Outline of Plague Essay

Prompt: Analyze the various responses to the outbreaks of plague from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries. Discuss the beliefs and concerns that these responses express. In the mid-fourteenth century of Europe, a deathly plague struck killing about 25 million people from a single fleabite. Once infected, a person would experience very high fevers, buboes, and die within a few days and it was an airborne disease making it an even more contagious disease. Depopulation, trading seized, and many people relocated are just some results of the plague. Many Europeans had numerous different beliefs and concerns about the plague such as fear, greed, or turning to faith for help. Topic sentence: Fear of the plague predominantly came from not knowing the cause of the disease and not knowing how to cure it. Supporting document #1: Document #2 Analysis sentence #1: Theologian Erasmus, fears the plague as he blames the filth and dirt on the streets for it and its spread. Supporting document #2: Document #6 Analysis sentence #2: Fear of the plague was also seen in Giovan Filippo’s, a Sicilian physician, statement. Extreme measures were taken including bonfires to burn anything infected, quarantines were built, and regulations were enforced to try and prevent the plague from spreading. Topic Sentence #2: As the plague swept through the nation, many Europeans exploited the plague realizing wealth was more important than anything else. Supporting document #3: Document #4  Analysis sentence #3: In the work The Deceptions of Demons by Johann Weyer, he discusses how the heirs of the dead smeared an infected cream on gate towns so that anyone who would touch it would catch the disease and die. They did this so they could acquire their inheritances faster. Supporting  document #4: Document #11 Analysis sentence #4: Nurses from Barcelona would take advantage of their patients by making them die faster instead of trying to heal them. All they wanted was to get their agreed upon fees and leave as quickly as they could. Topic Sentence #3: One final belief during the plague was turning to one’s faith or church for a cure and hope to survive. Supporting document #5: Document #7 Analysis sentence #5: A housewife Lisabetta, witnessed her husband heal after he ate a piece of bread that touched the body of St. Domenica. Supporting document #6: Document #9  Analysis sentence #6: A priest Father Dragoni wrote a letter to the Health Magistry of Florence stating that he fed the sick, helped them, and he paid the guards and gravediggers with charity from the lordships. However, a health official should have been sent to heal the sick and manage the houses. Conclusion (sentence or two): In conclusion, during the plague there were many beliefs and concerns including terror of being infected, exploitation, and looking to the Church for hope to survive through the plague.

Carrer Path Nursing

The health field is my career of choice. Becoming a registered nurse is my ultimate goal. The nursing field is the best fit for me. I take pride in helping others whenever possible. There are many kinds of different field in the health industry that will fit me best. There are many different aspects as to why I want to become a registered nurse. The salary, responsibilities, skills and lifelong learning opportunities are what draw me to the health field. Becoming a registered nurse is one of my main goals during my time at Bryant & Stratton.When I finish school becoming a nurse means that I am responsible for health and sake of others. People will depend on me to provide the best service possible for them and the ones they love. On average in the state of Ohio a registered nurse in 2010 makes 44,000 to 78, 000 dollars a year (â€Å"Career One Stop,† n. d. , para. 2). The responsibilities that come with the job are endless. I will be keeping track of a patient’s health, drug dosage, growth of sickness and lending a helping hand to a doctor when needed. The skill I will need and obtain on the job will allow me to excel throughout the rest of my life.According to Career One Stop here are a few skill and abilities I will need and gain from the field: â€Å"Skills: Active Listening – Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. Speaking – Talking to others to convey information effectively. Critical Thinking – Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.Judgment and Decision Making – Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. Service Orientation – Actively looking for ways to help people. Social Perceptiveness – Being aware of others ' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. Abilities: Problem Sensitivity – The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. Oral Comprehension – The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.Inductive Reasoning – The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). Oral Expression – The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. Arm-Hand Steadiness – The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position. Information Ordering – The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e. g. patterns of numbers, let ters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). Speech Recognition to identify and understand the speech of another person. †(CareerOneStop,† n. d. , para. 5). – The ability In this field there will always be room for improvement. I will each and every day retain new information and grow as an individual to provide great service. A registered nurse is the main focus of my schooling as of right now. A registered nurse is my main goal but anesthesiologist is also a field I am interested in. Any job in the medical field is needed all over the world.There is a high demand for people to work in the health care field. An anesthesiologist would be my second career goal. The salary according to career one stop in the state of Ohio from 2010 is between 129,000 to 127,000 dollars a year. (â€Å"Career One Stop,† n. d. , para. 2) Anesthesiologists are responsible for putting people under for surgeries. They check people’s blood types and determine the right am ount of fluid to give to make a person sleep during a surgery. This job is very important not only to the patient but also to the surgeon so they can successfully perform a surgery.Here are a few skills and abilities that are needed for this field: â€Å"Skills: Active Listening – Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. Critical Thinking – Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. Monitoring – Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.Reading Comprehension – Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. Judgment and Decision Making – Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. Science – Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems. Speaking – Talking to others to convey information effectively. Abilities: Problem Sensitivity – The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.Oral Comprehension – The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. Deductive Reasoning – The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. Inductive Reasoning – The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). Near Vision – The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). †(â€Å"CareerOneStop,†n. d. , para. 3) Like a registered nurse there is always room to lear n new abilities and skills for the job.There will always be lifelong learning opportunities. Anesthesiologist draws me in because of the salary but a veterinarian would be the next field of interest. A veterinarian is a health care profession that deals with the health and well being of animals. You still need the same judgment in this field. You are responsible for the health of animals. They cannot speak for themselves for you have to be the voice for them. According to Career One Stop on average in the state of Ohio in 2010 a veterinarian makes between 53,000 to 120,000 dollars a year. (â€Å"CareerOneStop,† n. d, para. ) Animals are becoming more and more like children to people and their health is very important to people. Skills and abilities are endless in this field. Here are a few skills and abilities needed for this field: Skills: Science – Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems. Active Listening – Giving full attention to what other peop le are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. Critical Thinking – Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.Speaking – Talking to others to convey information effectively. Judgment and Decision Making – Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. Reading Comprehension – Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. Abilities: Inductive Reasoning – The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). Oral Comprehension – The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.Oral Expression – The ability to communicate infor mation and ideas in speaking so others will understand. Problem Sensitivity – The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. Deductive Reasoning – The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. (â€Å"CareerOneStop,†n. d. ,para 4) Learning opportunities are endless in this field. New disease and sicknesses are being developed daily and there is always room for improvement. Becoming a veterinarian is the last field that interests me.After reviewing all of my interested career paths I have concluded that a registered nurse is my goal. Becoming a registered nurse will take a lot of hard work and dedication but it is the main career goal. I am pursing this field because of the salary, responsibilities and skills that come with the job. Helping others will give me a sense of worth. Though anesthesiologist and a veterinarian do interest me I will continue in the path I am headed in. According to Mayo school of Health Sciences, â€Å"Nurses work to promote health, prevent disease and help patients cope with illness.They are advocates and health educators for patients, families and communities†. (Mayo Clinic, n. d. , para. 1) I am a nurturing person and a nurse will allow me to display these skills. References Occupation Profile – America's Career InfoNet. (n. d. ). Welcome to America's Career InfoNet. Retrieved April 3, 2012, from http://www. careerinfonet. org/occ_rep. asp? next=occ_rep;Level=;optstatus=111111111;jobfam=29;id=1;nodeid=2;soccode=291141;stfips=39;x=0;y=0 Registered Nurse Career Overview. (n. d. ). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved April 3, 2012, from http://www. mayo. edu/mshs/rn-career. html

