Power of Panopticism Essays - Michel Foucault, Philosophy

Power of Panopticism In his essay "Panopticism," Michel Foucault introduces the Panopticon structure as proof of modern society tending toward efficient disciplinary mechanisms. Starting with his example of the strict, intensely organized measures that are taken in a typical 17th-century plague-stricken town, Foucault describes how the town employed constant surveillance techniques, centralized a hierarchy of authorities to survey households, partitioned individual structures to impose certain behavior, and record current information about each individual. As society has progressed, Foucault explains, these practices have expanded into other institutions such as hospitals, schools, prisons and asylums. Bentham's Panopticon embodies such disciplinary techniques. Inside a tall, central tower amidst the many cells, a surveyor can see all the inhabitants "without ever being seen" (Foucault 376). The individuals are aware they that may be observed at the moment, but cannot ever be sure. This implementation of power is thus greatly effective because it reduces the amount of people needed to operate the system, while maximizing the number of people it can watch over. Power becomes more economic to maintain. Intervention, and even better, prevention, can be exercised. Panopticism is not the link between power and function, says Foucault, but rather "it is a way of making power relations function in a function" (381); that is, power and function do not operate discretely, but within each other. More importantly, since the spectator inside t he tower is not unique but open to the general public, people have license to conduct experiments in spying on others. "The Panopticon functions as a kind of laboratory of power," Foucault declares; indeed, much knowledge can be ascertained by "penetra[ting] into men's behavior" (379). Foucault introduces the modern police force as an example of Panopticism. He explains that the development of a more centralized police force in the late eighteenth century stemmed from the need of sovereigns to maintain a sort of surveillance over all miniature details. With a mobilized, invisible force stretched from even the most "extreme limits", it becomes possible to extend constant supervision "to reach the most elementary particle" (Foucault 386). The organization of the police became the vehicle in which political power could keep a "permanent, exhaustive, omnipresent" gaze on the entire population; a regular Panopticon for the city. Beyond duties of surveillance, the police would also pursue and punish criminals, plotters, and opposition movements as a way to demonstrate the consequences of bad conduct; fear would then keep the population as pure as possible and "accustomed to order and obedience" (Foucault 387). As Foucault remarked, many disciplinary mechanisms and practices are still kept alive in today's modern institutions. The Patriot Act is one example; one highly controversial provision of the act allows the FBI to acquire personal records (such as email, documents, library records) for the purposes of gathering intelligence of possible terrorist activities. Like Foucault's example of the police force, the Patriot Act is enables government agencies (operating in a fashion invisible to the general public) to seize personal information, to enhance their knowledge of each individual and his or her own behavior. As these actions cannot be anticipated, the government maintains a piercing "gaze" on the population, who more and more exhibit disciplined behavior, with the knowledge that the government is watching them at any given moment in time. The punishment for terrorist activities, whether suspected or misunderstood, makes the people fearful of their actions and therefore more on thei r guard. Although we cannot be fully aware of the extent of the government's activities, we can be sure their collection of intelligence enables them to have an colossal knowledge of the population, to use at their own disposal - whether for other activities, or experiments - just as in the Panopticon, government officials are working from "a privileged place for analyzing with complete certainty the transformations that may be obtained from them" (Foucault 379). Today's society demonstrates how these disciplinary techniques are being increasingly implemented in order to fashion a more obedient and efficient people. It is becoming more and more easy for leaders to use undesirable situations (like pandemics, or a criminal population, or international terrorism) as a pretext to establish invisible hierarchical surveillance forces, use "regulation into even the smallest details of everyday life"

Superconductor Definition, Types, and Uses

