Phenomenology and the Eucharistic Mass Essay Example for Free

Phenomenology and the Eucharistic Mass Essay In the study of communications, reaching a common consensus on how to apply a shared and common understanding of communications seems to be a near impossible task. After being introduced to the seven traditions of communications by Craig in his essay â€Å"Communication Theory as a Field†, I choose to explore the tradition he categorizes as Phenomenology. My initial understanding on the study of communications were quite limited to the transmission view, dominated by a sender and receiver framework. Interestingly, the transmission model in it’s origin was culturally rooted in religion, and used as a tool for the dissemination of Euro centric religious values and practices globally. With advancement in technology, especially in the 1920’s, the North American perspective on communication shifted the transmission model from religion to science to reflect a multidisciplinary approach in to the study of communications. As a practitioner of what was once the transmission view, the Catholic Church had experienced tremendous religious propagation of its message through forcible transmission all over the world. Based on Craig’s essay, the Catholic Church of today then embodies traits of a ritual view of communication, and is aligned with religious communication, and expression such as fellowship, participation, community, communion, and common faith. The phenomenological model of communication shares characteristics with the ritual view that I will be exploring through the Roman Catholic Eucharistic liturgy. The phenomenological tradition described by Craig, â€Å" conceptualizes communication as dialogue or the experience of otherness† (p. 217). Communication in this tradition is not rooted in verbal transmission but instead a shared experience on plains that extend beyond tradition verbal or textual communication. For the purpose of this paper phenomenological tradition can be seen as a form of communication expressed metaphysically as well. Gadamers’ theory from â€Å"Truth and Method†, focus on tradition and language as a primary form of communication. His ideology is that: we are only able to make sense of ourselves and the world around us because our consciousness has been shaped by history and traditions in ways we are largely unaware of wareness expands our understanding of the tradition. His description of an I-Thou relationship as the question-answer logic that underlies hermeneutic experience creates communication by identifying, hermeneutics, â€Å"that lead to a dialectical process of interpretation and growth of understanding. As a phenomenological practitioner, this theory has very intrinsic value. Communication in this practice provides a very meaningful and existential experience that I am to able to engage in with my Creator, in the absence of any other person. As a Roman Catholic, I have had many questions about the way we participate in mass. My parents grew up on the island of Trinidad, in a devout Catholic community. The Spanish, that had at one time colonized Trinidad, were very committed to their mission of converting the indigenous people of the island. The spread Catholicism throughout the country was profuse, with community churches everywhere, (even building one across the street from my mother’s house), and adding a monastery and seminary college a mile further up the mountainside where my father lived. Catholicism was not just a religion in our community, it was a part of the culture, and employed many of the villagers as they worked for the seminary. My grandparents were in fact Hindu, and converted to Catholicism because of the strong influence and presence it had within the community. As a Roman Catholic child, I had been told to repeat, chant, and act with humility, adoration and reverence during mass. I did not understand what we were doing or what the intention was. I became harder and harder to find meaning in going to church. In my late teens I stopped attending mass because there was no intrinsic connection for me in my faith practice. I remained a spiritual and deeply rooted faith based person, but I could not come to terms with many of the teachings of my church. I stayed out of church for many years. At some point, I became curious about what it meant. I was not looking for a theological understanding per se, but instead, what did â€Å"it† mean? The chanting, the collective response in unison, the prayers itself. What was I blindly repeating every Sunday? I chose to study the teachings of the Catholic Church in university at Newman Theological College to gain a scholarly perspective. Many things became clear, although I did acquiesce on some ideological points, (my own hermeneutical experience). Inspired by my academic insights, I returned to church as a knowledgeable participant of the mass, understanding that as part of the community, I would belong to the collective voice of the fellowship of Christ. The Catholic mass is deeply enriched with both Phenomenological Theory as well as Semiotic Tradition. In some regard you must look at the semiotics in order to fully understand what is being communicated during certain points in the eucharistic liturgy. For the purpose of this paper I will focus on the phenomenological aspects. The Eucharistic liturgy is a two century old tradition, considered the real presence of Christ at the last supper carried out each Sunday, and is considered an integral part of Catholic worship. As Catholics we believe Jesus began a significant new fellowship meal that we observe to this day. It causes us to collectively and intrinsically share in the experience of his sacrifice through his death and resurrection. The description of the liturgy I’m presenting here reflects a very basic summation of the ritual. At the start of the liturgy we are asked to offer ourselves up, and surrender to God. As we participate in the Eucharistic Prayer we are in the act of giving thanks. The congregation is humbled as Christ is transubstantiated from man into the elements of bread and wine. We collectively mourn as Jesus is offered to the Father in sacrifice for the sins of man. We participate in the Lords Prayer, and a prayer for peace. The Holy Spirit is invited to come down upon us and unite the community of worshipers into one body as we prepare to accept the communion, and offer each other a sign of peace. As a community we should be considered one body, ready to receive Christ as a single body in the form of the host. Prior to accepting the communion we collectively humble ourselves stating our unworthiness and asking for compassion and forgiveness for our transgressions. As members of the congregation travel to the the altar, it represents a pilgrimage in this life from a journey of birth to death, and to the heavenly Father. Once each individual receives the host, we communally belong to the larger body of Christ. An aspect of the phenomenological theory of communication as seen by Buber can be practically applied in this example. The I-Thou relationship is present when looking at the relationship each individual member of the ongregation has with their Creator, or even Catholicism itself. The act of worshiping communally creates an experience and awareness of each other that reflects dialogue in Gadamer’s model of phenomenology. Prayer itself is a great example of the I-Thou relationship the Buber describes. Although it contradicts Gadamers â€Å"parallel concept of conversation emphasiz[ing] the object or subject matter of conversation that brings people together in dialogue† (p. 219). Buber also notes that, â€Å"dialogue can be entirely wordless, yet deeply meaningful† (p. 19), and talks about how sacred silence itself can be on page 227, which is evident throughout the moments of the liturgy in which individuals respond on an emotional level through reverence, humility, sorrow, or repentance. Burber’s theory of a person living life with an open mind, open to experience and in essence living the life of dialogue is what resonates most for me. My critical exploration into understanding the Catholic mass has supported my dialogue in prayer with my creator, as well as my participation as a member of the Catholic church. It would be assumed that since developing a clearer understanding of the mass, that I would be regularly attending. That is not the case. What I grew to understand is that I cannot effectively belong to the congregation if I am not intrinsically communicating through action, intention and prayer when I attend. For that reason, I go to church when I have a deeper calling to do so. My I-Thou relationship within my faith is not compromised as I connect to my creator in conversation and prayer every day, however, my I-Thou relationship with the other church goers would be compromised and lacking authenticity if I attend mass out of obligation.

