Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment Essay

Between the years of 1932 and 1972, the United States Public Health Service conducted a study of untreated syphilis on black men in Macon County, Alabama. Although these men were not purposely infected with the disease, the USPH service did recruit physicians, white and black, to NOT treat those men already diagnosed. It was felt that syphilis in a white male created more neurological deficits whereas in a black male, more cardiovascular, these of course not able to be determined while either was among the living and was only to be determined after the subject died and an autopsy was completed. Doctors not giving them treatment as they deserved, certainly deemed them as subjects, similar to lab specimens versus patients that warranted compassionate, proper and timely medical care. Over 600 black men were chosen for this study with over half already carrying the diagnosis of syphilis and 200 who did not. These men were picked mainly because of their environment, education, and race, w ith race being the largest factor. Those chosen for the study were mainly sharecroppers, with a lack of education and medical care; they were told that they were being treated for ‘bad blood’, which could have meant any number of different maladies, including syphilis. â€Å"The true nature of the experiment had to be kept from the subjects to ensure their cooperation. The sharecroppers grossly disadvantaged lot in life made them easy to manipulate† (Jones) Ethical implications of this study are wide and varied. The many methods that were used throughout the course of the study, such as failure to completely inform the men of their disease, or that they had the option quit the study at any time, failure to provide proper medical treatment, or that their families as well would become affected by this disease, all under the guise of free medical treatment, meals, transportation and burial insurance. Providing inadequate dosing for their disease insured that the public would see treatment being given without disturbing the true goals of the study. The men were misled and failed to receive all of the information necessary to make any sort of informed consent, although they freely agreed to be part of the study thinking they were receiving all th ey would need. In the years that this experiment was being conducted, the black man did not, as a rule speak his mind or question what was being done. To do so, would surely mean jailing or death. With that being said the Public Health Service saw no problem to conducting this study. During the time of this study, it appears that the Public Health Service conducted this study with unwitting subjects under the umbrella of a government sanctioned medical investigation. No new drugs were tested, nor was there any effort to change the way syphilis was currently being treated. â€Å"What has become clear since the story was broken by Jean Heller in 1972 was that the Public Health Service was interested in using Macon County and its black inhabitants as a laboratory for studying the long term effects of untreated syphilis, not in treating this deadly disease.† (Reverby) The principal players were government physicians, with the subjects that were chosen, to be ones that were least able to speak fo r or to protect themselves. It appears that with the offer of free incentives, the government took full advantage of these men and was openly â€Å"performing unethical and immoral experiments on human subjects.† (Reverby) These actions show that our government at this time, held very low regard for black male or his family. Not even to consider those that came after, those that were infected by the already diagnosed men, those that were born with congenital syphilis of that union or others that may be been infected through other means. This experiment only proved to be â€Å"the longest non therapeutic experiment on human beings in medical history†. (Reverby) These men were never given the adequate treatment for their disease. When Penicillin was proved to be the drug of choice in 1947, it was never offered or given to those already suffering the effects of syphilis. This also proves that our government was not interested in these men, but only what would be found after their demise. With all of this being brought to light, how would any black man, of the day and even the present, completely trust our government or its officers? â€Å"In July 1972, under examination by the press, the PHS was not able to provide any formal protocol for the experiment, in fact, one never existed. While it was obvious to the American public as a whole, PHS officials maintained they did nothing wrong. By the time the story broke, over 100 of the infected men had died; others suffered from serious syphilis related conditions that may have contributed to their later deaths even though Penicillin, an effective treatment against syphilis, was in widespread use in 1946.† (Reverby) According to history, the physicians involved in the study never were held responsible and in fact felt betrayed by the government’s failure to defend the study they commissioned. It seemed that the physicians involved, counted on the fact that these poor, uneducated sharecroppers would not question the workings of the US government. This does not, however, answer the question of the Tuskegee Institute, a black university, and the black physic ians and nurses that also played a role in the experiment. The promise of recognition from the government may have obscured any ethical questions that arose. There was one nurse that was present throughout the study, Eunice Rivers. She provided unquestioned care and concern to the men in the study. â€Å"Her role was described as one of passive obedience: â€Å"we were taught that we never diagnosed, we never prescribed; we followed the doctor’s instructions!†. It is clear that the men in the experiment trusted her and that she sincerely cared about their well-being, but her unquestioning submission to authority eclipsed her moral judgment. Even after the experiment was exposed to public scrutiny, she genuinely felt nothing ethical had been amiss.† (Reverby) At the end of this study, the government had no proof of the difference in a disease course between the white male versus the black male. As reported by Vanessa Northington Gamble, a physician and medical historian that chaired the presidential committee on the legacy of Tuskegee that secured an apology from the government;† In the 30 years since the newspap er story broke, the syphilis study has become a powerful metaphor, symbolizing racism in medicine, misconduct in human research, the arrogance of physicians and the government abuse of black people. Efforts to improve the health status of African Americans have frequently come up against the legacy of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Many African Americans point to the study as a reason why they won’t participate in clinical trials, donate organs and more recently in the case of postal workers at the Brentwood post office in Washington, DC, are wary of being vaccinated against anthrax.† (Gamble) The distrust of our government has been an ever present scar on the face of our society. â€Å"Who could imagine the government, all the way to the Surgeon General of the United States, deliberately allowing a group of citizens to die from a terrible disease for the sake of an ill-conceived experiment? In light of this and many other shameful episodes in our history, African Americans widespread mistrust of the government and white society in general should not be a surprise to anyone.† One would hope ( and pray) that with the advent of complete informed consent, training medical professionals in critical thinking and patient advocacy, the act of full disclosure would be utilized, and the progress of technology would keep the government from performing any other such heinous acts. Certainly, as in the case of the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, which was only expected to last 6 months and went on for 40 years, I do believe it would be possible to conduct such experiments, but then with the social media as wide spread as it is, and only getting larger, I do not feel that it would go on any great length of time without someone questioning its validity and ethical value. Works Cited Gamble, Vanessa N. â€Å"Tuskegee Lessons Syphilis Study Leaves behind Legacy of Mistrust† http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2002/jul/tuskegee/commentary.html Jones, James H. Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. 1993. Infoplease.com/spot/bhmtuskegeel.html Reverby, Susan M. â€Å"America’s Nuremberg,† The Tuskegee Study. 08-30-1932 http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/americas-nuremberg-tuskegee-study