Corporate Governance in Australia After Hih Essay

In the light of various corporate scandals, regulatory bodies and corporate governance were placed under pressure by shareholders and stakeholders to form a tighter grip in governing corporation’s conduct. The obligations, roles and responsibilities of company’s stewards are under scrutiny of Corporations Act, listing rules, country’s code of corporate governance, ethics as well as social standards. At the same time, advocates of market forces as a replacement to regulations and legislation continue to pursue for market deregulation and liberalisation based on the believe that government intervention will only distort resources allocation and hinder market growth. The collapse of Australian company HIH Insurance Ltd (HIH) in 2001 was analysed in terms of its conduct and compliance to the Corporations Act, listing rules as well as code of corporate governance as released by the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) Corporate Governance Council (CGC). Reforms in regulations and the Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations 2007 by ASX CGC were used to recommend best practices in corporate governance that should have taken place in HIH. Lastly, the effect of globalization and challenges to good corporate governance resulting from globalization were discussed from the perspective of national government, regulatory bodies as well as the corporation itself. Justice Neville Owen, The Royal Commissioner in the HIH Royal Commission Report described corporate governance as the framework of rules, relationships, systems and processes within and by which authority is exercised and controlled in corporations, and the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) Corporate Governance Council added that corporate governance relates to and influences how the objectives of the company are set and achieved, how risk is monitored and assessed, and how performance is optimized (The HIH Royal Commission, 2003; ASX Corporate Governance Council, 2007). The meaning of corporate governance has evolved over time but, in the strictest sense, is linked to the legislation that allows its existence. The law sets forth a company’s rights and responsibilities but this can differ from country to country. However, it is generally accepted that corporate governance extends beyond the law to include a consideration of best practices and business ethics (Birt, Chalmers, Beal, Brooks, Byrne, & Oliver, 2008). The structure of corporate governance as put forth by Farrar (2005) and represented in the figure below illustrates the relationship within the corporate governance structure: Figure: The structure of corporate governance (Farrar, 2005). The issues surrounding the rights and responsibilities of corporations are complex and ever changing as financial markets become more global, corporations become larger and more powerful, and society’s perception of the corporate role changes. A school of thoughts advocates for market forces to be the regulator of the financial market. The neo? liberals assume that factor markets work efficiently without government intervention if property rights and competition are guaranteed. They considered government interventions as less efficient than market? based solutions and stresses that government interventions hamper private sector development and that government should concentrate on improving the enabling of business environment through deregulation (Emeseh, Ako, Okonmah, Obokoh, & Ogechukwu, 2010). Neo-liberalism challenges the conventional structuralist orthodoxy of government intervention by highlighting the negative effects of â€Å"financial repression† on economic growth and development. They refer financial repression to be the set of government legal restrictions preventing financial intermediaries in the economy from functioning at their full capacity. The distortion of domestic financial markets through rules and legislation is claimed to have negative impact on economic growth. In essence, corporations should be relied on in the main to self? regulate in the critical aspect of business activities. Neo-liberalism has prompted many countries to implement liberalisation and deregulation of their financial markets on the recommendations of the World Bank and IMF (Emeseh, Ako, Okonmah, Obokoh, & Ogechukwu, 2010). The significant role of market forces in contributing to good corporate governance and strong corporate performance has for some time been emphasised in economic literature on the corporation and corporate law. In fact, advocates consider the influence of market forces to be an effective substitute for formal legal regulation (duPlessis, McConvill, & Bagaric, 2005). However, through-out the last two decades, legislation reforms and corporate governance has also grown rapidly, particularly since the collapse of Enron Corporation in 2001 and the subsequent financial problems of other companies in various countries. As financial scandals continue to emerge, there will be continued attention placed on corporate governance issues, especially relating to transparency and disclosure, control and accountability, and the most appropriate form of board structure that may be capable of preventing such scandals occurring in future (Mallin, 2007). In pursuance of good corporate governance, an area of interest would be how directors’ conduct and decisions should be in the best interest of the company, its shareholders and other relevant stakeholders. In this context, the agency theory is a very suitable framework that can describe the problems associated with the principal-agent relationship caused by separation of ownership and control between shareholders (the principal) and directors (the agent) in corporations. Information asymmetry, moral hazard, difference in attitude towards risk and difference in interest between shareholders versus directors are common agency problems that would usually be at the expense of shareholders (Mallin, 2007; Rahman, & Salim, 2010). For example, directors may have a wider range of economic and social needs (such as to maximize compensation, security, status and to boost their own reputation), while shareholders are interested only in maximizing return on investments. Furthermore, as directors are usually contracted to the company on short term basis, they may be eager for short-run payoffs within their contract term, whereas shareholders’ interest would be based on long-term success. Australian companies have a unitary board structure and the regulatory framework for corporate governance and directors’ duties is governed by (i) Statute (notably the Corporations Act), (ii) Common law rules (for example, cases relating to directors’ duties), (iii) The company’s constitution, and (iv) Guidelines issued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) (Dibbs Barker Gosling Lawyers, 2003). ASIC plays a vital role in enforcing and regulating company and financial services laws to protect Australian consumers, investors and creditors. It acts as Australia’s corporate regulator and administers various legislations including the Corporations Act 2001, Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001, etc. (Australian Securities ; Investments Commission, 2010a). By the Corporations Act, general duties imposed on directors and officers of companies are stated as (i) the duty to exercise their powers and duties with the care and diligence that a reasonable person would have which includes taking steps to ensure they are properly informed about the financial position of the company and ensuring the company doesn’t trade if it is insolvent, (ii) the duty to exercise their powers and duties in good faith in the best interests of the company and for a proper purpose, (iii) the duty not to improperly use their position to gain an advantage for themselves or someone else, or to cause detriment to the company, and (iv) the duty not to improperly use information obtained through their position to gain an advantage for themselves or someone else, or to cause detriment to the company (Australian Securities ; Investments Commission, 2010b). Beyond their legal duties and obligations, directors are also expected to meet commercial expectations in th e interest of stakeholders, which include, but are not limited to, shareholders. These commercial expectations essentially require directors to drive the bottom line and provide appropriate shareholder returns. Taking it a step further, many directors of today are challenged to embrace triple bottom line reporting and consider the economic, social and environmental ramifications of their corporate activities (Lucy, 2006). While the scope and laws governing the conduct of directors are wide and many, intentional and unintentional breach has shocked the financial market and public numerously. Till today, HIH Insurance Ltd (HIH) that went into liquidation in early 2001 is well remembered by almost every Australian as a collapse caused by mismanagement of the company, and various board members were brought to court on charges including giving misleading information with the intention of deceiving other board members and the company’s auditor. As one of Australia’s largest insurers, the company ran into debts of over AUD$5 billion and subsequent to the collapse, the government carried out an expensive exercise to underwrite many of the failed policies (Mallin, 2007). According to the HIH Royal Commission Report on the failure of HIH, it was concluded that investigators did not find fraud or embezzlement to be behind the collapse. The failure was more the result of attempts to paper over the cracks caused by over-priced acquisitions (notably FAI Insurance Ltd) and too much corporate extravagance based on a misconception that the ‘money’ was there in the business. The primary reason for the huge loses was that adequate provision had not been made for insurance claims and past claims on policies had not been properly priced. HIH was mismanaged in the area of its core business activity (Bailey, 2003). In chorus, the HIH Royal Commission report fundamentally states that the main reasons for the failure of HIH was poor management and greed characterised by (i) a lack of attention to detail and skills, (ii) a lack of accountability for performance, and (iii) a lack of integrity in the company’s internal processes and systems (Nicholson, 2008). Justice Neville Owen further commented in the report on what was the essence of good corporate governance: â€Å"The governance of a public company should be about stewardship. Those in control have a duty to act in the best interests of the company. They must use the company’s resources productively. They must understand that those resources are not personal property. The last years of HIH were marked by poor leadership and inept management. Indeed, an attitude of apparent indifference to, or deliberate disregard of, the company’s underlying problems pervades the affairs of the group. † (The HIH Royal Commission, 2003). The above comment can be loosely translated to say that the directors of HIH have failed their duties. Notably, in April 2005, Mr Ray Williams, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HIH, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years’ jail with a non-parole period of two years and nine months. Mr William’s sentencing follows ASIC’s successful civil penalty proceedings on the three criminal charges which Mr. William pleaded guilty to. The three criminal charges were (i) that he was reckless and failed to properly exercise his powers and discharge his duties for a proper purpose as a director of HIH Insurance Limited when, on 19 October 2000, he signed a letter that was misleading, (ii) that he authorised the issue of a prospectus by HIH on 26 October 1998 that contained a material omission, and (iii) that he made or authorised a statement in the 1998-99 Annual Report, which he knew to be misleading, that overstated the operating profit before abnormal items and income tax by $92. 