Mergers and Acquisitions: Indian Banking Consolidation

Mergers and Acquisitions: Indian Banking Consolidation Globally it has been found that the mergers and acquisition have become one of the major ways to corporate restructuring which has also struck the financial services industry which has experienced merger waves leading to the emergence of huge banks and financial institutions. The main reason for mergers is intense competition among the companies in the same industry which put focus on economies of scale, efficiency in cost and profitability. Some other factors leading to the mergers is the too big to fail principle followed by the authorities. In few countries like Germany, weak banks were forcefully merged to avoid the problem financial distress arising out of bad loans and erosion of capital funds. Several academic studies have analyzed merger related gains in banking and these studies have adopted two approaches. The first approach deals with evaluating the long term performance of the merger by analyzing the accounting information such as return on assets, operating costs and eff iciency ratios. A mergers is considered to have led to improved performance if the the change in the accounting based performance is superior to the changes in the performance of the comparable banks that were not involved in the merger activity during that period. Another approach is to analyze the gains in stock price of the bidder and the target company around the announcement of the merger. In this approach the merger is assumed to create value if the combined value of the bidder and target banks increase on the announcement of the merger and the consequent and the stock prices reflect the potential value of the acquiring banks. The objective of this paper is to present a panoramic view of merger trends in India and to ascertain two important perceptions of stake-holders, shareholders and managers and to discuss dilemmas and other issues of this topic of Indian banking. Review of Literature for impact of mergers The two important issues which are examined by various academic studies relating to bank mergers are: impact of mergers on the operating performance and efficiency of the banks Impact of mergers on the market value of the equity of both bidder and the target banks. Cornett and Tehranian (1992) and Spindit and Tarhan (1992) provided evidence for increase in post-merger operating performance. However the studies of Berger and Humphrey (1992), Piloff (1996) and Berger (1997) did not find any evidence in increase in post-merger operating performance. Berger and Humphrey (1994) also reported that most of the studies that examined pre-merger and post-merger financial ratios found no impact on operating cost and profit ratios. The reasons for mixed evidence are: lag between completion of merger process and the realization of benefits of mergers, sample selection and the methods adopted in the financing of mergers. Further, the financial ratios may be misleading indicators of performance because they do not take into account for product mix or input prices. On the other hand researches may also could have confused scale and scope efficiency gains with what is known as X-efficiency gains. Recent studies have explicitly employed frontier X-efficiency met hods to identify the X-efficiency benefits of bank mergers. Few studies have also analyzed the potential benefits and scale economies of mergers. Landerman (2000) explored diversification benefits to be had from banks merging with non banking financial service firms. Simulated mergers of US banks and non-bank financial service firms demonstrated that diversification of banks into insurance business and securities brokerage is optimal for reducing the probability of bankruptcy for bank holding companies. Wheelock and Wilson (2004) found that expected merger activity in US banking industry is positively related to management rating, size of the bank, competitive position and geographical location of banks and is negatively related to market concentration. The second issue determined was the analysis of merger gains in terms of the gains in stock price performance of the bidder and the target banks on announcement of merger. In this case a merger is expected to create value only if the combined value of the bidder and target companies increases after the declaration of the merger. However a lot of studies have failed to find any direct relationship between the merger and the gains in performance or in shareholder wealth. But there are reasons for mixed evidence as a merger announcement also takes in to account the way the deal is financed .If equity offerings are used it may be interpreted as overvaluation by the issuer. Therefore the negative announcements returns to the firms that are bidding can be attributed to the negative signalling which is completely unrelated to the value which is created by the merger. Returns to the bidders companies shareholders is greater when the merger is totally financed with cash than in mergers in whi ch financing is done through equity offering. There is one more problem with this event study analysis as if there is a consolidation wave going on; mergers are anticipated by stockholders and analyst. Potential candidates for the mergers are highlighted and made popular by the financial press and the stock market analysts. In these cases the event study analysis may fail. Therefore an analysis of mergers across the world and a literature review does not provide strong evidence on the benefits gained by banks in the mergers in the banking industry. Also the findings of the literature also contrast with the findings of the consultants who find a considerable cost savings and operational efficiency achieved through mergers. The reasons why academic study do not find cost benefits and the consultants highlight this fact are Consulates may study a potential cost savings which may not materialize They tend to highlight potential cost saving activities and the economist study all the activities. They tend to be biased towards successful cases and ignore the unsuccessful ones. They tend blow up the benefits achieved while the benefits may be miniscule if accounted on a relative terms. The academic studies provide motivation for the examination and evaluation of two important issues pertaining to the mergers and acquisition to the Indian banking. Do mergers help in improving the operational performance and result in cost savings However in India most of the mergers are forced by the central bank in order to protect the interest of the depositors and avoid financial distress therefore the above mentioned reason is rarely found in the mergers activities. Do merger provide abnormal gains and returns to the acquirer and the target banks upon the declaration Consolidation Trends Observed in India Improving the operational performance and cost efficiency has always been a priority in Indian banking sector and has been a major issue of discussions in the policy formulation by the government of India in the consultation and with the central bank (Reserve Bank of India). Several committees have also been formed in order to suggest structural changes to achieve this objective. Some of the major committees formed are Banking Commission, 1972 Chairman R.G Saraiya, 1976 chairman : Manubhai Shah Committee for the functioning of public sector banks, 1978 chairman : James S Raj These committees have suggested the restructuring of the Indian banking system with an objective to improve the process of credit delivery and also suggested the idea of having around 3 to 4 large banks which have a pan India presence and the rest of the bank should be present at the regional level. The major thrust on consolidation started with the Narasimham committee in 1991. It emphasised and embarked upon consolidation and merger in order to make the Indian banks huge in size and also comparable to the global banks. A second Narasimham committe was also formed in 1998 which suggested mergers and consolidation among the strong banks in public as well as private sector and also with other financial institutions, NBFC (Non Banking Financial Companies). Now we will have a look at some of the recent trends in consolidation in Indian banking. Restructuring of weak Indian Banks Amongst other routes government of India has adopted mergers as a means to achieve restructuring of the Indian banking system. Many banks which are small in size and are weak are merged with other banks which are stronger and are larger to protect the interest of the depositors and also to avoid financial distress. These types of mergers can be termed as forced mergers. Hence when a banks shows symptoms of sickness like increasing size of NPAs, reduction in the net worth and substantial decline in capital adequacy ratio, RBI forces moratorium under the section 45(1) of the Banking Regulation act 1949 for a specified period on the activities and the operations of the working of the sick bank. In this period a strong bank is identified and asked to prepare and present a scheme of merger with the weak bank. In this case the acquirer banks takes hold of all the assets of the weak bank and ensures the depositors of their money in case they want to withdraw. The mergers which took place in the pre-reform period fall into this category. In the post reform period 21 mergers have taken place out of which 13 are forced mergers where RBI has intervened. The main reason for these mergers was the protection of the depositors