Superconductor Definition, Types, and Uses A superconductor is an element or metallic alloy which, when cooled below a certain threshold temperature, the material  dramatically loses all electrical resistance. In principle, superconductors can allow electrical current to flow without any energy loss (although, in practice, an ideal superconductor is very hard to produce). This type of current is called a supercurrent. The threshold temperature below which a material transitions into a superconductor state is designated as Tc, which stands for critical temperature. Not all materials turn into superconductors, and the materials that do each have their own value of Tc. Types of Superconductors Type I superconductors act as conductors at room temperature, but when cooled below Tc, the molecular motion within the material reduces enough that the flow of current can move unimpeded.Type 2 superconductors are not particularly good conductors at room temperature, the transition to a superconductor state is more gradual than Type 1 superconductors. The mechanism and physical basis for this change in state is not, at present, fully understood. Type 2 superconductors are typically metallic compounds and alloys. Discovery of the Superconductor Superconductivity was first discovered in 1911 when mercury was cooled to approximately 4 degrees Kelvin by Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, which earned him the 1913 Nobel Prize in physics. In the years since, this field has greatly expanded and many other forms of superconductors have been discovered, including Type 2 superconductors in the 1930s. The basic theory of superconductivity, BCS Theory, earned the scientists- John Bardeen, Leon Cooper, and John Schrieffer- the 1972 Nobel Prize in physics. A portion of the 1973 Nobel Prize in physics went to Brian Josephson, also for work with superconductivity. In January 1986, Karl Muller and Johannes Bednorz made a discovery that revolutionized how scientists thought of superconductors. Prior to this point, the understanding was that superconductivity manifested only when cooled to  near  absolute zero, but using an oxide of barium, lanthanum, and copper, they found that it became a superconductor at approximately 40 degrees Kelvin. This initiated a race to discover materials that functioned as superconductors at much higher temperatures. In the decades since, the highest temperatures that had been reached were about 133 degrees Kelvin (though you could get up to 164 degrees Kelvin if you applied a high pressure). In August 2015, a paper published in the journal Nature  reported the discovery of superconductivity at a temperature of 203 degrees Kelvin when under high pressure. Applications of Superconductors Superconductors are used in a variety of applications, but most notably within the structure of the Large Hadron Collider. The tunnels that contain the beams of charged particles are surrounded by tubes containing powerful superconductors. The supercurrents that flow through the superconductors generate an intense magnetic field, through electromagnetic induction, that can be used to accelerate and direct the team as desired. In addition, superconductors exhibit the  Meissner effect  in which they cancel all magnetic flux inside the material, becoming perfectly diamagnetic (discovered in 1933). In this case, the magnetic field lines actually travel around the cooled superconductor. It is this property of  superconductors  which is frequently used in magnetic levitation experiments, such as the quantum locking seen in quantum levitation. In other words, if  Back to the Future  style hoverboards ever become a reality. In a less mundane application, superconductors play a role in modern advancements in magnetic levitation trains, which provide a powerful possibility for high-speed public transport that is based on electricity (which can be generated using renewable energy) in contrast to non-renewable current options like airplanes, cars, and coal-powered trains. Edited by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Lupus Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lupus - Research Paper Example The immune system of a person suffering from lupus cannot differentiate between normal body tissues and antigens. As a result of this, the immune system directs antibodies to normal tissues thinking that they are foreign materials. Due to this, there is swelling and pain felt by the person suffering from this disease. With advanced medical technology, different types of lupus have been identified by doctors. However the most common one is SLE or systemic lupus erythematosus. There are also others known as discoid, neonatal and drug-induced. Symptoms It is important to note that lupus is very variable. That is it is common for one to have the disease and not experience all the symptoms that other people feel. At the same time, every patient has their own feelings meaning that there are rare occasions when two or more patients experience similar symptoms. Severity also varies in individuals. Some patients experience symptoms that are severe and might last for a long time while others e xperience symptoms that are less severe and last for a few minutes but keep reoccurring. Sometimes, the patients expect to experience the severe pains that most textbooks describe but that never occurs. Some of the initial symptoms include (Basingtoke, 2011): 1. Lethargy, fatigue and weakness 2. Rashes in the skin. However, this occurs in very few cases. One in every five. 3. Swelling and pain of the join. This is experienced by almost half of the patients. Meaning that it is a very common symptom for patients with the lupus disease. 