4 million (Australian Securities & Investments Commission, 2005a). ASIC’s HIH investigation also led to criminal prosecutions of 9 other former senior executives, including directors of FAI, HIH and associated entities on 31 Corporations and Crimes Act charges. Of high public interest was Mr Rodney Adler, a former director of HIH and the majority owner of FAI was sentenced to four-and-a-half years’ jail, with a non-parole period of two-and-a-half years, on four charges arising from his conduct as a director of the HIH group of companies in 2000. ASIC’s chairman, Mr Jeffrey Lucy, in his public statement said, â€Å"Mr Adler was in a position of trust as a director of HIH but he put his own financial interests before the interests of HIH shareholders† (Australian Securities & Investments Commission, 2005b). Mr Adler was sentenced after pleading guilty to four criminal charges: (i) two counts of disseminating information on 19 and 20 June respectively, knowing it was false in a material particular and which was likely to induce the purchase by other persons of shares in HIH contrary to s999 Corporations Act 2001, (ii) one count of obtaining money by false or misleading statements, contrary to s178BB Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), and (iii) one count of being intentionally dishonest and failing to discharge his duties as a director of HIH in good faith and in the best interests of that company contrary to s184(1)(b) Corporations Act 2001 (Australian Securities & Investments Commission, 2005b). HIH’s disastrous business ventures in U. K. , U. S. , acquisition of FAI Insurance Ltd. nd the Allianz joint venture were identified as what ultimately brought HIH down. These instances of poor decision-making were caused by and reflect a poor corporate governance culture. Corporate governance issues identified included (i) an over-dominant CEO whose decisions were never questioned, (ii) an ineffective chairman who failed his responsibility to oversee the functioning of the board, (iii) an ineffective board who failed to grasp the concept of conflicts of interest, and was unable to monitor and does not question management performance, (iv) inappropriate conduct in remuneration setting and performance measurement (mostly made by Mr. Williams who, although not a member of the committee, attended all meetings by invitation), (v) an ineffective audit committee who showed no concern with risk management and internal control, and (vi) compromised auditor independence (the auditing company was Arthur Andersen and HIH’s board had three former Andersens partners – one of them was the chair of the board yet continued receiving fees under a consultancy agreement. Andersens also derived significant fees from non-audit work which gave rise to a conflict of interest with their audit obligations) (Lipton, 2003). Subsequent to HIH’s collapse, The Corporate Law Economic Reform Program (Audit Reform and Corporate Disclosure) Act 2004 (commonly known as ‘CLERP 9’) came into force on 1 July 2004. CLERP 9 incorporated a number of recommendations made in the HIH Royal Commission Report. Reforms were made relating to (i) disclosure of directors’ remuneration, (ii) financial reporting, (iii) au ditors independence, (iv) continuous disclosure, and (v) enhanced penalty provisions. CLERP 9 also deals with accounting standards, expensing of options, compliance controls, and encouragement of greater shareholder participation at meeting – all of which represents a significant development in the corporate law framework (Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, 2005; Alcoc, & Bicego, 2003). Prior to CLERP 9 coming into force, advocates of corporate governance were delighted with Australian Stock Exchange Limited (ASX) release of the â€Å"ASX Corporate Governance Council’s (CGC) Principles of Good Corporate Governance and Best Practice Recommendations† in March 2003. ASX CGC adopted the same ‘principles based’ approach as taken in the UK Combined Code which governs entities listed on the London Stock Exchange. ASX listed entities are at liberty not to comply with the recommendations, but if they do not, they must explain why not. The Guidelines were built on the belief that one size does not fit all companies. The Guidelines contained 10 ‘essential’ Corporate Governance Principles (Principles) and 28 Best Practice Recommendations (Recommendations) which was later revised in August 2007 as â€Å"Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations† (Guidelines) comprising of 8 Principles and 26 Recommendations (Farrell, Harding, ; Spilsbury, 2003). The Guidelines also reflect ASX CGC’s emphasis in continuous disclosure by listed companies. Each Principle has a ‘Guide to reporting’ about the Recommendations at the end of the ‘chapter’ discussing what should be disclosed and where. Under ASX Listing Rule 4. 10. 3, companies are required to provide a statement in their annual report, disclosing the extent to which they have followed the Recommendations in the reporting period. Where companies have not followed all the Recommendations, they must identify the Recommendations that have not been followed and give reasons for not following them – the â€Å"if not, why not† approach (ASX Corporate Governance Council, 2007). In relation to HIH’s case, a number of the Guidelines’ Principles provide fairly extensive coverage of corporate governance issues identified in HIH earlier. Principle 1 highlights the need for companies to establish and disclose the respective roles and responsibilities of the board and management. In the 2007 edition, the Guidelines added the Recommendation 1. 2 for companies to disclose the process for evaluating the performance of senior executives (ASX Corporate Governance Council, 2007). This Principle serves to provide disclosure in relation to HIH’s situation of an over-dominant CEO and ineffective chairman and board. Where HIH was highlighted to have a board that was ineffective and failed its duties, Principle 2 states that companies need to structure the board to add value with an effective composition, size and commitment to adequately discharge its responsibilities and duties. Recommendations in the principle placed importance in having a majority of the board and the chairman being independent directors to ensure independence in board decisions and prevent conflict of interest. Recommendation 2. 4 suggests that companies should establish a nomination committee to ensure appropriate selection and appointment practices in the company. This Recommendation also provides resolution in relation to HIH’s case whereby the board was mostly made up of directors hired by Mr. William, including the former Andersen partners. In the 2007 edition, the Guidelines added the Recommendation 2. 5 for companies to disclose the process for evaluating the performance of the board, its committees and individual directors (previously this was part of Principle 8 in the 2003 edition, titled â€Å"encourage enhance performance†). This Recommendation helps to ensure directors are given access to continuing education to update and enhance their skills and knowledge that are necessary in performing their duties (ASX Corporate Governance Council, 2007). Principle 3 discusses how companies should promote ethical and responsible decision-making. Beyond legal obligations, directors are expected to make decisions that satisfy not only the company’s shareholders but other stakeholders as well (this principal includes amalgamation from Principle 10 of the 2003 edition Guidelines which was to â€Å"recognize the legitimate interests of stakeholders†). To achieve this, Recommendation 3. 1 encourages companies to establish and disclose their code of conduct pertaining to integrity practices, legal practices and handling of unethical practices. Aligned with this, Recommendation 3. 2 promotes the establishment and disclosure of company’s policy concerning trading in company securities by directors, senior executives and employees (ASX Corporate Governance Council, 2007). Relating to Principle 3 and Principle 7 titled â€Å"recognize and manage risk†, HIH has been considerably questioned of its various business decisions, mostly of which contributed to huge loses and ultimately the company’s insolvency. Criticized decisions made by the company are many, and on top of the list include (i) the acquisition of FAI Insurance (majority-owned by Mr. Adler who later became a member of HIH’s board of directors) for A$300 million which FAI was later estimated to be worth just A$100 million, (ii) re-entering the California market in 1998 and failure to take the difficult decision to exit the market when it proved unprofitable, and (iii) the decision to enter a sector (insurance and re-insurance of film-financing) that has proved problematic for many market participants in London (Cagan, 2001). The lack of risk management within HIH was apparent and Mr. Adler’s unethical conduct was evident with his imprisonment. In view of the importance of risk management, Recommendation 7. 1 urges companies to establish policies for the over sight and management of material business risks (that is financial risks and non-financial risks) and disclose a summary of those policies while Recommendation 7. 2 call for the board to require management to design and implement risk management and internal control system to manage the company’s material business risks and report to it on whether those risks are being managed effectively.