Mission Statements

Strategic Management in a Global Context (SOP09101) MODULE LEADER Miss Grace Sharkey ASSESSMENT A Mission statements may play an important role in the strategic management process but the creation of a ‘sense of mission’ is even more beneficial to organisations Submitted by Lukas Radzevicius 20th October 2010 2201words This essay is to debate the question whether the role of a mission statement is as important and beneficial as sense of mission and if they can work as two separate functions in the strategic management process for organisations.Clear definition of mission statement and sense of mission must be understood to begin the research. Afterwards to analyse benefits and problems associated with mission statement is essential to implement this understanding into the strategic management model. So that we could finish with conclusion which will estimate importance of mission statement in organisation and its necessary connection with all levels of the company called â€Å"sense of mission†. Mission statement in some companies has a huge influence in all management levels of the firm, but in others it is still just addition on the wall and usually what’s forgotten.However the aim of this paper is to find out if sense of mission is more beneficial for organisations than mission statement, not to give a vivid view of all possible ways of mission statement realization. So when managers are asked what is the influence of mission statement in their company, can’t answer this simple question, what’s really clear, those mission statements are still relatively neglected and don’t find their way to every company’s management. Here the main problem emerges: is the mission statement needed at all, if the company can survive without it?Before answering this it is essential to clearly understand, what is meant by the mission statement. First of all it is worth saying that there are different schools of thought, one is described in term of business strategy and the other as philosophy and ethics, A. Campbell (1992). If you look closer they are deeply connected. The school of strategy presents mission as a strategic tool in its initial process of the strategy creation, it states what is the business they are in, and where is it going to be? For example well known company Google Inc. nswers this question: â€Å"to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful†. It is visible that their mission statement is their purpose connected with strategic objectives and well implemented as it is number one search tool in World Wide Web. Another school of thought which glues the company and creates a common â€Å"language† for a sense of collective unity is called philosophical school of thought. Shared values and standards of behavior are concerned to generate co-operation among employees (A.Campbell 1991). A good example for this is IBM as the foundatio n of its corporate philosophy is based on: quest for superiority in all things, dedication to service and respect for the individual. These three concepts are deeply transcendent in every employee in IBM which is global company and has different people connected for one common mission: â€Å"At IBM, we strive to lead in the invention, development and manufacture of the industry's most advanced information technologies. † Is it possible to connect these schools?Definitely yes, as the organization is a living and dynamic organism so every part of it is. The school of strategy is its head and leads toward the goals, the school of philosophy is its heart which connects all the body throughout bloodstream and actually makes it happen. To connect two schools of thought, analysis of four cores of mission statement is significantly important to see how this organism actually works. As A. Campbell and S. Yeung stated that a powerful mission statement exists only when four lements work in harmony reinforcing and supplementing each other. Purpose, Values, Strategy and Behavior Standards are those essential parts. To state a good mission statement it is a must to create a good purpose which aims at a higher ideal, Starbuck’s environmental mission statement determines their internal obligations, and their influence on the supply chain is so significant that it places emphasis on their role in influencing their partners. Purpose is the answer to the question, why this company exists?It is noticeable that in this example the purpose which doesn’t aim to stakeholder’s selfish interests tends to bind organization together and leads it to its higher aimed goal. To lead a good purpose it is necessary to provide commercial logic which will cover the competitive position and distinctive competences of the firm, A. Campbell (1992) such as Ryanair which does not announce their mission statement, but as Jack Welch's once said, â€Å"Strategy, then, is sim ply finding the big aha and setting a broad direction† for Ryanair, is simply to continue being the largest Cheap Flights leader in European market.Exercising this leadership is a sum of great individual tactics, including attitude to low cost priority in every part of process, standardization of services and products, including other tactics which creates Ryanair a high competitive rival. This strategy defines the segment of the sector in which company exists and states the way it is going to be superior. Both purpose and strategy are only thoughts and logical conclusions of some abstract idea of the company, to bind them together behavior standards which convert that thought into action and lets the employees to feel what they should do in day to day basis.As Hilton Hotels group states: â€Å"We will be the preeminent global hospitality company – the first choice of guests, team members and owners alike† it is clearly visible as it is world’s leading lux urious hotels taking in account quality, scope of services, care of their employees and worldwide spread. In book â€Å"Emotional Intelligence† By Daniel Goleman, it is clearly stated that humans are mostly driven by their emotional – right brain logic, than rational-left brain logic.This is important to understand as we all are living beings and to find the satisfaction in job we are doing we must feel it with our â€Å"emotional side of the brain† and connect it with rationality to find an ultimate goal we are looking for – same values of ours, synchronized with company’s. As A. Campbell (1991) once said that company’s culture is the moral principles and faith in values. Values are sense for behavior standards and norms for the firm, they connect company as â€Å"right brain† they create connection between purpose, strategy and behavior standards.A good mission statement