coinsurance) and the plan pays the rest. The percentage usually varies by the type of coverage, such as diagnostic and preventive, major services, etc. (â€Å"Types of Dental Plans†, n.d.). However with FFS plan the member might pay a little extra than the PPO plan. And finally, the Discounted Plans are insurance plans that are offered at reduced rates. There is generally no paperwork, annual limits or deductibles, but you must visit a participating dentist to receive the discount. Also, you may be responsible for a greater portion of the treatment cost compare to PPO or HMO plan. The downside of this plan was the fact that there was a possibility of the dentists being changed annually, and new dentists would be assigned to the customers. But on the plus side, the rates that the customers would receive would be unbeatable. Figure 1 shows the continued growth in enrolment throughout the recession. This also proves that Delta Dental is the largest dental carrier in the United States and it has more than 26 million enrollees at present (â€Å"Delta Dental: Annual Report2011†, n.d., p. 10). Figure 1: Shows the increase in the enrollment of Delta Dental plans by the population. The Y-axis shows the number of enrollees in increasing order and the X-axis shows the years starting from 2008-2012. Adapted from: â€Å"Delta Dental: Annual Report 2011.† (n.d., p. 10). Why is Delta Dental better and more successful than other insurances? Delta Dental offers some of the best dental insurance plans in the United States and around the world since 1954 and as the first company exclusively specializing in dental benefits, Delta Dental has been working hard to improve oral health around the world by providing access to the largest network of dentists, great service, top of the line care plans and developing relationships that emphasize prevention and positive oral health care results over the long term (Delta Dental, 2010). Over 56 million enrollees trust Delta Dental Insurance plans with their oral health and the numbers of satisfied members keep growing (â€Å"Why do more than†, n.d.). â€Å"In 2011, the vast majority of surveyed enrollees from our open network plans said they would recommend Delta Dental to a family or friend. That loyalty is also evident in our exceptionally high enrollee retention rate.† (â€Å"Delta Dental 2011 Annual Report†, n.d., p. 11). Figure 2 which is adapted from the â€Å"Delta Dental: Annual Report 2011† (n.d., p. 11) shows the percentage of enrollee satisfaction and enrollee retention in 2011. Figure 2: The percentage of Enrollee satisfaction and Enrollee Retention. 95% of the Enrollees were satisfied with their Delta Dental Plan and 99% of the Enrollees retained their Delta Dental plan. Adapted from: â€Å"Delta Dental: Annual Report 2011† (n.d., p. 11) Delta dental has proven itself as one of the good companies in the market but still they are working diligently to make it better. Delta Dental supports projects in conjunction with major universities and other leading research organizations that are designed to advance scientific knowledge and improve health. Among the projects, recently supports are: a study on the potential for dentists to play a greater role in the detection of health conditions such as diabetes; the cost impact of oral cancer; the application of salivary diagnostics to dentistry; and the development of biotechnology to advance health (Carruth, 2012). All these are the major projects of Delta Dental. Delta Dental is trying to identify ways to improve offerings in ways that will reduce costs while still covering the treatment our subscribers need to stay healthy. Delta Dental will focus on expanding their network in remote places and provide oral care. They are planning continue creating dynamic product lines that provide effective benefits to improve oral health–and overall health – while reducing costs. Delta Dental would concentrate on providing good customer service staff as well as an automated phone line for inquiries. Delta Dental has received many awards in improving oral health care. Their current plans are focused on expanding their network and providing good care for the patients. Delta Dental’s strategies are such that not only patients but also dentist and employees are benefitted. They also focus on many researches to improve quality of care. Moreover, their future plans are focus on reducing cost and providing quality of care for patients. They are providing funds for incurable diseases like cancer and other malignancy. References: A trailblazer in health. n.d.). and your family. r local member companies. Retrieved form: http://www.deltadental.com/Public/PlanInfo/planAddressStart.jsp Delta Dental (n.d.). DeltaVision ®.