Understanding organisations and leadership Essay

Understanding organisations and leadership - Essay Example This paper aims at discussing the acceptability, functional and structural aspects that make organic organizations preferable over mechanistic organizations. In paper is structured into different sections that analyze formalism, leadership, competitiveness, and organizational environment of the organizations. Organic organizations have a tendency to evolve (Alvesson & Spicer 2011). This is driven by progressive forces and aims at creating sub organizations and individuals fit for new organizational environment. . However, complex organizations are offering alternative management style in which the leadership creates an environment in which stakeholders can participate equally and constructively (Coghlan 2006). The tensions in linear organizations exist (Stringer 2002). The form verses function tension is in existence. However, organic fashion is not perceived to be the absolute solution to the bureaucratic failures of mechanistic organizations. The role played by the organic management concept introduces a strategy that makes maximum use of organizational resources (Stahl et al 2012). Progressive forces are meant to achieve the long-term interests of the organic organizations. This optimizes the long-term gains. The Riggs’s model suggests a relook into formality, centralization and ritual in organizational management. Formalism refers to the extent of congruence between realities and norms (Argyris 2010). It also describes the level of discrepancy between formal prescriptions and effective practices. However, formalism is said to be propagated by inadequate pressure in running program objectives. Formalism perceives social power to be weak when it comes to guiding bureaucratic performance (Morrill 2007). This system of organizational management states that nonlinear organization is a form of arbitrary administration. This concept suggests that changing laws has little or no impact to effective behavioral change in o rganizations (Noe & Noe

Careers in Finance Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Careers in Finance Project - Essay Example k is issued by a client company, the investment banking company may take financial liability or underwrite the stock, while the investment banker looks for buyers of the shares. They can also manage the client companies’ investments (StateUniversity.com 1). Education requirement is a master’s degree in business administration (MBA). Liberal arts graduates can also be hired and trained to become analysts. However, if these trainees plan to continue in the field, they must purse a graduate degree in business. A number of investments bankers shift from other related fields such as banking, law or finance. For those interested in investment banking, the number of job opportunities basically grows with the economy. The competition is intense among the job applicants who want to work in the investment bank firms; the investment banks are very few. A company may hire less than 25 workers from a field of more than 1000 applicants (StateUniversity.com 1). Investment bankers can earn up to $100,000 annually for the first few years. However, the entry level salary for an individual with a bachelor’s degree was $45,000 yearly in 2005. On the other hand, an individual with an MBA earned $85,000 annually in 2005. The entry level investment bankers usually get huge year-end bonuses amounting to $10,000 or more. Benefits include medical insurances and paid vacations and holidays (StateUniversity.com 1). The main role of a risk analyst is to offer advice about risk based on good practice and technical knowledge. The work involves; assessing and collating risk information on site, collecting photographic evidence and utilizing templates to record assessments, formulating and proofreading detailed reports, and liaising with other professionals such as brokers, inspectors of health, safety and fire officers, client representatives and underwriters (totaljobs.com 1). For a general insurance risk surveying, any HND subject or degree is acceptable. However, chances are high

How the Impact of Culture Affects Ethical and Moral Communications Research Paper

How the Impact of Culture Affects Ethical and Moral Communications - Research Paper Example The basic process of communication has many barriers that impact its effectiveness and cultural is one of the elements of â€Å"noise† that can distort the understanding and interpretation of the message (John). Cultural differences in understanding, as well as message delivery, can become barriers to effective communication. And these differences have become more profound by the proliferation of mass media and social media promoted through the increasing use of the internet (Lauring). The impact of culture on meaningful business and inter-organizational communication is dependent upon the nature of cultural context, a theory proposed by Edward Hall. Based on his findings, people in organizations rely on other sensory and behavioral cues in sending, receiving and interpreting messages. The filters are socially constructed and so are these sensory cues thus each individual’s communication process is greatly influenced by the norms and value of his cultural context (Chita kornkijsil). In high context cultures, such as Chinese, Korean and Indian, people rely less on verbal cues and more on nonverbal elements like voice, facial expressions, tone and the implied meaning of the message rather than the literal meaning. In low context cultures including the American, Australian and the English cultures, on the other hand, the sender and receiver are more oriented towards the direct and literal meaning of the messages implied (Karin). Likewise in individualist cultures place more importance on personal goals rather than group interests in communication. On the other hand, the collectivist cultures induce people to think of themselves an extended part of the organization thus making inter-organizational communication more effective (Caroline). Hence, culture has the tendency to impact the moral and ethical dimensions of communication in a business as well as a social setting, this is because of the cognitive constraints which pertain to the different framing of the same idea and differing value systems. Secondly, there exist behavioral constraints in terms of the everyday behavioral practices including standards of proximity, eye contact, shaking hands etc. for example, in America culture, it is against the social etiquette to not look the other person in the eye while speaking to him while in Asian cultures, looking in the eye can mean disrespect. Likewise, while in American culture, greeting someone with a smile is again a social etiquette; in Germany, this can send a flirtatious sign to the opposite gender. Thirdly, the emotional constraints hinder and can impact the social and moral dimensions of communication. For example, in Japanese culture, silence is an integral part of work ethics, in Asian cultures silence is taken to be affirmation irrespective of the actual state of mind of the person whereas the American managers are more talkative and consider talking imperative to convey the right messages to their subordinates and co-w orkers (Sunita).