will always have those connections strongly linked together. A s Virgin Atlantic mission statement: † To grow a profitable airline†¦ Where people love to fly†¦ And where people love to work. † Every part of four elements is clearly visible. Strategy- profitable airline, behaviour standards- people love to work and purpose- people love to fly. To sum up and state that a powerful mission applies only when four elements are linked together, how the body can’t survive without a heart or brains, so the mission must have a strong logical background and deep connection within its emotional base.Easiest way to see it is to look at the links of value system and strategy and if that link can be acted through behavior standards to aim the purpose, the strong mission statement is created and efficiently implemented. However mission can be discussed without emotions and that’s what is usually done when the creation of mission is held in top levels of company which are usually aimed to profit, expansion, coverage or other â€Å"selfish† aims.Strategy is the guideline for this commercial behavior, however strategy is narrower concept than mission which has values and purpose aimed towards good purpose. Strong mission statement is than its emotional base is supported with rationality, and then there are gaps, mission statement is inefficient. Now than we understand what is a mission statement and what are the core elements, it is worth considering what is a relation between practice and theory, strategy and philosophy, tool and a manager.Mission statement is still something to discover and to understand, but if you speak about â€Å"sense of mission† it’s something that everybody feels, but can hardly describe it in words. Campbell and Yeung (1991) discovered that people’s emotional devotion to their firm was strongest when employee’s values and the company’s values are moving the same way. To describe this in intellectual way is very difficult because sense of mission is not a technology or an asset it is just an idea, deep and emotional individual feeling.Person with a sense of a mission has commitment and emotional attachment, which we found makes a greater influence then rationality to the company’s performance if it stands for the same values and tries to do its best reaching the purpose. It is worth considering the role of sense of mission which can be described throughout benefits of mission statements. To reach organizational success mission statement connected with employees via sense of mission benefits the company in many ways.First of all, as a rational tool, starting point for many organizational strategies, mission statements were used for many companies. Bart (2001), Campbell (1997) had an idea that to bring a common view and discuss differences between senior managers’ mission statements were used as medium. As well as emotional connector, German and Cooper (1990) shared view and explained that it can synchro nize all management levels including employees, Klemm (1991) perceived mission as communication tool for a company, covering internal and external fields (employees and investors etc. . Bartkus (2000) came up with the finding that the mission statement which is worth consideration as a good one will definitely describe what is the business of the company and will show the direction of where it is heading. If we perceive mission statement as a tool it is always a chance that it can be used incorrectly or even foolish. But then the right people use the right tools to reach their objectives the tool benefits in its best form.It is worth considering if the tool is the really one that we need, if we need it all, Tahir Sufi and Howard Lyons questions this in their article â€Å"Mission Statements Exposed†. The main objective was to find if the mission statement has a connection with a firms financial performance and after researching 200 biggest brands in hospitality sector the res ults showed that: â€Å"significant correlation between the mission statements and the annual turnover, there was no significant correlation with the net profit margin or the return on equity† (T.Sufi and H. Lyons, 2003). Now it is clear that mission statement benefits organization in leading it towards main goals, but we can insight and some problems in this, there are no tangible ways to describe the effects of mission statement and mission statements can be used in many different ways so it doesn’t have the â€Å"right† way of doing it correctly, as the organisation is a dynamic so mission statement must adopt to every changing situation.To foresight how it works in a company it is best to look through strategic management model. In strategic management model mission statement is the tool which helps to create a concept of the company as a pen and a drawing paper for an architect. It influences all management levels, beginning with employees whereas positivel y affected employee behaviour influenced by commitment and established internal policies has an impact on financial account, Bart et al. (2001).And other functional areas which lead organization towards competitive success thought commitment. It is clear that mission statement which has a clear purpose and direction will positively influence firm performance. Rigby (1994) reported that in US, mission statements is considered as the tool used the most out of 25 available options, this research was done in 500 companies. So as mentioned before if this tool is used by someone who is a professional can make a significant impact for the performance of the company.To conclude and to answer the question whether the role of a mission statement is as important and beneficial as sense of mission and if they can work as two separate functions in the strategic management process for organisations it is worth saying that after research what is clearly visible that sense of mission can’t s urvive without strong mission statement and they can’t work towards organizational success as two separate functions. Basically, mission statement is created to capture and convey the main purpose of the firm to answer the question, why this organisation exists?In strategic management model it is pivotal point for a start and afterwards to effect connection of every management level and to influence commitment towards the main goal. This connection can be called â€Å"sense of mission† the level of commitment towards the main goal. Research shows that the main objective shouldn’t be selfish and created for the top level of the company as it is implemented through all stages of the firm. It is ironic than corporation focuses on its shareholders, it is those same stockholders who really lose in the end.