4. Fever; almost every patient experience this and it keeps occurring Diagnosis Since the symptoms of this disease vary, diagnosis of the disease is very difficult. The symptoms keep changing and in some cases, they become similar to symptoms of other diseases. For one to be confirmed as having this disease, several tests have to be performed. Urine and blood tests are however compulsory. The patient also has to be given a physical examination to know h ow fit they are. The laboratory tests include; 1. Complete blood count. This is the most common test for the disease. The number of white blood cells, platelets and red blood cells are counted and their ratio known. The results have to be analyzed properly since anemia also has almost similar results from the same test. 2. Sedimentation of erythrocytes rate. In this test, blood sample is taken and kept in a test tube from where the rate at which the red blood cells settle at the bottom of the test tube is measured. This test is very crucial since it determines the type of disease that one has. 3. Urinalysis. This is where the urine of the patient is analyzed to check the amount of proteins and red blood cells in the urine. Treatment Just like the difference in symptoms, the treatment of lupus is also different. Before administering any treatment, the doctor or physician has to analyze the signs and symptoms of the disease that the patient has shown and detriment the correct procedur e to use for treatment. As the signs keep changing, the nurse has to ensure that the patient changes the medication that they are using. This means that the nurse has to be able to closely monitor the changes that the patient is undergoing through and report this to the doctor who should change medication if necessary. Some of the treatments available include; 1. NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). This kind of medication is available over the counter. Some

Critical Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 14

Critical Thinking - Essay Example As shown below these three sources are of greatest threat to our well-being. Motor vehicles have been pointed out as a major source of environmental pollution for a long time; they produce CO2 among other poisonous gases, which are responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer as well as CO, which is a non-detectable poisonous gas. Coal, which is also burned in several industries as a source of energy, has been flagged by environmentalists as a major contributor to carbon dioxide too. Other sources of pollutants include fossil fuels which act as a source of Sulfur Dioxide when burnt and Nitrogen Oxide which is produced when the fuels in vehicles are combusted (Sukhraj 18). Air pollutants have been shown to have several detrimental effects to the environment. The gases interact with the water in the atmosphere to produce acidic rain, which is corrosive and therefore erodes the paint of buildings and kills life in plants and rivers due to its poisonous nature. These fumes have also been identified as carcinogenic and over time, residents living in places with high pollution rates will have a higher prevalence rate of eyes nose and throat infections as well as the development of cancer. There reduction of air pollution is very important and several steps have been taken to do this. Vehicles have been given several standards of performance, which all companies must maintain failure to which their vehicles will not be allowed in certain countries. Catalytic converters have also been installed in vehicles and in factories where sulfur is a by-product so as to reduce the sulfur compounds released into the environment (Sukhraj 23). The introduction of harmful substances to soil and water is another problem that is being faced in many places. Most water pollutants are manmade and are a result of industrial activity too close to agricultural land and water sources. However, natural sources of water pollution include water

Business Proposal - Center Parcs UK - Market Anaylsis Essay

Business Proposal - Center Parcs UK - Market Anaylsis - Essay Example Reference can be made, for example, to the status of organic food market in UK, as compared with the relevant markets of Germany and France, for the years from 2006 to 2009 (Figure 1 below). Figure 1 – Organic food market in UK, from 2006 to 2009 (Padel 2011, p.4) In a report published in 2012 it is explained that organic food industry in UK has been reduced by an average percentage of 5.5% for the years from 2008 to 2013 (IBIS World 2012). It is also noted that among the supermarkets that provide to the public organic food, John Lewis has the first position and Sainsbury’s is positioned as second (IBIS World 2012). At this point, it should be noted that the global organic food industry has achieved a significant growth in the international market; in 2010, the growth of the organic food industry internationally has reached a percentage of 8.8% (Soil Association 2012), in opposition with UK where the specific sector shows signs of continuous decline, as described above. 