Abortion Essays (2067 words) - Abortion, Human Reproduction

Abortion The type of abortion procedure used in elective pregnancy termination is primarily determined by how far a woman is into pregnancy. During the first trimester, you will usually have the option of having a medical abortion procedure or a surgical abortion procedure. Before considering the options, it is recommended that you obtain a sonogram to determine if the pregnancy is viable (uterine, non-ectopic pregnancy) and for accurate pregnancy dating. Abortion: What abortion procedures are used during the first trimester? In most cases, you will have a choice between medical or surgical abortion procedures during the first trimester. Medical abortions are only available up through nine weeks gestation. The types of abortion procedures performed during the first trimester are: Methotrexate Misoprostol (MTX): a medical abortion procedure used up to the first seven weeks of pregnancy. This medication combination is not as commonly used in the U.S. with the availability of mifepristone, which works more effectively for this use. Mifepristone and Misoprostol: a medical abortion procedure used up to the first seven to nine weeks of pregnancy. It can also be referred to as RU-486, the abortion pill and Mifeprex. Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA): a procedure used as early as 3 -12 weeks since the last period. It is considered less invasive with only a local anaesthesia being used on the cervix. Aspiration: a surgical abortion procedure used to terminate pregnancy up to 16 weeks from the last period. It can also be referred to as suction curettage, dilation and curettage (D C) or vacuum aspiration. What abortion procedures are used during the second trimester? Medication based abortion procedures are not an option during the second trimester. The types of abortion procedures performed during the second trimester are: Dilation Curettage (D C): a surgical abortion procedure used to terminate a pregnancy up to 16 weeks gestation. It is also referred to as suction curettage or vacuum aspiration. Dilation Evacuation (D E): a surgical abortion procedure used to terminate a pregnancy after 16 weeks gestation. Induction Abortion: a rarely performed surgical procedure where salt water, urea, or potassium chloride is injected into the amniotic sac; prostaglandins are inserted into the vagina and pitocin is injected intravenously. What abortion procedures are used during the third trimester? Third trimester or late term abortions are not legal in a number of states except in certain medical situations. The time frame referred to as late term is often based on when a baby is considered "viable" ( meaning able to survive outside the womb). However, the point of "viability" is a grey area in many medical communities. Most medical communities establish 24 weeks gestation, the later part of the second trimester, as the earliest time of viabilty. Therefore, the availability of any procedure used in the third trimester is based on the laws of that state. The procedures that can be done in the third trimester include: Induction Abortion: a rarely done surgical procedure where salt water, urea, or potassium chloride is injected into the amniotic sac; prostaglandins are inserted into the vagina and pitocin is injected intravenously. Dilation and Extraction: a surgical abortion procedure used to terminate a pregnancy after 21 weeks of gestation. This procedure is also known as D X, Intact D X, Intrauterine Cranial Decompression and Partial Birth Abortion. *This procedure is now considered against the law in the U.S. according to the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 1995* Abortion is a Serious Ethical Issue: Usually debates about abortion focus on politics and the law: should abortion be outlawed and treated like the murder of a human person, or remain a legal choice available to all women? Behind the debates are more fundamental ethical questions which aren't always given the specific attention they deserve. Some believe that the law shouldn't legislate morality, but all good law is based upon moral values. A failure to openly discuss those values can obscure important discussions. Is the Fetus a Person with Rights?: Much debate about the legality of abortion involves debating the legal status of the fetus. If the fetus is a person, anti-choice activists argue, then abortion is murder and should be illegal. Even if the fetus is a person, though, abortion may justified as necessary to women's bodily autonomy but that wouldn't

Essay on Organizational Diagnostic Models

Essay on Organizational Diagnostic Models Essay on Organizational Diagnostic Models Essay on Organizational Diagnostic ModelsManaging a business requires an integral approach based on the analysis and synthesis of relevant facts. Organizational management requires systems thinking which involves considering the organization in the context with its internal and external factors, inputs and outputs, etc. In order to identify a viable business strategy, it is reasonable to utilize a matching organization diagnosis model. The organization considered in this paper is Whole Foods Market, and the organization diagnosis model which most effectively matches the factors important for Whole Foods Market strategic development is the Nadler-Tushman congruence model. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the chosen company and its operations using is the Nadler-Tushman congruence model, to identify outputs of Whole Foods Market at three levels individual, group and organizational, and to assess the congruence of the outputs.Congruence model and outputsNadler-Tushman congruence model belongs to the class of organizational diagnosis models which consider the organization in relationship to its environment. Congruence model views the organization as an open system which has its inputs and outputs, and is driven by the relevant external factors and internal factors. Congruence model takes into account the history of the organization, its current strategy and the influence of the environment. This model allows to assess the position of the organization and the processes taking place in the organization in the proper context.One of the core advantages of congruence model is the fact that it can be applied for analyzing transformations and change in the organization. Nadler and Tushman identified three types of outputs: individual, group and organizational (Nadler Tushman, 1980). At the organizational level, the companys outputs are its products and services, the companys performance and the extent to which the company manages to implement its goals. At the gr oup level, the performance and the match between goals and achievements of different organizational groups can be considered (Nadler Tushman, 1980). Groups are often divisions or branches of the organization. At the individual level, it is possible to consider different characteristics; in the context of this paper, the key jobs and the approaches to measuring the performance of these jobs will be considered.Whole Foods outputsOutputs at the organizational levelWhole Foods Market sells organic and natural products, so the companys main outputs are the products offered at the stores as well as the sales of these products. The major products sold by Whole Foods Market are perishable goods. According to the companys annual report, the selection of products at Whole Foods Market includes, but is not limited to: produce and floral, grocery, meat, seafood, bakery, prepared foods and catering, coffee, tea, beer, wine, cheese, nutritional supplements, vitamins, body care, and lifestyle pro ducts including books, pet products, and household products (Whole Foods Market, 2014a). The number of SKUs sold in the stores of Whole Foods Market is almost 21,000 (Whole Foods Market, 2014a). In 2013, the sales of perishable products constituted 66.2% of total sales, and the sales of non-perishable products accounted for the remaining 33.8% of sales (Whole Foods Market, 2014a). In particular, Whole Foods Market has a number of exclusive organic brands; the sales of these brands constituted 12% of total sales, and 16% of non-perishable sales (Whole Foods Market, 2014a).The companys sales in 2013 constituted almost $13 billion (Whole Foods Market, 2014a). Overall increase of sales in 2013 was 7%, which is in line with companys growth during 2010-2013 period (Whole Foods Market, 2014a). In 2013, Whole Foods Market   opened 26 new stores, acquired 6 stores and relocated 5 stores. The company expanded into 10 new areas in 2013. The companys net income increased by 18.24% (Whole Food s Market, 2014a). The companys dividends increased by 43%; however, stock prices of Whole Foods Market in 2013 were very volatile and this volatility might have a negative effect on the companys performance (Whole Foods Market, 2014a).As for the current financial performance of Whole Foods Market, it is also very beneficial: the companys current ratio is 1.7, which means that Whole Foods Market has plenty of cash available (Yahoo Finance, 2014). The companys profit margin is 4.14% and operating profit margin is 6.75% (Yahoo Finance, 2014). At the same time, the companys debt to equity ratio is 1.54 (Yahoo Finance, 2014), which indicates that Whole Foods Market is pursuing an aggressive expansion strategy.Outputs at the group levelAt the group level, Whole Foods Market is organized into National Offices and Regional Offices, which oversee the functioning of the store groups at state level and at country level for international locations. Functionally, the major group units in the str ucture of Whole Foods Market are stores. Most decisions which directly influence performance are performed at the store level: hiring, managing supplies, managing sales, etc. The teams (store teams in particular) are independent units in Whole Foods Market. Therefore, it is reasonable to consider the outputs at the store level.The goals of stores are expressed in sales and sales growth and store size dynamics. In 2013, average weekly sales of stores reached $711,000; this value was by 6.9% higher compared to average store performance in 2012 (Whole Foods Market, 2014a). Average size of a Whole Foods Market store in 2013 was 38,000 sq. ft., which is the same as in previous years (Whole Foods Market, 2014a). Taking into account that Whole Foods Market is currently focusing on increasing sales and reducing costs (which means reducing store sizes, in particular), it is possible to state that in 2013 the performance at store level in Whole Foods Market was reasonably high.Outputs at the individual levelIndividual outputs of Whole Foods Market will be considered from the point of view of an employee. There are various types of jobs at Whole Foods Market, which belong to the following directions: delivery of store products, team leadership, facility operations, facility leadership (Whole Foods Market, 2014b). In the individual context, the following five jobs might be considered: healthy eating specialist, produce team member working with sign maintenance, bakery team leader, prepared foods service team member and customer service specialist.The responsibilities of healthy eating specialist include educating customers about healthy food, providing guest service, acting as a spokesperson, demonstrating healthy cooking examples at special events organized by the company, performing ordering of products for the store, stocking and merchandising them (Whole Foods Market, 2014b). Performance characteristics associated with this job are order delivery time, fulfillment of department time and supply margins, inventory level dynamics, inventory turnover and inventory balance.Produce team members in Whole Foods Market have to