interest and avoids the financial distress. Mergers which took place voluntarily Apart from forced mergers there have been few mergers in which expansion, diversification and growth were the major motives and in which RBI did not intervene or force. The first merger of this kind took place in 1993 when the Times Bank was acquired by HDFC bank which was followed by acquisition of Bank of Madura by the ICICI Bank. The latest of these is merger of Lord Krishnan Bank with Centurion Bank of Punjab. Although in all these deals the target bank suffered with low profitability, Increase in NPA and lack of alternate revenues in order to provide cushion for capital adequacy but these mergers were not forced. There was no regulatory intervention in these mergers however the motives behind these mergers may not necessarily be scale of economies and achieving market power. For instance ICICI bank acquired bank of Russia with a motive of entry in to Russia although it just had one branch. SBI acquired 51% stake in Mauritian Bank through Indian Ocean International Bank which wil l be integrated with the State Bank of Indias International business as a subsidiary. Integration of Financial Services and Achieving Universal Banking Model Several developmental financial institutions have been formed over a period of time in India in order to improve the efficiency of allocation of resources to different segments of the economy. However because of the flexibility given by the RBI to the banks in the credit delivery process the banks have increased and diversified their loan portfolio to various areas such as project finance, long-term loans, and other specialised sector lending. This is the reason why DFIs have become redundant. A working capital group (1998) was appointed by RBI which has recommended the universal model of banking by exploring the possibility of mergers between various sets of financial entities based on economical considerations. Similarly in the private sector ICICI merger with its subsidiary bank and IDBI (industrial Development Bank of India) was incorporates as a public sector bank which acquired private sector bank IDBI bank in 2004. In order to provide integrated financial services and achieve operation efficiencies many public sector banks have acquired their subsidiaries, for instance Andhra Bank acquired its housing finance subsidiary Andhra Bank Housing Finance LTD, Bank of India acquired BOI finance Ltd and BOI Asset Management Company Ltd. Acquisition of similar types took place in the private sector as well. Alignment of Operations of Foreign Banks with Global Trends As the Parent banks went under reconstruction process their parts operating in India also started restructuring. For example, Standard Charted Grindlay bank was formed due to acquisition of ANZ Grindlay by the Standard Charted Bank. Similarly due to acquisition of two Japanese banks like Sakura Bank and Sumitomo Bank Ltd the Indian operations of Sakura Bank were merged with Sumitomo Bank in 2001.Forign banks were permitted to enter into merger and acquisition transaction with any of the private sector bank in India with a condition that the overall investment limit limit will be 74 per cent after the second phase of WTO commitments which commenced in April 2009. This may lead to further consolidation in the Indian banking sector. Merger and Consolidation of Cooperatives, RRBs and UCBs Small banks present in India apart from other banks are co-operative banks, Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) and Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs). These are formed for fulfilling the credit requirements of agriculture, small traders and SSI and other rural economic activities. All of these institutions are suffering from bad loans, operational inefficiencies, and Poor recovery of loans. This proved to be a barrier for further lending and financial intermediation. A committee formed under Jugdish Capoor suggested voluntary amalgamations or merger of these co-operatives based on various criterias like economies of scale, especially in areas where the operations of these banks have become unviable and there are no more in a position to supply credit to agriculture sector. 28 RRBs were consolidated into 9 new RRBs in September 2005.A high powered committee on Urban Co-operative Banks (1999) recommended that UCBs which are sick should be liquidated in a time bound manner as the operation of lar ge number of financially sick banks is devastating for UCBs and also for the interest of depositors. Due to this more mergers are expected in the future and RBI also has taken a lot of new initiatives for restructuring of banks including the issuance of guidelines in May 2005. Shareholders Perception of Merger As stated above the Indian banking sector has experienced two types of mergers – focussed and voluntary mergers. Forced mergers were initiated by RBI and their main objective was to protect the interest of the depositors and prevent financial distress of the banks. Whenever a bank showed symptoms of sickness like huge NPA levels, erosion of net worth etc, RBI intervened and merged the weak bank with a stronger one by force. Thus we can form a hypothesis that in case of forced mergers the target banks shareholders will gain abnormally with the declaration. The second type of merger is voluntary type where the motivation behind the merger is to achieve cost reduction, increase in size, diversification, strategic entry into a market. In these cases the acquired banks reaped the benefit of branch network and customer clientele of the banks acquired. In these cases both the acquirer bank and the target bank must have had benefit out of the merger. In this paper the mergers between 1993 to 2006 are considered. There were 21 mergers out of which only five were voluntary. These are mainly mergers of private sector banks with other private sector banks. Two cases are conversion of financial institution to commercial bank where the objective was to form a universal bank model which offers a wide range of financial services. Ina study conducted which is presented in this paper six cases of forced mergers were selected for the purpose of analysis as in other cases the target banks were not listed and the size of the banks were much lower than the acquirer banks therefore these cases are of less merit for further analysis. In this study the wealth effects of almost all the banking mergers during the period 1999-2006 is analyzed. The event study analysis used in this analysis is very straight forward and conventional. The merger period consist of four days prior and four days after the event. The reason for taking such window is to analyze the change in wealth of the shareholder around the day of the declaration on the merger. Daily adjusted closing prices of stocks and the market index is taken for the analysis. The abnormal returns are calculated as follows. ARit= Rit – [a + BRm] Here Rit: daily return on firm ‘i on day ‘t Rmt is the return on the bench mark index a and B are the regression parameters. The abnormal return is calculated for both the acquirer and the target firm and the significance of these values are tested by finding standard error and the t-value : Analysis of Research Results In forced mergers case the stockholders of target banks have not achieved any significant returns on the declaration of the merger. However in the case of Nedungadi Bank, the stockholder did gain significant on the 2nd day of the announcement but after that no abnormal returns were found. In the case of GTB the stockholders had deeply discounted the merger. As it was a case of serious case of bank failure the merger did give a confidence to the depositors but the merger declaration did not provide any abnormal returns. United bank did gain marginally on the announcement but it was not significant statistically. Thus the hypothesis that target banks shareholders welcome merger announcement as a safety net can be rejected. The shareholders of the acquirer bank lost their market value of equity. In case of ICICI bank, it was signalled as an emergence of a large private sector bank and hence due to which the banks shareholders expectations go up with significant increase in the returns. In other cases of acquisition the acquirer bank lost on merging with the weak banks. Hence in all the forced mergers neither the acquirer bank nor the target bank gained on declaration of the merger and the stockholders of the acquirer bank lost wealth as the announcement of the merger was taken as a negative signal. It is argued that merger of weak banks with strong ones is essential for restructuring of banking system and also a step in the consolidation of the banking sector. But in almost all the mergers it was found that the target banks for the merger were determined at the time when they were at the verge of getting collapse. The acquirer bank which was forced by RBI was left with no option but to accept the proposed merger. It is recommended that RBI should pursue Prompt corrective action system and should determine the weak banks on the basis of some defined criterias so that the acquirer bank can choose the target banks on the strategic issues which benefit all the parties . Abnormal Returns of Target Banks Abnormal returns of Bidder banks In case of voluntary mergers it can be seen that the target banks have obtained higher returns that the acquirer banks. Both the acquirer and the target banks stockholders benefitted on declaration of the