1.2. Competitor analysis Organic food market in UK is promoted through businesses of different types. ... ce should be made here to the potential of consumers to buy organic foods of various types in street markets, in those regions that such option is available. Figure 3 – Organic food market structure in UK (Source Organic Monitor 2009, p.18) On the other hand, it seems that the competition in the particular industry is rather strong; still, there is chance for new entrants. The major competitors in the UK organic food industry are presented in Figure 4, below. It is clear that there is space for new entrants, especially in regard to the indirect provision of organic food, as in the case of CenterParcs, a firm that aims to develop an organic food restaurant. Figure 4 – Major competitors in the UK organic food industry (Organic Monitor 2009, p.19) 1.3. Consumers 1.3.1. Consumer behaviour The support of consumers in UK towards the organic food market seems to be rather instable. In 2008, as recession appeared, the sales of organic food started to decline (The Guardian 2008, in Padel 2011, p.6). In an extended survey published in the newspaper The Times one year after, i.e. in 2009, a similar trend was reported (Padel 2011, p.6). It was clear, up to then, that consumers in UK had started to re-examine the necessity and the value of organic food (Padel 2011, p.6). It should be noted though that for consumers the origin of organic food seems to be of critical importance; in a survey developed in 2009, 64% of participants stated that they prefer ‘organic products produced locally’ (Padel 2011, p.11), compared to those originated from another country. According to the above findings, skepticism has been developed by consumers in the UK market in regard to organic food products. The firm that will manage to capture the actual consumer preferences in regard to consumer

Space For The New Orthopedic Service Line

Space For The New Orthopedic Service Line Before the decision to build is determined there are several mitigating factors that must be considered first which are: creating customer surveys based on more defined community interest, doing market research to see the location to build the facility, taking time with the other specialist or constituent groups to listen to their input on building the facility given their past knowledge, taking time to focus on the other nonprofits within the city and the state to analyze their strategic positions, and any other knowledge source that can be utilized to make the best decision on building the medical office. The consideration to focus would be to meet the needs of our possible primary customers or patients, any supporting current customers, professional medical staff, board members of the hospital or medical group in order to meet the expectations of the five year strategic plan. Another decision could be to focus not on having patients come to us but building the office in neighborhood communities which is the new focus for building smaller medical office next to shopping which makes it more convenient for patients. In reviewing the advantages of building the new facility there are slight amounts given location of the facility such as if the facility was built on campus it would cost an estimated amount of $600,000 versus the facility being build next to the campus which is a slight increase of $700,000 which is a difference of only 100,000. By building a secondary facility there would be additional cost for building an additional MRI which would be approximately $3,000,000 however, the off-set would be additional patients could utilize the MRI which would increase revenue. By building the facility the physician group is able to use the concept of build-to-suit in order to design a facility that has the capability to focus on space efficiency and maximize productivity. When mapping out plans for building a facility one aspect is the cost of per square foot to focus on. So if our medical office is between 6,000-7,000 and $350.00 per square foot which includes the land purchase price which would equal maximum of $2,450,000. However, if we build an office that is 10,000 square foot the price drops by $200.00 per square foot which then equals $1,500,000 which would be less than the first amount the better decision would be to build the 10,000 square foot building so in essence there would be more building at less cost and room to expand. When a medical institution is considering expanding it is highly essential to focus on the four areas listed below: Quality and Safety Service Excellence Staff Achievement Growth and Profitability By building a facility the focus will have a stronger success rate given the individualized location and being able to have a bigger impact based on being blended in with the hospital numbers. If the building were built the classes attendance might increase to >75% and the CMS orthopedic indicator set could also increase to >90th percentile which would specifically improve the quality and safety focus. By being in a location that is accessible by patients the best marketing tool is by word of mouth of the patients and they might be likely to increase the score of this measure of >90th percentage as well as the physician satisfaction score which all in all would meet the service excellence measures of the facility given the location the building is built in. The other aspect would be having a close medical office that specializes in orthopedics might decrease consensus of the hospital by decreasing the surgeries which is at 14,800 and decreasing the number of ER visits which is currently 36,100 which in turns would increase revenue of the medical office. By branching off from the hospital and building a facility the physician group would start from the beginning and higher the best orthopedic nursing staff to care for the patients and given the positive environment of the new office the retention rate of the staff would increase to >90% which would improve the staff achievement measures. Lastly, the surgical cases could increase to over 2100, and the physical therapy