Adipose Tissue and Resveratrol Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Adipose Tissue and Resveratrol - Essay Example Several studies found that Resveratrol, a plant-produced polyphenolic flavonoid, delays age-related diseases later in the lives of young laboratory animals, and alleviates existing conditions of various health illnesses, such as obesity. This substance is abundant in grape skin, nuts, and pomegranates. The mechanism by which it acts was found to be similar to that of Dietary or Caloric Restriction (DR or CR), or reduction of food intake by 30-50% by every-other-day feeding. DR has been found to delay the onset of the deleterious effects of oxidative stress and subsequent diseases and functional decline. Despite its health-improving effects, it has its contraindications. It is not suitable for the weak and ill, because they need the calories for energy. Following DR also requires enormous amount of discipline, as it demands a change in eating habits and lifestyles. Thus, there is interest in developing substances that mimics the health-improving action of DR (Pearson, et al., 2008) Ac tion on Adipose Tissue Resveratrol is found to activate sirtuins, a family of NAD+-dependent histone deacetylase SIRT1 that acts on PGC1a, which, in turn, unregulating mitochondrial gene expression and subsequently increasing metabolic efficiency (Pearson et al., 2008; Koi and Montminy, 2006). Several studies have already determined its action on various tissues and on various animals. This paper focuses on the polyphenol’s action on adipose tissues.