merger. Therefore the stock market welcomed the merger which will lead to growth and efficiency aspects of the merged entity and benefitted the shareholders of both the banks. For instance in the case of acquisition of times banks by HDFC bank it was viewed as a positive signal by the shareholders of both the bank. At the time of the merger the Times Bank was crippled with increasing NPAs and low profitability, the acquisition by the HDFC bank gave relief to the depositors of the Times Bank. On the other hand HDFC bank emerged as the largest private sector bank by gaining from the retail portfolio of the Times Bank. In case of BOM acquisition by the ICIC bank the BOM gained the advantage of being able to provide services like Treasury management, cash management services to its cust omers and ICICI bank increased its size by acquiring BOM and reached the position of large private sector banks in 1999. At the announcement of the merger there was a steep rise in the gains which was reaped by the BOM shareholders however the stockholders of ICIC bank did not get any significant returns. In all the even study analysis revealed that neither the acquirer bank nor the target bank stock holders have perceived any potential gain on the declaration of the mergers. Hence the share holders who are important stakeholders of the banking companies did not consider the mergers as a signal of improving health, economies of scale and the market power of banks. Managers take on the Mergers Managers provide highest priority to the merger of the two public sector banks which provides a signals the banking sectors view on the need for consolidation of public sector banks. Managers do not prefer the merger of bank and NBFCs or financial services entities There are some issues which are needed to be taken care of while proposing a merger of banks according to the managers Valuation of the Loan portfolio of the target bank This is one of the main factor which is needed to be considered at the time of the merger. As in the management of the credit portfolio the accounting and the exposure norms suggested by the RBI are the same which helps in figuring out the book value of loans easily. However Indian banks have adopted divergent practices in rating the borrowers, loan pricing and maintenance of collateral securities therefore a detailed audit of the loan portfolio, cash flow generation and collaterals is very essential in order to get an opinion on the value of the loan portfolio of the target bank. Valuation of Intangible assets The valuation of the assets of the banks is a very critical factor for the success of any merger or consolidation. The tangible assets of the bank are loans, investment part apart from other fixed assets like buildings, ATMs and the IT infrastructure the bank owns. A commercial bank also holds a lot of intangible assets like clientele based on core deposits, safety value contracts, computer softwares, human resources, brands and goodwill. Determining the inherent strength of the bank based on the valuation of the intangible assets is also very important. Determination of the value of equity Determining the value of the target banks assets, liabilities and valuation of its equity value is the major aspect of a merger process. Various approaches can be used like dividend discount model, cash flow to equity model and excess return model. However banks have totally different operations than a normal manufacturing firm as they are highly leveraged because they have more than 90% of the resources as borrowed or as debt and banks are highly regulated institutions and regulatory instruction have vast implication in asset and income recognition. Interest rates volatility, regulatory capital adequacy ratios and restriction on dividend pay put ratios also have influence on the earnings of the banks. Human Resource Issues It is the most complicated issue in the merger process.HR issues like the service condition, strategy for rewarding people, employee relation, benefit plans and compensation, provision of pension, law suits and the trade union actions are very critical for the viability of the merger and the deal to go through. Cultural Issues This is also a critical issue in the pre-merger and post merger period. It is central to an organizational environment and recognizing cultural friction is very difficult as it results in various problems such as poor productivity, riff in the top management, increase in the turnover rates, delays in the integration process and failures in realizing the projected synergies. Information Technology platform integration In todays banking banks are highly dependent on the information technology. It has become a key strategic issue due to the impact it has on the operation of the bank. A significant portion of the synergy depends on the information technology integration. Divergent IT platforms and software systems have proven to be major constraints in the consolidation. Customer Retention Customers also major stakeholders of banks and are needed to be communicated properly about the merger and the customers of the target bank should be attended with utmost care. Various studies have shown that firms borrowing from target banks are very likely to lose their relationship with the bank on its merger.

George Orwell Biography :: essays research papers

Eric Arthur Blair was born on June 25, 1903 and from the start, he was a very pragmatic boy. born in India from a family that was considered upper class, he was able to observe plenty of poverty around him and the way the British enforced Imperialism on the Indians. At a young age his mother and two sisters moved back to England in seek of a quieter life. Blair was always good at school and earned a scholarship to Eton College, a prestigious British School. After his studies, his family could not afford a University so he went back to India to become part of the Indian Imperial Police. He had bad experiences as a policeman and he grew to hate Imperialism so he moved back to England in hope of becoming a freelance writer. It was in this period that he adopted the Pen name George Orwell, no one really knows why he changed his name. In December 1936 he grew tired of writing and decided to spice up his life by joining the Spanish Civil war as a militia man. In this war he joined the rebe ls and fought hard against the Spanish communist government but unfortunately got shot in the neck and grew a strong hatred for the communist government and turned Anti- Stalin. All these experiences had serious impact on his life and changed his idea of belief. While in the Indian Imperial Police he saw the harsh true reality of Imperialism so he became anti- Imperialist. While fighting In spain, his grim experiences led to him hating communism and Stalin. Orwell’s response to the British Occupation of India led to the novel Burmese days, a book about denouncing Imperialism. In response to Orwell’s experiences of communism and, he wrote the book Animal Farm which is an allegory to the events of the Russian Revolution In which the working animals are poor and the leaders are pigs who gloat in vanity.

Eating Disorders :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many different types of eating disorders in our world today and many suffer from them. Young women, and the reason is unknown, are the main targets (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 147). I believe young women are more apt because of the ideal media, newspapers, magazines, etc. That's how they feel they need to live up to, and also they are more emotional and are in that stage of life where things like this matter a lot. There are two very common eating disorders, anorexia and bulimia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized by a person with a body weight less than 85% of what is considered normal weight. Anorexics have a fear of being fat (Sonder, ). Anorexics limit their food intake, which is the same thing as starvation. A person who is anorexic continues to diet even when they are bone thin. They are never satisfied with their appearance. They engage in excessive exercising and long depressions, these are just some of the danger signals that anorexics show. This self-starving behavior can lead to sever emancipation or even death. Anorexics see normal fat (folds of flesh) on the body as fat that needs to be eliminated. They often find sleeping and resting a discomfort because they have lost their normal body fat. Victims of this serious disorder tend to further from family and friends. They want to be isolated. There are many dangers from starving yourself. The body tends to slow down or even stop certain body processes, your blood pressure may fall, breathing rate may drop, and menstruation also stops. They thyroid gland disappears, and this is the gland that regulates your growth. Your nails and hair become brittle, you skin is dry, and you suffer form light headiness, constipation, and swelling of the joints. When fat is reduced, the body temperature begins to fall, and soft hair forms on the body for warmth. Your body chemicals may also be so imbalanced, heart failure may occur. People who suffer from bulimia nervosa also want to be thin, but they do it in a different fashion called binging and purging (Sonder, ). Binging is when a person will eat a bunch of food, exceeding normal calorie intake. Purging is the way they get rid of it. This way you are still able to eat and then still be thin, but this is very dangerous and can often be deadly.