visits could increase to over 6,500 given the size of the building and amount of physicians of therapists that were hired to care for patients. This would in-turn increase the margin of greater than $2,171,500 which would exceed the growth and profitability measures. Another measure to focus on is the tax factor because a business can deduct the taxes taken out on the structure on an annual basis which can be a great cost savings including deducting interest on the purchase loan, property taxes and other qualifying expenses. Building this medical office it would implement a successful strategic plan outlined in the boards five year plan and increase not only in volume and improved financial performance for the hospital business. It will in-turn increase services offered to the community by using the most advanced approaches to prevent, or diagnose, including treating disease processes impacting thousands in the community. b. BUYING SPACE FOR THE NEW ORTHOPEDIC SERVICE LINE. Advantages of buying would include the tax benefits for example the interest on property taxes including mortgage could be tax-deductable and the investment property alone could possibly depreciate and the costs included with owning this type of space deemed as commercial could also be tax deductable. When buying a pre-existing building it gives more opportunity to convert the space to the business needs which can include building onto the existing property, or reconfiguring the property for a better business flow effect or even removal of certain parts of the property. The tax factor would also include any type of improvements that are made to a commercial real estate investment could be deducted for up to 39 years. A depreciation of a building could be taken into account for 39 years as well which is another advantage. If the building is purchased for $251,000 and say the land it stands on is valued at $61,000 then the company could write off a bit less than $5,500 annually. The annual interest can also be deducted on the purchase loan, any type of property taxes and additional expenses that qualify under tax codes. When borrowing money for a commercial investment from any lender the percentage could be between 60%-80% or even higher given the increase for being medical users which could be up to 90% for a acquisition cost or project cost which can require a type of investment of the left over cash and stipulate that the difference in cash be reinvested in the business anywhere between 10%-40%. A bank lender could require a higher down payment but in exchange include a reasonable borrowing term would be negotiated in the contracts. The advantage to buying a commercial building is that a bank lender looks at owner-occupied type businesses in a medical capacity more favorably and would grant the request for lending. In buying a commercial building there would be no rent adjustments and the mortgage would be a set amount each month so that there is a clear idea of any costs in the future. The fixed/variable cost factor is costs that would be set especially if the fixed-rate type of loan was issued for the property. As a selling point to owning commercial property if the value of the property has increased that is another advantage for making increased profit. The appreciation factor is considered a second business for example it could be considered real estate investing by the company. If there is additional unused space the decision could be made to rent out parts of the building to outside opportunities to create additional income from the rent of those parties. c. LEASING SPACE FOR THE NEW ORTHOPEDIC SERVICE LINE. Leasing advantages to physicians could be a great opportunity for using the finances to invest in the latest and greatest medical technology of equipment or computerized electronic medical record systems instead of using cash for building or buying a medical office and having cash tied up in investment properties. Leasing is better on a business cash flow because when purchasing occurs there is a large amount of finance tied up in the equity of the building itself. By leasing advantage it really wont require a large amount of capital to start. By having this money available which is known as working capital it opens the door to new opportunities that can arise in the future. When leasing a building it makes it simpler to be able to move into prime locations in the future such as a neighborhood medical office mixed in with shopping malls and this in-turn will eliminate the task of hiring a real estate agent and all that is involved with selling the property before vacating. By leasing the medical office building the money paid in the lease could possibly be used as a tax deduction. Using the cash outlay factor effect the company would not have to put forth much money as it would if building or buying a medical office. The growth factor would focus on if the space is outgrown given the amount of patients seen by the physicians in the medical office within the five year plan then the decision could be made to purchase or buy a larger building. If part of the building was leased to several different businesses and the owner was occupying part of the building than it is money in the bank by vacating that particular space and moving to a larger one but still having other businesses resume the open space. In some instances if more space was needed to expand and the office space was available by the owner then leasing more of that medical office space could be an opportunity to expand without the cost of purchasing a building which would eliminate the cost of moving. 