perform signage of produce and floral products, taking care of sale signs, maintaining inventory of relevant equipment and supplies, operating produce equipment, auditing signs, assisting customers, etc (Whole Foods Market, 2014b). The most appropriate performance measures for this job are customer satisfaction pertaining to signs, signs accuracy and signs comprehensibility.The responsibilities of a bakery team leader include setting team standards, scheduling and assigning duties for team members, supervising, participating in hiring and training of team members, managing inventory and labor, developing and maintaining store layout (Whole Foods Market, 2014b). In this case, key performance values are job satisfaction of team members, team turnover, scheduling efficiency, life-work balance of team members and customer satisfaction. Team members of prepared foods service team have to maintain attractive displays of prepared foods, supporting the customers, packaging and weighing customer selections, making prepared foods (e.g. salads), tracking products and spoilage (Whole Foods Market, 2014b). In this context, key performance measures are speed of service, customer satisfaction, attractiveness of food layout, availability of goods and percentage of spoilage.Customer service associates are responsible for assisting customers, maintaining customer responses, product recalls and customer communications, providing information to the customers, etc (Whole Foods Market, 2014b). The major performance measure for this job is customer satisfaction; speed of customer service and the level of customer awareness can also be considered as performance measures.In general, Whole Foods Market added more than 5,600 new jobs in 2013 (Whole Foods Market, 2014a). The turnover within the company is estimated at 10%, which is consi dered quite low for a retailer (Whole Foods Market, 2014a). Furthermore, Whole Foods Market continues entering the list of 100 best companies to work for during the recent 16 years (Whole Foods Market, 2014a).Congruence of the outputsThe results of the analysis of organizational outputs show that Whole Foods Market is quickly expanding, both at due to organic growth and due to acquisitions. The company is actively investing into growing its store chain. At the same time, Whole Foods Market aims to optimize the costs by reducing store size, reducing losses due to product spoilage, etc. The companys sales have increased at approximately the same rate as during the previous years. It is possible to state that Whole Foods Market effectively reaches its goals at the organizational level.At the group level, the performance of Whole Foods Market is also high: store revenues continue increasing and new stores were opened at a record rate in 2013. Store sizes remained the same, so Whole Food s Market has yet to strive for the reduction in store size. At the individual level, Whole Foods Market offers a variety of jobs with different job responsibilities and performance characteristics. However, the turnover in the company is low and new job openings are being created. Hence, it is possible to state that Whole Foods Market manages to reach its goals at individual level, too.The company manages to utilize its resources in an efficient way. However, Whole Foods Market is too focused on horizontal expansion: the company has a high level of debt despite its strong financial position. The level of adaptability within the company is moderate as Whole Foods Market is pursuing a direct model of growth through increasing its store network. Such business model is vulnerable to market changes, market saturation and the change of customer preferences. Hence, it is possible to recommend to Whole Foods Market to work on the optimization of its internal resources and to consider opport unities of vertical integration.

Argumentative Synthesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Argumentative Synthesis - Essay Example The income inequality has widened tremendously, dependency ratio has increased, and access to basic needs are becoming an issue for quite a number of people from the lower class. On the other hand, America stills remains the world’s superpower boasting of the largest economy, unparalleled democracy and prosperity of its citizens. Considering America is experiencing an equal share of troubles on one hand and prosperity on the other hand, is America actually living the American dream? The idea of the living the American dream is a fallacy considering the ever-widening income gap between the rich and the poor, the burgeoning budget deficit, and the increasingly over-dependent youthful population. Unfortunately, the present situation in America have left so many questioning if at all these dream is still valid. Cal Thomas, a panellist at Fox News Watch, argues that unless radical changes are made, the American Dream is long over. Thomas supports Bob Herbert, a columnist at New York Times, who writes that the sad state of the economy, jobs, budget deficits, and constant war fares are all a pointer of the fact that there is nothing much left of the American Dream. The fundamental argument expressed by Thomas is that the American government has become so dysfunctional creating an over-dependency and cant-do attitude among its citizens. This behaviour does not reflect the American Dream at all. The same sentiments are echoed by Robert Frank, an economic columnist of the New York Times, who feels that it is impossible to live this dream with such a widening income inequality. Brandon King holds however holds a contrary view. He claims that the ideal and values of the American Drea m are still alive based on America’s ability to come out of hardships such as the Great Depression. Certainly, there exists a very thin line between defining success and failure in American dream. As Thomas sees it there are far more problem in