Brown vs. Board of Education Art Exhibit :: Art Museum Exhibit Race Segregation

One of Art’s Messages When I first walked into the Krannert Art Museum, I had no idea where to begin seeing that this was my first visit to the museum. So I asked a man who worked there to point me in the general direction of the exhibit known as â€Å"Eight Artists Address Brown v. Board of Education.† The man gave me directions, and showed me into the section for the exhibit. I walked into two small rooms, which I thought was a little small for the work of eight artists. Despite the size, I had no idea where to start. So I took a quick look around the exhibit, which was empty except for the security guard who, upon my arrival, jumped up from his seat. Throughout my time at the museum, this guard was constantly checking me, like a hawk waiting for its prey to make a move before coming in for the kill, as if I were going to do anything other than look at the exhibits. His evil gaze was a little unnerving, however, I persisted in my work. In order to decide where to start, I spun around in a circle, coming to a stop at Pamel Vander Zwan’s and Carrie Mae Weems’ work on Plessy v. Ferguson. This was a series of five photographs in black and white featuring Zwan and Weems, one black and the other white, fighting over a chair in the middle of a checkered black and white room. It did not matter which picture started the series, because the two on the ends were the same picture. If going in a linear order, depending on where you started, the second and fourth pictures showed the two women struggling for the chair with the white women having the upper-hand, and the black women trying to take the chair away. Which ever direction you took, the pictures always ended the same way, with each women back where they started. It was at this point that I found a little book that describes each exhibit, which helped me to understand the pictures. Not knowing the background behind Plessy v. Ferguson, the struggle for the seat didn’t make much sense. The history is written saying that Homer Plessy was a black man who sat in the â€Å"white man only† car of a train, quite a rebellious feat for his time.

Implant of Radio-frequency identification tags in human body has more pros than cons Essay

1.0 Introduction RFID is the wireless non-contact use of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data. The purposes of automatically identifying and tracking tags attached to objects. Since RFID tags can be attached to clothing, possessions, or even implanted within people the possibility of reading personally-linked information without consent has raised privacy concerns. There are three types of RFID such as passive, semi-passive and active. For the passive RFID tags does not contain a battery, the power is supplied by the reader. When radio waves from the reader are encountered by passive RFID tag, the coiled antenna within the tag forms a magnetic field. For the semi-passive RFID tags are very similar to passive tags except for the addition of a small battery. This battery allows the tag IC to be constantly powered. Semi-passive RFID tags are faster in response and therefore stronger in reading ratio compared to passive tags. Therefore, the active RFID tag when it is equipped with a battery that can be used as a partial or complete source of power for the tag’s circuitry and antenna It may have longer range and larger memories than passive tags as well as the ability to store additional information sent by the transceiver. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for human implants and investigates the technological feasibility of such implants for locating and tracking persons or for remotely controlling human biological functions. A human microchip implant is an identifying integrated circuit device or RFID transponder encased in silicate glass and implanted in the body of a human being. A subdermal implant typically contains a unique ID number that can be linked to information contained in an external database, such as personal identification, physiological characteristics, health, medical history, medications, allergies, and contact information. A classical example of human identification based on RFID-implant is given by the VeriChip tag (11 mm long and about 1mm in diameter) which contains numerical code (identifiers) readable at 10 centimeters or less using a handheld reader. When illuminating by the low-frequency magnetic field (134 KHz) generated by the reader, the RFID tag powers itself up and transmits a 16-digit code that is unique to the tag. Recent developments in RFID technology have opened up new potential applications, where RFID devices are implanted in the human body for locating and tracking persons or for remotely controlling human biological functions. 2.0Content 2.1Medical field The primary goal of applying RFID technology in healthcare is to improve patient safety. First, RFID is a valuable tool for quickly retrieving patient information, allergies, and medication the patient is currently taking or medication a doctor will prescribe to the patient and monitoring patient location in hospitals so as to improve the accuracy of patient identification. Besides, microchip contains a unique identification number that emergency personnel may scan to immediately identify the patient and access his or her personal health information, thus facilitating appropriate treatment without delay. This is especially important for patients who suffer from conditions that may render them unconscious, confused, or unable to communicate. Doctors would also be able to decide the needed equipment and medication with minimal delay in an emergency case where every second is decisive. With the implanted chip, a RFID reader, and a wireless connection, a doctor or nurse can pull up the patient’s information, or even update the patient information in real time. Some benefits of this include less patient mix-up, being able to access the patient information in real time, and fewer mistakes due to human error during data recording. Productivity would increase since the doctors and nurses would not have to go to a computer to enter in the updated information. This would allow doctors and nurses to focus more on their professional duties Alzheimer disease, the most common form of dementia which has no cure till date, the most common symptoms is difficult to remember recent events. This has place great burden on caregivers as they have to constantly look after the patient, worrying them lose track in middle of nowhere. By implanting RFID tags in those patients, it is easy to identify and monitor the location and keep track of those patients with Alzheimer disease for their safety purposes. Alerting services can identify possible human errors and warn care providers in case of danger. For example, automatic sponge counting by RFID can avoid sponge left inside the patient body. 2.1.1Evidence 1) VeriChip, the company that hold the rights and patents to the implantable chip for humans, has sold 7,000 chips with 2,000 of which have been placed in people, according to Scott Silverman, chairman of Applied Digital, which owns VeriChip. The company’s present focus is tagging â€Å"high-risk† patients, such as those with diabetes, heart conditions or Alzheimer’s. (July 30, 2007) 2) According to a survey on employed professional and semi-professional people done in Pittsburgh, US, 62.5% of the total respondents (comprises of both sexes with equal votes) were willing to accept implants for medical reason 3) A number of RFID-related software applications were developed in Taiwan. Some of these applications focused on the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to prevent spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) disease. These applications include computerized systems for monitoring the body temperature of healthcare personnel and patients with implanted RFID tag in the hospital, track potential virus carriers and, when necessary, map their movements throughout hospitals and keeping track of people under quarantine in facilities separate from hospitals. 4) Don Mackechnie, the chairman of the British Medical Association’s Accident and Emergency committee, and a consultant at the Rochdale Infirmary, said: â€Å"Such a device (RFID tag implantation) could prove very useful in a situation where we have an unconscious patient with an unknown medical history. 5) Twenty-five Alzheimer’s patients were implanted with radio frequency identification chips that can be linked to their medical records and be tracked if they are lost. The patients were implanted at the 2007 Alzheimer’s Educational Conference in West Palm Beach, Florida. The chips, from VeriChip Corp., Delray Beach, Calif., work with the vendor’s VeriMed Patient Identification System. Each chip contains a 16-digit identification number that is linked to a patient’s medical records in a database at the medical facility. Waving the vendor’s RFID reader over a patient implanted with a chip can capture the number. Emergency personnel can also use the scanner to identify patients. The event was sponsored by Alzheimer’s Community Care, a local provider organization. Those who elected to receive the chip are not part of VeriChip’s recently announced study with the organization, which will implant 200 Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers with the chips. In the study, the patient’s medical record will include their Alzheimer’s diagnosis, related medications, caregiver contact information, and other information. 