2. DISCUSS THE DISADVANTAGES (LIABILITIES AND RISKS) FOR EACH OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS: a. BUILDING SPACE FOR THE NEW ORTHOPEDIC SERVICE LINE. Part of building the facility takes into account the site selection either on the hospital campus or off campus and analysis, any land development and regulatory approvals that must be followed, management of the design professionals and consultants specific to technology. The most important piece would be the knowledge of medical office building designs and the appropriate licensing and permit requirements by city and state required could be costly by having to hire the professional that has up to date knowledge and experience. Another important aspect is the regulatory approvals based on healthcare facilities and any start-up requirements mandated specifically to specialized practices such as orthopedics to include day surgery or procedures and radiation MRI buildings that could be a costly disadvantage. All of these specialized areas could be a building disadvantage if the wrong person is making the decisions because fines and penalties could be imposed if there are mistakes. Another piece to consider is the cost of construction companies to build the office which could be decided by requesting competitive bids from the construction companies and then choosing the best bid for the job given the specifications of the project. The bids themselves could be a disadvantage because of the time it takes to get the bids needed in order to make the decision. The other price to focus goes with construction such as the producer price index of materials. As the economy improves in society the price of the finished product could increase based on increased cost of materials. Building a facility is really the deployment of capital that is being considered on all aspects of this project and is seen as a very large disadvantage because the capital is tied up. The growth factor cold be a disadvantage given today buying a building is the current need and maybe attractive to the business at this time. However, this disadvantage cant predict 100% what the business will need in space or the growth in the next 5-10 year span. Time is money and the disadvantage of building would mean that there would need to be made contracts of negotiation created and signed for not only the construction company that will build the facility but also the companies in which the materials to be used would need contracts specific to price and the negotiation that would need to occur for pricing. These contracts would need to be negotiated so that both parties come to agreements on the terms and this could take up to 90 days to complete in some cases. b. BUYING SPACE FOR THE NEW ORTHOPEDIC SERVICE LINE. Buying disadvantages would be there would be more upfront costs than expected. The initial capital would include a down payment, and the possibility of improvements to property which increases cost and this would include any type of property appraisals and maintenance costs. There should also be an analysis of the cost of this opportunity of the money being spent and what other options are available if the buying of the medical office wasnt an option which if an analysis wasnt completed then this could be seen as a buying disadvantage because all options werent considered. There could be a possibility on the property balance sheet that could result in restrictions of future borrowing which can be the result of this real estate debt owed. This in-turn complicates things by making things difficult to change the business based on any type of market trends in the future because of the capital being tied up in real estate. By buying this could take the physician group time to purchase the exact property needed based on business purposed and this would restrict practices until the building was found and purchased. In medical offices today the location is essential and by owning the building a large disadvantage would be making things difficult to follow market trends and move to locations that are more convenient for the community and for the business. By owning the building this creates unforeseen operational costs and time and energy in maintaining the building and the existing property surrounding the building. This can be very costly and deter from business with time and money. If the decision was to lease out part of the building then that is adding a whole other amount of expenses that is unforeseen into the process. There would be additional expenses in being a landlord as well owner of the building. The cash outlay factor would be another disadvantage given more money would be needed in order to purchase a building instead of leasing. c. LEASING SPACE FOR THE NEW ORTHOPEDIC SERVICE LINE. Leasing disadvantages would include costs that are unexpected such as possible rent increases especially during the time in which the lease expires. Sometimes in the leasing contracts there could be an allowance of annual increases includes based on the consumer price index that if not pointed out could be extensive. By leasing there is a restriction based on the space and it adapting to the needs of the business there might not be