Post-War Development of the German Economy Research Paper

Post-War Development of the German Economy - Research Paper Example There was a little hope of a revival because a considerably large percentage of the German population of working age was dead at the end of the war and at that time Germany was looking at the outside world for all kinds of aids for the restoration of its economy. There is no doubt about the fact that German economy was badly hit by the war, but the years of preparation also contributed to the devastated condition of the economy. Adolf Hitler imposed price controls on German population in 1936 in order to start his preparations for the war and acquire commodities and war materials for the army at the cheapest prices; 3 years later, rationings were also imposed on the German population. Conscription was also imposed on the German population in order to gather up a large military which drastically affected the labor sector and the non-military industries could not find labor to keep their plants running. After Nazis defeat and Hitler’s death, the Allied Control Authority which wa s formed by the succeeding allied forces under the governments of the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union, to run the affairs of government in Germany. The Allied Control Authority retained some of the policies of the Nazi Germany for the restoration of the economy; these policies included rationing, price controls and conscription of all types of resources for ensuring rapid economic recovery (Bidwell). An astonishing fact was the low rise in the cost-of-living index, which was only 31 percent high as compared to the values in 1938. The reason behind this was the fact that price controls had been imposed in Germany for the last 12 years by then. Another important observation in this regard was the fact that the amount of wealth in the German economy was also five to six times higher than the amount in the years before the war. So the main concern about the economy was production levels which had fallen to drastically low values. A wealthy economy in terms of money, price controls intact and low production levels; all these factors pointed towards one major problem _ shortages (Smith). During the war and post war years the Germans were only producing weapons, equipments and materials required for the war; the industrial and agricultural production was very low. During the war years, the main source of food for the Germans was the supplies seized from the occupied countries. Moreover the foreigners were also brought to German lands for farming purposes. This ‘system’ of food production served the German population and the military well during the war years but as soon as the war ended the German rationing system was left with very low supplies of food; incredibly insufficient to fulfill the needs of the German population. The United States Army contributed by dispatching large shipments of food to feed the prisoners of war and the German population, however this was not enough and more aid in terms of food was required for meeting t he food demands but the international community was not willing to provide aid to Germany at the time when there were more deserving and innocent people in the world who were also affected drastically by the war. The other factors which contributed were the dissolving of the German Red Cross, whereas the International Red Cross and other international aid agencies were not allowed to work independently

Political Cartoons act as a catalyst for social and political change Essay

Political Cartoons act as a catalyst for social and political change - Essay Example Such matters are best addressed using these cartoons. Others cases here cartoons are used is to make request, exposing inhuman actions, immorality, and pushing for change (Heckel & Kvetensky 20). There different types of cartoons used to address different issues in the political environment. Each and every category of cartoon has its own complexity in getting the verbal and the visual meaning in them. Multi-genre study helps in the production of this sign as well as comprehending the, presentational, organization, and orientation aspect of this expressions. In this case, visual and verbal interrelations become different because each one of them has been fixed in their own complexities. But in real sense there is always a language between them and within them as well as some imagery or metaphor or in the aim of making the subject to have a hidden meaning. It is the duty of the reader to differentiate them in principle terms, making some combination of ideas, and ultimately getting the hidden information in the cartoon (Freud 67). The paper’s main focus is to give an over view about the political cartoons, this uses and categories. This is because different cartoons are used to deriver different information to different target groups. Different imageries are used as well in the aim of coding the information to the required complexity and for the appropriateness in delivering the intended information (Giora 470). Both the qualitative and quantitative research methodologies are important in conducting a research. This is in the aim of coming up with a solid conclusions which is reliable for further analytical studies. Observation is the most suitable method in coming up with a detailed out come because almost all the inclusion in this review are revolving in an about cartoon images. It incorporated both the past and the present records as far as the subject is concerned, as well as other relevant records (Hudak 780). Animal