The neglect of the elderly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

The neglect of the elderly - Essay Example This physical trauma can be a huge element as much research also suggests that older people who have been abused tend to die earlier, which is a huge concern. For the elderly, it highly imperative that they don’t experience this short of emotional trauma in their later years. A huge element to understand regarding elderly abuse is the fact that it can occur anywhere. There is much misconception that suggests that elderly neglect only occurs in senior homes which is not true at all. As a matter of fact, elderly abuse tends to take place where the senior lives: most often in the home where abusers are often adult children, other family members such as grandchildren, or spouses/partners of elders. Elder abuse can also occur in institutional settings, especially long-term care facilities. One of the most pivotal factors of elderly neglect is the fact that there is no single pattern of elder abuse.  Conducive research proves that sometimes elder neglect is a continuation of long-standing patterns of abuse emotionally, physical, and mentally occurs within the confinements of the home. Cooper (2008) Often time, the elderly become the victims of this trap because they are fragile and cannot speak up. With the domestic structure of the modern family continuing to grow, elderly in the family have become a more inferior group and are more likely to be abuse. Since the elderly are dependent on the family for financial and emotional support, they also easily become the target for additional mental abuse. Cooper (2008) An important aspect regarding elderly abuse that it is just not confined to just older adults who have poor physical health or cognitive inhibitions that are likely to experience this abuse.  Older individuals who are alone and depressed along with those who may have a physical disability or mental illness are vulnerable to abuse. It is evident that mental deterioration due to elderly neglect can

Critical Power Grid Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Critical Power Grid Security - Essay Example More than 140 million customers in America rely upon the 3 linked sectors of over 3,200 utilities of electric distribution, ten thousand plus, generating units as well as tens of thousands of transmission miles which make up the power grid of the United States of America (LISA, 2013). With 500,000 people in average by United States Power Grid outages every day, it is quite safe to describe the power grid as reaching its capacity as well as weakening with age and infrastructure that is declining as the key culprit (Massoud & John, 2008). The experts are becoming worried for a good reason. The US outages costs running to billions of dollars, the unpredictability as well as the unease for the infrastructure and the absence of physical security, has been leading to uncertainty amongst users of power especially in large scale, for instance data centers, institutions, manufacturing firms. Most power users as a result are being forced to become more innovative and come up with alternative s ources of power (LISA, 2013). Within the past one year alone, there has been instances documented, for instance, Superstorm Sandy, within which weaknesses of the electric power grid got to be exposed or within which officials like those within Texas had to step in so as to avert a possible blackout. With regard to this, a number of industries were forced to shut down or limit operations leading to huge problems from customers as well as the public. The greatest power consumers are among the very first to feel a waning grid pressure. In case of an absence of connectivity to generator failures as well as everything in between, this aging power infrastructure is intimidating to hurt businesses as well as individuals in more than one way. The original pathways of the electric power grid similar to those of the highway system were put in place during early the 20th century. In addition, most utility companies still have structures which have run for about 50 to 70 years. It is so

Black people Income Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Black people Income - Research Paper Example Also, wealth is critical in enabling families to weather emergencies and move along a path of long-term financial opportunity and security. As such, extreme wealth inequality especially between races implies that a disadvantaged race will be unable to benefit from opportunities associated with wealth and this will hamper the community’s economic growth and that of the nation as a whole (Institute on Assets and Social Policy 1). Statistics by government agencies and non-government agencies show that there is a huge wealth inequality between black people compared to the white people in the United States. This research paper will discuss this inequality and why this inequality exists and what are the possible ways of closing the racial income gap. Statistics on Racial Income Inequality The black people in the United States continue to earn far less income compared to the white people. According to the statistics released by the United States Census Bureau, per-capita income of th e black people in 2008 was $18,054, which was just 57.9 percent that of the white people which stood at $28,502. While this was a slight improvement over the 56.4 percent reported in 2007, it was down the 2005 statistics which as 59.3 percent (Christie para 1). The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics also indicate that the white people earn a median of $756 per week, which is 25 percent more compared to the black people who earn $607 weekly. In 2011, available data indicate that the median income for the black households was approximately $32,000. This amount was 61.7 percent of the median income of white households in the same year. What is more worrying is the fact that this was about the same percentage in 1970 which stood at 60.9 percent. This implies that there has been virtually no change in regard to income between the whites and the backs (Institute on Assets and Social Policy 5). This lack of notable change comes as a surprise considering that there have been visible i ndicators about the improvement of black people income situation. Factors or Causes of the Income Inequality between the Black People and White People Numerous studies have found out that there are a significant number of causes or factors contributing to low income among the blacks compared to the whites. It has been found out there are contemporary and historical causes that have resulted to this situation (Barsky, Bound, Charles and Lupton 663). The situation of income disparity is further compounded by the fact there us a very unequal income distribution among black households; it is even more unequal compared to the income distribution among white households. It should be noted that there some black people who earn pretty high income, even higher income than some of the top white households. This can be attributed to the benefits they have obtained in the recent years (Oliver and Shapiro 78). However, extremely large black population segment earn very low incomes. The weakening of labor unions and the long-term minimum wage reduction are some of the factors that have harmed the income of many black people. Other factors such as mass incarceration of black men, as well as the consequent exclusion from mainstream economy have significantly hampered black