room for expansion. When the business needs expansion and the space is limited there is only one choice which is to vacate which means if the lease or contract is for a period of time and the need of the business is under that amount of time then by the terms of the contract there would be fines and penalties involved if vacating before the expiration date of the contract of the lease. The fixed/variable cost factor is a large disadvantage based on the market trends especially when the lease expires. The huge disadvantage to leasing is that the business will be dependent on the landlord and what they are willing to change or modify for business needs. One piece a landlord owner can do is to terminate the contract lease if they have other plans for the property such as selling. Leasing a building is not an easy one given the market trends, the tax involved, and the financial analysis that would need to be completed before this decision to lease a business building was complete which takes time and money. An owner of a medical office can be forced to increase rent of the leased property to meet fair market value in adherence of Medicare regulations. Another disadvantage is regarding the fact of it being a medical office and the negotiated contract of a long term lease which varies between 5-15 years to estimate the improvements that can be costly to the building which are known as all-inclusive contract leases and triple net contract leases which means that the cost of the operating expenses in be changed to impact the physician group that leases the building which can be very much a huge costly disadvantage. 3. RECOMMEND WHAT YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE BEST OPTION FOR THE FACILITY. The recommendation regarding building, buying, or leasing a medical office would be to focus on clear objectives in the first step of the analysis. The impact of the decision will affect the finances of the business and any relationships with vendors and customers. The list of objectives needs to be compiled to identify all aspects needed for ownership versus leasing. By analyzing this information it could bring forth aspects that werent previously considered at the onset of the beginning which can change the overall decision. Some of the facts to consider in the recommendation are: Cost Control: When needing office space this is considered due to the change in market trends and business strategies as far as where the business needs to change or improve or expand. Businesses when making these type of decisions usually have capital to invest over long terms. However, if buying a building the structure itself, may need updates or improvements which would decrease the amount of capital for the improvements to occur. Location of the building: Business successful is highly dependent on the location of services it offices to the community. One of the critical factors in physician practice today is the accessibility and proximity for the patients which can justify paying a larger lease of office space based on this factor. If the building is bought or built and the areas that surround it is less desirable for patients then, the decision to resist any long term agreements might be considered. In this type of situation a lease would be more desirable based on the open door of being able to relocate to another facility when the business needs change. Expansion is another factor to consider based on the needs of the community and the business needs. If a lease was signed then the permission to expand or alter the building would need to be made by the owner and the costs of those changes would be based on the negotiated contract terms that were signed at the start. By owning the structure the difference is it makes it easier to change the space of the building without going through a landlord. Tax advantage focus would be to consider the current tax laws of the state and have the ability to shelter any type of taxable income. The write offs are increased over the last 20+ years including annual operating losses to be claimed that can no longer be used to off-set other taxable income as it was in the previous years. The losses that occur can possibly be used against real estate ventures and brought forward in order to still save on the taxes. The advantage could be that any revenue of the real estate itself could be taxed at the capital gains rate of return and this could be in fact lower than normal tax rates. In all there is tax advantages of real estate property that is owned versus leased but the entire decision should not be solely based on the tax factors. When leasing a property the related occupancy cost including rent, could be tax deductable for some sort of a tax reduction. The ROI (Return On Investment) has shown that physician groups have been disappointed at the retirement age because of lack of equity in the business. Several factors include property overpayment, property that has been leveraged over, lack of maintenance on the property, and unknown market conditions based on the economy. If an appraisal is done properly before the building is purchased it would show the current fair market value, financing that is lending favorable to a bank institution, and ways for equity build up on the property in question. If owning the building there is a way to make debt service payments each month, which in-turn increases the equity of the property