2.2Human Tracking A tracking function could aid authorities in locating missing people such as kidnapping victim. As the numbers of abduction are surging nowadays, RFID implant in human body become the most effective way to fight against this crime. RFID implant in human body can help the authorities to identify their location if they were kidnapped. In fact, RFID implants in children are gaining popularity in Latin American and Russian markets, where parents fear that their children may be kidnapped and are therefore willing to brand them electronically in the hope that it will make it easier to trace kidnapped victims. One of the current issues of the world is the escalating numbers of crime. Because of this, authorities may use RFID tracking chips to track fugitives, terrorists, criminals and more. For example, by implanting the RFID tag into the criminal body, it would be easy to track them if they escape by any means. This chip allows the authority to track back the fugitives easily as the tag will locate the location of the criminal. This implantation will certainly help to ensure the safety of citizens from escaped felons at all time. Besides, these tags are incredibly versatile and may help the lives of countless people with chronic medical problems as well as keeping track of the vulnerable members (extremely young and old) of our society. A vulnerable elderly need this tags because of disability to remember the way back home, age or illness, and may be unable to take care or protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation. So a tag on old people can let the authorities find back them easily. Furthermore, schools are taking advantage of biometrics and RFID technology, as they are cognizant of the increasingly more complex responsibility of keeping children accounted for and safe from arrival through after school programs to transport home. 2.2.1Evidence 1) A real case of implantation of RFID happened in Mexico. According to the 2011 Mexican congressional report, kidnappings have jumped 317 percent in the past five years. Surprisingly, one fifth of instances have involved police officers or soldiers, which leads to a mistrust of these authority figures. Thus, some of the Mexicans pay for the implantation of RFID to protect themselves, so that they could be tracked in the case of being kidnapped. They are now having themselves implanted with RFID tracking chips which can help them to be rescued. Xega, the Mexican company that sells the chips and performs the implants, says its sales have increased 40 percent in the past two years. The company says it has successfully helped rescue 178 clients in the past decade. 2) In Brazil, where Applied Digital has already signed a deal on 2004 to supply RFID tracking chips to distributors in Brazil to help them to fight against kidnapping. Government official says that the chips could be used to t rack down victims via satellite. 2.3Convenience With an RFID implant in the human body, shopping could be as easy as waving your hand and such routine tasks would take less time. The customer can automate the process by simply scanning their implanted chip and the business could match the customer and shipment numbers with the barcode number on the item that is to be returned. They would no longer need a receipt to do so and prevent unnecessary arguments. This new technology makes the purchasing function faster and more convenient. If a bank account or credit card account is linked to an implanted microchip, making a purchase would be extremely fast and safe. Consumers can also enjoy the peace of mind knowing that there is a greatly reduced change of having their â€Å"card† stolen because it would be imbedded in their hand. Perhaps by utilizing microchip implants banking/credit card applications, females would not have to carry a purse everywhere they go and in turn reduce the risk of theft and, thus, reducing identity theft and fraud, which also appeared to be an important issue to women. Moreover, employers are exploring the advantages of utilizing these technologies to ensure only those employees authorized can enter buildings, turn on lights, access computers, change office thermostat settings and operate specialized machinery safely and according to set standards based on a system that can authenticate those employees who meet the re-determined levels of permission. With the implantation of RFID chips, people could stop worrying about keys for their house and cars, the lock code of doors, computers, and much more. Kevin Warwick, a professor had a microelectrode array implanted in the median nerve fibers of his left arm that allowed him to develop a system that could connect his nervous system and a computer (Foster and Jaeger 45). Some people who had RFID chips implanted in their bodies have developed circuits that will allow them to start their cars by waving their hands near a reader (Foster and Jaeger 45). It would certainly reduce the cases of car stolen as the cars cannot be accessed by people other than the specified person. People can access all of their things with the single micro chips that they have implanted inside their body. 2.3.1Statistics Based on a survey done in Pittsburgh, USA, it was found that working professionals between the ages of 25 and 36 years will be more adaptable to the microchips implant technologies than other age groups. Numerous studies have also shown that younger people are more likely to adapt to this new technology, particularly those who fall in the age category of 25 to 36, since they are most likely representative of the younger well-educated professionals. 2.3.2Evidence 1) Baja Beach Club in Barcelona, Spain Launches Microchip Implantation for VIP members (first discotheque in the world to offer the VIP VeriChip) on 7 April, 2004 * Using an integrated (imbedded) microchip, the VIPS can identify themselves and pay for their food and drinks without the need for any kind of document (ID). Special zone at Baja beach Club where only VIPs are allowed contains various exclusive services for these members. Therefore, they won’t have to carry a wallet. By simply passing by our reader, the Baja beach Club will know who you are and what your credit balance is. From the moment of their implantation they will also have free entry and access to the VIP area The customers like the fact that they do not have to carry a credit card or ID card with them and with the VeriPay system, they no longer have to worry about their credit cards getting lost or stolen.† 2) 18 staff members of the Mexican Attorney General’s office have been implanted with the â€Å"Verichip† to control access to a data room * Mexico’s top federal prosecutors and investigators began receiving chip implants in their arms in November 2003 in order to get access to restricted areas inside the attorney general’s headquarters, said Antonio Aceves, general director of Solusat, the company that distributes the microchips in Mexico.† Although the technology can be out there to duplicate (a chip), but what can’t be stolen is the unique identification number and the information that is tied to that number†, said by director of RFID analysis at ABI Research Inc. based on theory that the chips could be as secure as existing RFID-based access control systems such as the contactless employee badges widely used in corporate and government facilities. Silverman said his company’s system is nevertheless safe because its chips can o nly be read by the company’s proprietary scanners. 2.4Customers Relationship Management Companies could track customers’ personal purchases and send promotional items personally tailored to their customers. This has the potential to be a safe and cost-effective way to improve marketing and customer services of companies. Hence, improving customer services is where the benefits are more apparent for implant. The second improvement to CRM identified is the improvement of dispute resolution through reverse logistics. With this technology, any purchases that are made in a store can be database and store for later recollection. For example, this may mean that if a customer needs to return an item they would no longer need a receipt to do so. The customer can automate the process by simply scanning their implanted chip and the business could match the customer and shipment numbers with the barcode number on the item that to be returned. This application of relatively inexpensive technology could stop the countless hours and aggravation that customer service managers spend on trying to accommodate consumer’s disputes. It would also get a great distance on stopping fraud and other scams that cost stores millions of dollars each year. If it is more difficult to forge documentation of a purchase then potential thieves would seek easier prey for customer fraud and theft. Besides, purchasing made by customers is faster by using RFID which will help companies work more efficiently and effectively. This will help company to reduce time and cost and improve company performances. Another important improvement that is identified in the conceptual model is the ability of this new technology to make the purchasing function faster and more convenient. If widespread acceptance could be achieved, there is a distinct possibility that credit and banking cards may become obsolete in the near future. If a bank account or credit card account is linked to an implanted microchip, making a purchase would be extremely fast and safe. This implication would serve credit card companies in its ability to stop credit card theft, since a relatively simple precaution may be used that invalidates the microchip if tampered with and forcibly removed. Huge savings may be realized if even small reductions in credit card and identity theft were possible. This enhanced security would allow credit card companies’ capital to increase the credit lines of their consumers and also potentially lower interest rates. 3.0Conclusion In conclusion, RFID applications can provide significant benefits to the healthcare industry to ensure patient safety, avoid medical errors as well as improve efficiency. In fact, healthcare is predicted to be one of the major growth areas for RFID. Besides, RFID can keep track of elderly, children and fugitives. This will help to prevent happening of crimes. Moreover, this new technology makes the purchasing function to be faster and more convenient. Lastly, service marketing indicatives could use standard CRM principles to properly track, treat, and order required products and services that personally identify the customer, the needed services, and the proper billing information for such services.