Did the French revolution and the Bolshevik revolution each improve Essay

Did the French revolution and the Bolshevik revolution each improve the lives of the Women - Essay Example The women were only defined by sex their and not by their innate capability and ambitions. Even though the Enlightenment writers seemed to advocate for women liberation, they had a limited scope; there was nothing like public rights. This essay shall critically evaluate various facets of both French Revolution and Bolshevik Revolution in an attempt to establish whether they really improved the lives of women. Years before the onset of Bolshevik Revolution, women had no voice in the Soviet Union. The women were treated as inferior sex that had no right to participate in any public event. In fact, most of them were left for peasantry jobs and house chores. The industrial jobs were preserved for men. Women would come from the farm and attend to her household at home. In France, the perception of women was not very far from that in Russia. The Enlightenment writers gave men more powers over women, just like John Locke had formulated. Rousseau, for instance, insisted on the traditional roles of women. He stated that women should limit their participation to family level. He discouraged any active participation of women in public and political events. Most women in France were, thus, peasants, laundresses and shopkeepers1. There was also no formal education for this gender. Education was only for few men who belonged to the middle and upper classes. A woman needed not to be educated, as claimed the chauvinists. Her work was to educate the girl child. The lack of formal education limited the chances of women securing job opportunities in some service industries. In France, Rousseau had argued that if a woman was to obtain any form of education, the knowledge should only be used to manage the family and not in any public offices. The arguments of Rousseau raise questions about his reasoning, him being a learned person. How can such a great scholar be in support of oppression? The French Revolution that began in 1790 was marred with

Volunteer Turnover of a Sporting Club Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Volunteer Turnover of a Sporting Club - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that football has successfully outmaneuvered many other team sports, such as ice hockey, basketball or handball, and has been accepted as the number one sport with regard to media attention and audience reception worldwide. The non-profit organization makes arrangements for the conducting of sports in order to generate money for some charitable purposes. Since these sports events are not conducted with any profit motifs behind them, volunteers are invited to participate in them for the recreation of the public on the one hand, and for some noble social cause on the other. Consequently, players, spectators and staff members attend the sporting club as regular participants and generate huge donations for the club. Since the staff and workforce play most important part in the development of an organization, decline in the volunteer turnover is really startling for the CEO, who has to make quick action in respect of exploring the reasons behind t he decrease in volunteer turnover. For this purpose, he should conduct interviews from the volunteers in order to extract the reasons behind their leaving the voluntary organization. The first question included in the interview would be decline in their interest as volunteers. The main reason behind asking the very question is the exploration of the causes that drift the fresh graduates away from the organization. The answer could be low salary, less growth opportunities and low social status as well. It is therefore the graduates will feel proud and delighted to work at Microsoft Corporation, but will not demonstrate any enthusiasm while working at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, though both are owned by the same person. Macionis states that the non-profit organizations provide limited growth and exposure opportunities, which are not attractive and fascinating for the youth. Another important reason behind leaving the non-profit organization is this that all staff members wo rk against almost the same positions, and there are very dismal chances of promotion and salary increase. Thirdly, the voluntary clubs require very hard efforts from the staff members in order to generate money from different contacts and sectors on the on hand, and to keep the ball of struggle rolling for the social welfare purposes on the other. Somehow, in order to retain the volunteers at the sporting club, the CEO will highlight the benefits of the welfare and development of society. He will infuse new spark of hope and courage in them by stating that they are the distinguished individuals that would bring positive changes and revolutionary alterations within their social establishment by dint of their innate talent, hard work and dedication to the noble cause. The CEO will also reveal the benefits of sports and games, which keep the society healthy, vigorous and efficient. In addition, he will encourage them by stating that they are accomplishing the Herculean task by promotin g sports and recreation on charity basis, which will earn name, fame and respect for them for the future years to come.