by reducing the principal debt. By leasing the property instead of buying there is no concern regarding equity that is lacking or principle debt needing to be paid off base dont eh negotiated contract terms of the loan. By leasing the up keep of the building is the responsibility of the owner not the tenant that leases the building. Finance numbers should be evaluate by a CPA (Certified Public Account) to prepare a type of financial projection that can show costs associated with leasing the building versus purchasing the building or building the structure. This estimation will be needed in the event the decision to purchase a building is decided. This report can show income that is taxable or at a loss and can also show the cash flow analysis of what payment is needed is bought, built or leased. Negotiated contract terms are considered in all three aspects of building, buying, and leasing. These contract terms show financial lender rates and terms for financing or they can show terms based on leasing from the owner of the building structure. Recommendation would be to lease the building structure in order to have capital in reserve. By engaging a design architect and estimate costs of any renovations needed in advance gives a better picture of what is needed in finances to start. Given the opportunity to change based on market trends and location is appealing and an option based on leasing the space of an office building. In reviewing the fact that an OB/GYN specialty group was not successful in a previous attempt allows for a trial period to show if the needs of the community will be met with the orthopedic office. If the market trend in times shows that the need is not as anticipated as expected then it is easier to terminate a lease then selling an office building. Any costs associated with leasing is not always the tenants responsibility this can be an advantage based on the negotiated contract terms of the lease and maybe the costs could be shared or possibly a negotiation of several months of rent would not need paid while the physician group paid for the necessary changes to the building based on the business. By giving the orthopedic practice time to access any long-term goals, and focus on cash requirements needed weighed against the risk of long term building ownership the decision to else would increase revenue to invest in new technology equipment and computer electronic medical record systems. The lease option would in-turn free up some of the capital for other type of business investments to increase revenue. Given the unpredictability of the current economy, loss of jobs for people in the community which amounts to loss of healthcare coverage which in-turn is loss of business for the orthopedic practice. It is better to make a temporary decision to lease a facility and see what the community need will be in 5 years from now.

George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984 :: Free Essays on 1984

The novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is an American classic which explores the human mind when it comes to power, corruption, control, and the ultimate utopian society. Orwell indirectly proposes that power given to the government will ultimately become corrupt and they will attempt to force all to conform to their one set standard. He also sets forth the idea that the corrupted government will attempt to destroy any and all mental and physical opposition to their beliefs, thus eliminating any opportunity for achieving an utopian society. The novel shows how the government attempts to control the minds and bodies of it citizens, such as Winston Smith who does not subscribe to their beliefs, through a variety of methods. The first obvious example arises with the large posters with the caption of "Big Brother is Watching You" (page 5). These are the first pieces of evidence that the government is watching over its people. Shortly afterwards we learn of the "Thought Police", who "snoop in on conversations, always watching your every move, controlling the minds and thoughts of the people." (page 6). To the corrupted government, physical control is not good enough, however. The only way to completely eliminate physical opposition is to first eliminate any mental opposition. The government is trying to control our minds, as it says "thought crime does not entail death; thought crime is death." (page 27). Later in the novel the government tries even more drastic methods of control . Big Brother’s predictions in the Times are changed. The government is lying about production figures (pages 35-37). Even later in the novel, Syme’s name was left out on the Chess Committee list. He then essentially vanishes as though he had never truly existed (page 122). Though the methods and activities of the government seem rather extreme in Orwell’s novel, they may not be entirely too false. "Nineteen Eighty-Four is to the disorders of the twentieth century what Leviathan was to those of the seventeenth." (Crick, 1980). In the novel, Winston Smith talks about the people not being human. He says that "the only thing that can keep you human is to not allow the government to get inside you." (page 137). The corruption is not the only issue which Orwell presents, both directly and indirectly. He warns that absolute power in the hands of any government can lead to the deprival of basic freedoms and liberties for the people.