Chicken Run Essay Example for Free

Chicken Run Essay During 2005, Encik Selamat, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), was transferred from another subsidiary of PCK Holding, which dealt in the business of transportation to poultry and meat business, Excel Poultry and Meat Sdn Bhd (EPM). En Selamat was initially reluctant to accept the position as he lack of expertise in poultry and meat industry. However, later, he accepts and undertakes the position of General Manager in EPM as a new challenge to him. For the first three (3) years, he managed to handle the company smoothly. However, during the closing year end of 2008, the company has faced with tremendous operational crises. Thus, this report will identify and give recommendations on the issues arise in the company. There are two main issues or problems is being identified in this company, which are, increase in price of chicken feed and credit control and managerial problems. For the first issue, regarding the rise of chicken feed price, it is recommended for EPM to plant fast growing trees such as maize tree, trichanthera gigantea tree (fodder tree), or mulberry tree. These three trees have been proved by many researches and farmers all over the Asian countries as the alternative or substitute of commercial chicken feed. By consuming half or thirty percent (30%) of the substitute chicken feeds, this may reduce the existing cost of production. Moreover, it is cheap, fast and easy to plant these trees. In addition, the plant can be used for another purpose of business and may generate income. For example, one maize tree can produce 4 corns in a year and EPM can sell them and make money out of it. Same goes to trichanthera gigantea tree, the leaves and plants not only can be feed to chicken but many other animals such as, cows, goats, ducks, pigs, horses and many more. Thus, EPM can sell their leaves to other farmers and this can help them increase their income. Mulberry tree proves to have more uses. By fully utilize the tree, EPM can generates income in short term as well as in long term. The leaf can be made as tea powder, and can raise silk worm thus they can make silk cloth. The fruit itself can be made as foods or drinks such as wine, pies, tart, jelly jams and juice. Also, the bark or wood can be use to produce paper and furniture. Another way to reduce cost is by placing the breeder chickens in a free range farm. When the chickens are freely place in an open farm and freely eat whatever on the field such as worms, trees, and grass, the commercial chicken feeds will be lessen. Thus, this will give cost reduction for EPM. The commercial chicken feed is necessary for the chicken to consume as it contains all nutrition needed by all chicken. Thus, EPM may still bear the high price of commercial chicken feed. The price of chicken feed is uncontrollable by EPM, but not the sales of EPM. Therefore, there are many ways of increasing the income of the company. EPM can sell chicken eggs, chicken manure, as well as chicken feather to boost their income. Other than that, EPM may collaborate with East Coast Economic Region (ECER) and open branch in Mersing, Johor. The collaboration with ECER program will help to bring the company‘s name throughout nationwide. It is in line with the goal of ECER to increase the poultry output by 35% between years of 2005 to 2010. ECER program may also helps EPM to transform into major international and local tourism destination and exporter of resources and manufactured chicken poultry. The second issue in the company is on the credit control and managerial problem. Based on the case of financial reports of EPM, the costs of sales incur increasing closely and nearly to the revenue earned each year and the trade receivables amount also increase each year. The account receivable turnover ratio for the year 2006, 2007 and 2008 are 4. 307, 3. 396 and 2. 88 respectively. It shows the decrease in efficiency of a business in collecting its credit sales. Also, the trade receivable percentage of increase for the year 2007 and 2008 are 27. 56% and 60. 49% respectively. This shows that the account receivable increase drastically during the year. Therefore, this proves that ECM is having a weak credit control. It has being identified that the marketing department continued to supply chicken to Gold Cold Sdn Bhd (GCSB) even though GCSB has exceeded its credit limit. Thus, it is suggested for EPM to offer GCSB for cash discount to encourage early debt payment or cash sales. For example, offer 20% discount if they make payment within 1 week. Other alternative is that EPM should limit the supply to GCSB until they make payment of debts. Besides that, instead of Encik Selamat, the credit collection department staff should directly communicate to GCSB regarding the payment and supply of chicken. Not only that, EPM should send monthly credit sales statement to GCSB and remind GCSB about their debts through phone calls for instance. Instead of highly dependent on the sales from GCSB, the company may approach for more supplying tenders and contracts. For example, they can approach Ayamas Food Corporation Sdn Bhd, Ayam A1 Corporation Sdn Bhd, and all giant superstores. Also, they can carry out open tender instead of close tender to promote broader markets. Other than weak credit control, the company also has weak credit management. In this case, Puan Azura only concerned on sending reminders to debtors when she thought that auditors will be checking on that matters. Also, the records produced by Puan Azura are not similar with the figure from the confirmation letter by Mr. Siva. Therefore, the recommendation for EPM to solve the problem is, Puan Azura should be asked to send the monthly debtor statement regardless whether the auditor will be checking on her works or not. Other than that, the duties of employees should be segregated. For example, person whom collects the cash (Encik Munir) differs with the one whom updates the reports (Puan Azura) and the transaction should be verified by other personnel (Ms Choy). Furthermore, all the different personnel from different department must be communicated to each other to avoid error. Besides, managerial problems also arise in the company. From the case, we noticed that there is no supervision of Encik Kassim works by Encik Selamat. This problem can be solved by having more supervision over their staffs’ works by Encik Selamat as well as by board of directors. This can reduce the opportunity of fraud and misappropriate of company’s assets by their staffs. Other managerial problem is that, Encik Selamat was having personal meeting wih Encik Azman, the executive director of GCSB regarding their business and debt collection. The personal meeting should be avoided as it can lead to personal interest threats. Therefore, EPM must establish proper procedures for debt collection. Furthermore, EPM must as well establish and communicate a code of ethics which includes guidelines to be followed by debtors and employees with regards to debt collection. Even though there are many wrongdoings done by Encik Selamat, directors are reluctant to take any action against Encik Selamat. Therefore, it is highly recommended that PCK holding, the parent company, to change the directors. New directors may give new aspirations and directions for the company to continue to survive and succeed in the poultry industry. By solving all these problems, EPM may boost their performance for the next year onwards.