The Timeout Process

The implementation of the timeout processes could well be the most important procedure to be introduced to the operating theatre in recent times. This seemingly small change has had a dramatic impact on patient outcome, staff cohesion and cost reduction in medical institutions. However, there are still issues that are obstructing the effectiveness of the timeout, namely poor compliance by some team members who believe that the fast turnover of cases does not allow for the timeout, that they have never had a problem in the past or that the timeout is questioning their competence.This essay will look at the positive outcome that the timeout process has had in the operating theatre, why it is working and how to ensure that it remains a priority. The writer will also address the problem of poor compliance by some members, why they are resistant to the timeout process and what can be done to ensure their co-operation thereby creating a positive outcome for more patients. In order to place the checklist process in a proper perspective the following historical event is provided: In aviation, pilots have been using checklist since 1935.It was formulated after the crash of the new Boeing Model 299 on its test flight, which killed two of the five crew members. One of the fatalities was Major Ployer P. Hill the Air Corps’ Chief of Flight Testing. The ensuing investigation ruled that the accident was pilot error and not mechanical failure. As the result of this ruling a group of test pilots took it upon themselves to investigate the reason for the pilot error.They concluded that the new technology had a lot more sequential steps for the pilot to follow than the older aircrafts, which made it easier for Major Ployer P. Hill, a highly experienced pilot, to have missed a crucial step. The solution they formulated to rectify this dilemma was a simple checklist. By following this checklist the Model 299 was flown for 1. 8 million miles without an accident. Gawande (2010, p. 32 – 34). Likewise, the nursing profession has been using checklists in various forms, from the implementation of routine recording of vital signs to medication charts.However, it was only in 2001 that a critical care specialist, Peter Pranovost, decided to formulate a simple checklist to try and reduce central line infections in the ICU at the John Hopkins Hospital, where he was working at the time. Peter Pranovost and his colleagues monitored the results of their idea for a year. In that time the ten-day line infection rate went from 11 percent to zero. They proceeded to test other checklists with equally impressive results. (Gawande 2010, p. 7- 39) Several studies were done on surgical outcomes that showed that about half of the complications experienced could have been prevented through the use of this checklist. In these studies it was shown â€Å"that in industrial countries major complications occur in 3% to 16% of inpatient surgical procedures, and permanent disa bility or death rates are about 0. 4% to 0. 8%. In developing countries, studies suggest death rates of 5% to 10 % during major operations.Mortality from general anaesthesia alone is reported to be as high as one in 150 in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Infections and other postoperative complications are also a serious concern around the world. † WHO (2007). In 2007 the World Health Organization (WHO) decided that something must be done to improve the situation A team of experts, led by Dr Atule Gawande, was brought together to find a solution. They formulated the surgical checklist and challenged the world to use it. The group investigated the impact of the WHO checklist in eight hospitals worldwide, four in high-income settings and four in low and middle-income settings. Data on in-hospital complications occurring within the first 30 days after surgery were collected prospectively from consecutively enrolled adult patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery, 3733 before and 3955 after the implementation of the checklist. The overall death rate was reduced from 1. 5% to 0. 8% (P= 0. 003) and in-patient complications from 11. 0% to 7% (P< 0. 001)†. Haynes (2009) What does this surgical checklist entail?As stated by WHO â€Å"The checklist identifies three phases of an operation, each corresponding to a specific period in the normal flow of work: Before the induction of anaesthesia (â€Å"sign in†), before the incision of the skin (â€Å"time out†) and before the patient leaves the operating room (â€Å"sign out†). In each phase, a checklist coordinator must confirm that the surgery team has completed the listed tasks before it proceeds with the operation†. Many institutions worldwide have adopted the surgical timeout; they have changed a few points of the WHO checklist to better meet their needs, with impressive results.A study following 8000 surgical procedures, found that the implementation of the timeout resulted in a 30% reduction in the rate of surgical complications and deaths (Hayes 2009). Not only has patient mortality and expenditure decreased but its application showed an increase in staff cohesion. The surgical checklist has helped to increase communication by ensuring that all members as a team take the time to check and discuss potential problems and expected outcomes for the patient.This enhanced interaction between the multidisciplinary team lends itself to the staff’s increase awareness of potential problems and adverse conditions, which contributes to improved patient outcomes. Taylor (2010) surveyed operating room staff and found a perceived improvement in communication, teamwork, respect and patient safety related to the use of the timeout. Improved patient outcome following the implementation of the surgical checklist has been clearly demonstrated within Veterans Affairs (Neily et al 2010) as well as in the Netherlands (deVries et al 2010) and Iran (Askarian et al 2011).In the Netherlands study by deVries, it was found that most postoperative complications declined and that this decline could be credited to improved communication. An interesting outcome was that rates of bleeding and anastomotic leaks also declined as well as technical problems which occur primarily at the surgeons hands. The findings of this study suggest that the indirect effects of implementing checklists may be much more important than their specific content. (Birkmeyer 2010) Improved communication leads to respect for each team member and trust in each other.To maintain a high degree of efficacy all staff members should be provided with continuous education and evaluation of their performance. All members should therefore be informed and have access to the data that shows the benefits of using the surgical checklist. This will prevent the staff from becoming complacent. However, complacency is not the only obstacle preventing the success of the surgical checklist, poor or even non c ompliance is of greater concern. There are a number of reasons for this. A checklist implies that mistakes can and do happen.In a study which investigated medical professionals’ attitude to the safety systems 30% of nurses and doctors stated that they ‘did not make errors’. (Sexton 2000; p745-9) A great number of medical personnel have this misconception that they do not make mistakes or they feel that admitting to mistakes, no matter how minor, will lead to their colleagues loosing respect for them and some fear being punished as the medical profession as a whole has a low tolerance for errors. These feelings can cause staff members not to report minor incidences; unfortunately many minor incidences can lead to major problems.The hierarchy system that exists in the theatre environment also leads to poor compliance with regards to the surgical timeout. Although nursing in theory is now deemed to be a profession that works alongside doctors, not for them or subser vient to them, in practise this is not always the case. When there is resistance from the surgeon or anaesthetist toward the checklist this resistance is expressed verbally in an active ridiculing manner, or non-verbally by just ignoring the process (Valen, Waehle et al 2012, p 4).When this type of attitude is displayed the theatre nurses’ main objective becomes self-preservation and the maintenance of peace, which makes the nurse rush the checklist and omitted points that may cause the surgeon or anaesthetist to become more displeased. If the surgeon and anaesthetist are supportive of the checklist, it is more likely that it will be done correctly. (Mahajan 2011, p161-8) One often finds that staff feel that doing the surgical checklist will cause delays in patient turnover, they also feel that the current system is working for them and their team so why fix what is not broken.The 2010 report by Patient Safety First showed that while most trusts reported that the checklist le d to improved safety and teamwork the most common challenges to its implementation were negative clinician attitudes. (Allard, 2011, p711-17) In the operating theatre setting there are three professions involved, namely, nursing, surgery and anaesthesia and all three are working towards a common result and yet each profession is accustomed to doing this to achieve individual goals.All three are faced with staff shortages, educational duties and economic pressures. (Lingard et al 2006, p 471-83) These pressures lead to the inconsistent use of the checklist. When the checklist process is started all staff are meant to stop what they are doing, thereby giving their full attention to the checklist. However, this is not always the case as team members may be reluctant to alter their work routine and feel that what they are doing is more important, or that if people of the team knew what they were doing the checklist would not be necessary. Amalberti et al 2005, p756-64) If there is no cl ear decision made as to who is responsible for the completion of the surgical checklist, points may not be addressed or in the rush the checklist may just be ticked so that it is complete when it is audited. Vats et al( 2010, p340) discovered that there was confusion over who’s responsibility it was to do the sign-out checks which were frequently missed due to it being at the most time pressured part of the process and also found some checklists to be incomplete, hurried, dismissed or completed without key members participation.As can be seen from the above observations there are a number of factors that lead to poor compliance and this presents a challenge in finding ways to remedy this. It is hard for junior or more timid members of the team to implement the checklist if the more senior or assertive members are not compliant. Paull et al (2009, p 675-78) states that leadership support was deemed the strongest single predictor of successful checklist implementation among six ty four Veterans Health Administration Facilities.When studying the implementation efforts of five hospitals Conley et al (2011, p873 – 79) found that having the department chiefs as members of the implementation team and actively promoting the checklist was a big factor in its success. The senior staff need to lead by example and should be seen actively supporting and participating in this process, which in turn will ensure compliance by the rest of the staff. A team approach is recommended, with the team being made up of respected members of physicians, anaesthetists and nurses.Having all disciplines represented in these teams is important as they are likely to positively influence their peers. (Reinertsen et al. 2007) This team approach removes the need for a nurse to approach a doctor or anaesthetist, which would prove difficult and they would more inclined to ignore the advice given. To ensure the surgical checklist is adopted completely by the multidisciplinary team, it should be first introduced on a small scale, to one team or theatre.This allows for more comprehensive training in the correct way to complete the surgical checklist (Taylor 2010), Positive feedback will filter from the team doing the checklist to the teams not involved, so when they have to start using the check list they will have a positive attitude towards it. This is when changes should be made to the list which will customize it to the institution. The success of the surgical checklist will filter to the other surgical teams, thereby causing wider acceptance and compliance. Langley 2009) Modifying the original WHO checklist will ensure equal participation from all team members and, therefore, creates a checklist that is inherently â€Å"team led†. A feeling of ownership will be cultivated. The WHO published a comprehensive implementation manual (WHO, 2008) to accompany the introduction of the WHO checklist that encouraged modification to fit with local practice, cautio ning against making the checklist overly complex. The Multidisciplinary team members need to receive comprehensive training with regards to how the surgical checklist is to be presented to the other staff members.They need to have clear guidelines as to who will take ownership of the checklist, in many cases it is the circulating nurse. The checklist should ideally not be recited from memory; it should be read from the list. All activity should stop when the checklist is being presented. To maintain the interest and compliance of all staff, regular feedback should be given, namely real-time feedback. As Ursprung et al (2005) cited in their discussion on improving safety, providing real-time feedback is critical for early detection and remediation of problems that may arise.Data should be collected on a regular basis and be correlated, as to provide solid evidence that will provide proof of the goals the staff have achieved and evidence of what still needs to be addressed. Thereby, m aintaining their interest in the checklists importance. The surgical checklist when approached in the proper manner is a simple tool that has the potential to improve patient outcomes expediential. Various studies by A. B Haynes (2009), J. Neily (2010), C.Hayes (2009) just to name a few have shown marked improvement with regards to patient complications and mortality rates. To prevent poor compliance by members there are a number of strategies that can be adopted. Senior members should be seen to actively participate in the checklist process so that the rest of the staff will take ownership of their checklists. To assure the success of the checklist, a small team should be formed comprising of respected members of the three disciplines involved, this will allow for peer interaction.Introducing the checklist on a small scale allows for more comprehensive education and positive feedback to the members not involved. The culture in theatre needs to change, the theory that doctors and nu rses are both professionals in their own rights and neither are boss over the other, needs to be put into practise. The multidisciplinary team in theatre needs to become a team, forget their individual agendas and make the positive outcome for their patients their priority.The surgical checklist will help, as it creates the opportunity for open communication between the multidisciplinary team, which leads to greater respect and trust between the members. With the ever increasing number of surgeries performed each year, the need for quicker turnover times will become greater, therefore without the surgical checklist, surgical complications and mortality rates will increase. It is the opinion of the writer based on the evidence gathered, that the implementation of a comprehensive surgical checklist, should be mandatory for every medical facility in the world.