Comparing Structures of the Heart

Comparing Structures of the Heart This exercise was conducted so that the anatomical construction of the cardiac structures would be evident.There were no safety precautions necessary as all dissections were done on line as virtual dissections. Activity 1: Microscopic Anatomy of Cardiac Muscle Observations: Sketch and label your slide in the space provided. Include a description of the structures you observed on the slide. What are some unique structural features of cardiac muscle? Cardiac muscle is striated and uniquely structured to function in a muscle that is used approximately 70 times a minute, 24 hours a day, and 365 days a year for an average of 80 years. Cardiac muscle is branched, not linear like skeletal muscle. Cardiac muscle has alternating thick (myosin) and thin (actin) protein filaments which are the sliding filaments. These are the two primary proteins that build the cardiac fiber which is called a myofibril. When viewed under the microscope, also seen are the darker lines perpendicular to the muscle fiber which divide the cardiac muscle. These are the intercalated disks. These structures enable transmission of muscle contraction signals. The intercalated disk allows the rapid propagation of the muscle action potential which enables the myocardium to contract together and allows for ventricular synchrony. The heart must work continuously. That is why it has an abundance of mitochondria in the myocardium. In fact, approximately 50% of the myocardium is mitochondria. These structures are the cellular power generators for the cells. They enable constant aerobic respiration which supplies energy to the myocardial cell for constant function. What are intercalated discs and what do they do? The intercalated disks enable transmission of muscle contraction signals. The disks allow for the rapid propagation of the muscle action potential which enables the myocardium to contract together and allows for ventricular synchrony. Why does cardiac muscle have to be both elastic and strong? The human heart must be elastic as well as strong in order to meet the needs of the human body. The elasticity of the atria and ventricles is important in order to accommodate the preload that is essential to trigger the stretch of the myofibrils that is inherent in contractility and vital for cardiac output or the ejection of blood. When an individual participates in exercise and has a faster heart rate, the chambers must dilate (or stretch) to accommodate the returning volumes in order to meet the greater need for oxygen in the exercising muscles. As the heart returns to normal resting rates, these dilated chambers return to their normal size. Chronic chamber dilation (or cardiomyopathy) can be detrimental to the function of the heart and result in decreased pumping, loss of forward flow as well as heart failure. Contractility of the actin and myosin fiber is an inherent property of cardiac muscle. But strength of contractility is important to overcome afterload. Afterload is defined as the force that is needed to overcome aortic pressure for cardiac ejection of stroke volume. Afterload is increased in the presence of sustained diastolic hypertension. Over a period of years this continual increase in the work of the heart will lead to hypertrophy of the ventricular muscle and not only will strength of contraction be lost but increased oxygen consumption will be detrimental to the myocardium and may result in angina or infarction. D. Which of the three layers of the heart did the tissue used to make your slide originate from? The slide was made from the myocardium or muscle tissue. Activity 2: The Pulmonary and Systemic Circuits Draw a diagram showing pulmonary and systemic circulation. Color the deoxygenated side blue and the oxygenated side red. Use a regular pencil to draw arrows to indicate blood flow. Questions: Trace the flow of blood through the pulmonary and systemic circuits. Begin in the right atrium and end in the superior/inferior vena cava. Be sure to list every vessel, heart chamber, and heart valve the blood flows through. Blood flow through the heart begins with the returning deoxygenated systemic bolus into the right atrium. Passively it flows through the low pressure atrioventricular tricuspid valve into the right ventricle. As pressures equalize, the tricuspid valve closes. In the right ventricle, this bolus is pressurized isometrically and then ejected through the low pressure semilunar pulmonic valve into the right and left pulmonary arteries. The bolus then travels through the pulmonary arteries into the pulmonary arterioles and capillaries until it is in single file in the capillary at the alveolar-pulmonary basement membrane. At this point the red blood cell transverses the capillary lengthwise in order to present a greater surface area for oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange. Now the oxygenated red blood cell travels through the pulmonary capillary bed into the pulmonary venules and into the pulmonary veins. Through the pulmonary veins, of which there can be 3 to 5, the blood enters into the left atrium ( there are no valves in the pulmonary veins, unlike other veins, and the bolus of blood is pushed forward by the continual movement of blood from the right atrium and ventricle ) . Again passively the bolus of blood flows through the higher pressure mitral valve into the left ventricle. As the pressures again equalize, the mitral valve closes. As the bolus of blood, now known as left ventricular end diastolic volume or more correctly preload, is pressurized again isometrically, the pressure of the aorta (afterload) is exceeded and ejection occurs though the semilunar high pressure aortic valve and into the aorta. The oxygenated blood now travels through the aorta for dispersal to all the organs and tissues of the body for oxygenation and removal of the cellular waste product, carbon dioxide. From the aorta, blood travels into the smaller arteries, arterioles and eventually the various capillary beds. After the O2 and CO2 exchange occurs at the cellular level, the deoxygenated blood travels from the capillary beds into the venules, veins and eventually into the vena cava. The vena cava returns the deoxygenated blood into the right atrium via the inferior and superior vena cava vessels. And the process continues as long as the heart beats. Explain what you learned from the online human heart dissection. I must truthfully state that I did not gain any new information from this exercise. I have been an RN for almost 40 years and my primary area of practice is critical care. One of my areas of expertise is cardiology. I have been certified in critical care (CCRN) for 36 years and I am also cardiac medicine certified (CMC) by my national organization. However, it was interesting and a very nice review. Activity 3: Sheep Heart Dissection/Fetal Pig Comparison Questions: Compare the structure of the fetal pig and sheep heart. How are they similar? How are they different? Except for the differences in size, I did not note many differences between the sheep heart and the fetal pig heart. They are similar in that their construction is a 2 chambered atria and ventricle and there is similar vasculature. I did note that the fetal pig heart showed similar muscle mass of both the right and left ventricles. The left ventricle had not increased in myocardial muscle mass yet as the heart had not needed to be the sole source of power for perfusion. After birth, I believe that the left ventricle will increase in mass as seen in both the sheep heart and the human heart. Why is the heart referred to as a double pump? The human heart is referred to as a double pump because of the differences needed to handle systemic return and peripheral forward flow. The right heart is a lower pressure system and blood enters passively, driven by the left ventricular ejection force. This blood enters into the lower pressure pulmonary system, where pulmonary arterial systolic pressure is comparable to right ventricular systolic pressure. The left side of the heart is a much higher pressure system. As the blood leaves the left ventricle, it is at a much higher pressure due to the need to overcome the afterload of the aorta. (Systemic vascular resistance.) Because of this increased need, the left myocardium is considerably thicker than the right ventricle. Additionally, because of this increased muscle mass, during the sustained contraction phase (consistent with the ST segment in the electrical tracing), there is much higher oxygen consumption in the left ventricle. This predisposes the left ventricle to more cardiac issues such as angina, infarction, myopathies, hypertrophies and sudden death due to electrical disturbances. There are four valves in the heart. Name each valve, list its location and give its function. The four valves of the heart are the tricuspid, the pulmonic, the mitral and the aortic valve. The tricuspid valve is located between the right atria and right ventricle. It is a low pressure atrioventricular valve and its job is to prevent back flow or regurgitation of blood into the right ventricle during systole or contraction The pulmonic valve is a semilunar cusped valve located in the ostium of the trunk of the pulmonary artery which takes off from the right ventricle. When the right ventricle contracts and blood is pushed into the pulmonary artery, the pulmonic valve closes as the pressures are equalized. The cusp like structure helps to push blood forward. With the valve closed there should be no regurgitation from the pulmonary artery into the right ventricle, this time during diastole as the dilation of the ventricle creates a vacuum to enhance diastolic filling from the atrium. The mitral valve is a bicuspid or 2 leaflet atrioventricular valve. It is located between the left atrium and the left ventricle. As the left heart is a higher pressure system, the mitral valve must be able to withstand greater pressures. During the contraction of the left ventricle, closure of the mitral valve prevents regurgitation of blood from the ventricle into the left atrium. The mitral valve, as well as the tricuspid valve, is attached to the ventricular walls by chordae tendinea and papillary muscles. During infarctions of the left anterior ventricular wall, these structures can become ischemic and lead to mitral valve dysfunction, further complicating the infarction. The aortic valve is located at the root of the aorta at its junction with the left ventricle. It is a high pressure, cusped, semilunar valve that must withstand tremendous pressures during left ventricular ejection. Again, if the valve becomes incompetent, blood can flow back into the left ventricle during systole (ejection). This can lead to ventricular overload and pulmonary vascular congestion as well as forward perfusion issues. Both ostia of the coronary arteries are located at the aortic valve near the sinuses of Valsalva. If ventricular ejection is decreased either through poor contractility or incompetent aortic valve, coronary artery perfusion can be affected. Compare the left and right sides of the dissected heart. What differences do you see? When the dissected human heart is laid flat, both atria and ventricles can be seen. In this view, it is very obvious how much more muscular the left ventricle and even the left atrium is, when compared to the right side of the heat. The interventricular septum bows slightly into the right ventricle. The left ventricular chamber is larger in size and the left atrium is also larger In the right and left ventricles you can see the papillary muscles and chordae tendinea that attach the tricuspid and mitral valves to the interventricular wall. In the right ventricle there are trabeculae, light finger like projections that are not readily noted in the left ventricle. Compare and contrast the functions of the atria and the ventricles. Both atria are receiving chambers, with the left larger and more muscular than the right. The right atrium receives systemic, deoxygenated blood from the superior and the inferior vena cava and deoxygenated cardiac blood from the coronary sinus. The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the pulmonary circuit via the multiple pulmonary veins in the left lateral wall. The right atrium is also the home of the heartà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s electrical system. The sino-atrial node (SA node) is located in the roof of the right atrium and is the primary pacemaker of the heart maintaining an inherent rhythm and rate of between 60 and 100 beats per minute. In the floor of the right atrium, near the junction of the atrium and the interventricular muscular septum is the atrioventricular node. The AV node or junction is a backup pacemaker of the heart, designed to come in as an escape mechanism if the SA node fails as can happen in cardiac disease or sometimes drug induced mechanisms. The junctio n is designed to only run the heart when it does not receive the SA nodal signal and so its intrinsic rate is 40 to 60. There is an automatic pause built in between the electrical signal of the SA node and the firing of the AV node and this is known as the AV interval. This slight pause is sufficient to allow the final filling of the ventricles before systole. The waveform generated with SA nodal firing causes the right atrium to contract and push the remaining blood into the right ventricle. This contribution to ventricular filling is known as atrial kick and can be extremely important to individuals with limited cardiac reserve. There are conduction pathways running through the right atrium and over to the left atrium but the atrium does not have any electrical nodes similar to the right atrium. In abnormal rhythms such as atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter, there are sometimes aberrant pathways in the left atrium that contribute to these dysrhythmias. They are occasionally treated with ablation therapy and scarring of the atrial wall. Both ventricles are pumping chambers but the left is the more massive and more vital of the two. The right chamber receives the preload initially and if it is diseased or injured, its dysfunction can severely impact the left sided filling and cardiac output. The left ventricle is 2 to 3 times more muscular that the right and even thought the ventricles work in harmony, the leftà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s job is ejection and perfusion to the organs and tissues. The predominance of the coronary artery system is located on the left ventricle and the majority of coronary artery disease involves the left ventricle. Where is the myocardium located? The myocardium is the inner muscular layer of the heart, located between the epicardium and the endocardium. The epicardium is the outermost layer and is formed by the pericardium folding back onto itself at the aorta. Inflammation of this lining can cause pericarditis. The endocardium is the epithelial lining of the inside of the heart and includes all the structures internally. The endocardium also has an endocrine function, secreting endocardin which helps to sustain contraction. Infarctions can involve the endocardium and previously were known as subendocardial infarctions but are now call non-stemis. (Non ST segment elevation myocardial infarctions.) Additionally, bacteria from peripherally inserted central lines or IV drug abuse or even dental disease can cause infections of the endocardium called endocarditis. The myocardium is the muscle mass that is involved in stretch and contraction. When there is a disruption of oxygen to an area of myocardium, it is referred to as a myocardial infarction (Stemi) Death of the tissue with subsequent ventricular dysfunction can result if oxygenation is not restored. How does the heart supply blood to its own cells? The heart needs a continuous and rich source of oxygenated blood. None of the blood that is pumped through the left chambers oxygenates the heart. The hearts source of oxygen comes from the coronary artery system. These vessels lay on the epicardium of the heart and through collaterals and perforators supply the myocardium with oxygen rich blood. The left coronary artery arises at the left Sinus of Valsalva on the aortic valve. It travels a short distance across the left atrium behind the pulmonary artery, which protects it from any external trauma, caudally towards the left ventricle and is known as the left main. Any significant disruption of flow at this level through stenosis or thrombus can cause sudden cardiac death. As the left main emerges from behind the pulmonary artery, it becomes known as the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). This artery travels from the atrium to the apex of the left ventricle, giving off significant branches and lies in the interventricular sulcus directly overlying the ventricular septum. When you look at the human heart and notice the heavy streak of fat running across the anterior wall of the left ventricle, you are looking at the protective covering of fat for the LAD as it lies in the interventricular sulcus. When the left main changes to the LAD, there is another branch given off that runs circumferentially between the left ventricle and the left atrium. This is known as the Circumflex and also lies in a groove known as the atrioventricular groove and is protected also by a fat pad. On occasion there is a 3rd branching that arises at this area known as the Ramus or Intermediate branch. Arising from the LAD are diagonals that cross the anterior surface of the left ventricle from the IV sulcus to the left lateral aspect of the left ventricle. The LAD also gives rise to a group of vessels known as septal perforators that perforate the anterior aspect of the muscular septum. The LAD crosses over the apex and turns upward for a short distance on the inferior aspect of the left ventricle. The Circumflex travels around the left ventricle and terminates on the inferior aspect of the left ventricle not far from the right ventricle in branches referred to as the muscular branches. As the Circumflex travels around the heart, there are branches that arise and travel caudally and laterally across the left ventricle. These 3 branches are referred to as the obtuse marginals. The Right Coronary Artery (RCA) arises of the right Sinus of Valsalva on the right side of the aorta. The RCA lies in the same atrioventricular sulcus that the Circumflex lies in as it travels between the right atrium and the right ventricle. When the RCA reaches the division between the anterior aspect of the right ventricle and the inferior aspect of the left ventricle, there is a large branch that comes off the RCA and travels laterally towards the LAD. This is referred to as the Acute Marginal branch of the RCA and feeds the right ventricle. Near the ostium of the RCA, there is a small lateral branch that is important for collateral feed to the LAD, known as the conus branch. As the RCA traverses the right ventricle branches known as muscular branches supply additional blood to the right ventricle. Having turned and been protected behind the inferior vena cava for a short distance, the RCA is now traveling on the inferior wall of the left ventricle. When it reaches the point where it would be over the interventricular septum, it makes a 90 degree turn and heads towards the apex of the left ventricle. At this time it is now referred to as the Posterior Descending Coronary Artery of the Right Coronary Artery (PDA). There is a mirror sulcus here called the posterior IV sulcus to protect the PDA. Just like on the LAD, the PDA gives off septal perforators that feed the posterior portion of the interventricular septum. The electrical system of the heart is feed predominately by the RCA as 60% of the time the SA Nodal artery arises off the PDA near this 90% turn and is a perforator type of artery. The AV Nodal artery, as a perforator, arises from the PDA directly at this angle, which is known as the Crux. Collaterals exist from birth and are widespread across the anterior surface of the left ventricle as well as the inferior surface. As we age ,they begin to develop and gain importance for cardiac blood flow when the other major coronary vessels develop atherosclerotic disease and stenosis. Coronary blood flow is on the supply and demand system. When another organ has an increased need for oxygen, (for instance, the colon) the heart rate increases to meet that demand. In the heart, however, the supply is meet internally through the perforators and smaller capillaries that run a small distance into the myocardium. The best filling of the perforators and capillaries is during diastole or rest. During systole, they are compacted by the muscles in which they lie. As the coronaries receive flow both during systole and passively during diastole, it is to the hearts advantage to not be tachycardia.