The Melancholy In John Steinbecks Books Essay Example for Free

The Melancholy In John Steinbecks Books Essay The melancholy hussar was set in the 19th century in 1801. This was a time were woman had no lives of there own and this shows the character of Phyllis in melancholy hussar. Phylliss father treats her as an object. She is not free to do what ever she wants because she is a woman. Thomas hardy illustrates the role of woman in the melancholy hussar (1801). Woman had no role in society and women were very unimportant. Steinbeck had written his story during the American depression in the 1930. Life was very hard for men and woman because of migration, unemployment, rootlessness and instability. All these had made people very angry and this had caused racism. Crooks in of mice and men also had a very hard life because he was black. Crooks wasnt wanted near the white men, which had led to racism. On page 100, crooks says to Lennie I aint wanted in the bunkhouse and u aint wanted in my room, Lennie replied why aint you wanted in the bunk house BECAUSE IM BLACK. This had shown through text that racism was very natural. Both of these books had inequality in their texts. Curly had the most power over every one in of mice and men. In melancholy hussar Phyllis father had power over Phyllis. In melancholy hussar, the Napoleonic war was going on. The Napoleonic war was when France was at war against England. Germany were allies with England so Germany had sent some of their soldiers but the German soldiers had felt upset and lonely because they did not no English and they had no English friends to communicate with. This is what also had made them very homesick.

Principles of Infection Control in the Operating Department

Principles of Infection Control in the Operating Department Infection control is a vital part of everyday life in Operating theatre departments across the world. It is used to ensure patient and staff safety throughout surgical procedures and patients stay in a hospital. Key issues that effect many if not all trusts across the UK include Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) which is found mainly on the skin and in nasal areas of patients. This bacterium has become immune to antibiotics over the years and creates big problems in hospitals all over the world (NHS, 2009). Another infection, which has swept through our hospitals, is Clostridium Difficile (C-Diff). This is a naturally present bacteria which people hold in their gut but when a patient is given antibiotics for another symptom it can multiply the C-Diff bacteria and cause symptoms such as diarrhoea and fever (NHS, 2008). There are many more infection control issues surrounding hospitals and private healthcare trusts across the world. This essay aims to outline good prac tice in preventing some of these infection control issues. There is a set of standard precautions to adhere to when carrying out any surgical procedure. This was originally recommended when a patient was known or to be suspected of being infected with blood pathogens Deane (2000:39). In operating departments today every surgical procedure follows these protocols to ensure the safety of staff and others who maybe exposed during a patients stay in hospital. It is also the responsibility of the Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) to adopt any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) supplied by the trust to prevent contamination of any kind. Deane (2000:39) suggests regular handwashing is important to prevent spread of any resident germs and also to reduce the risk of transferring any germs to patients. Ventilation is also an important aspect of surgical procedures and how it effects infection control and the prevention of spreading airborne pathogens Gilmour (2005:87). In the majority of NHS trusts in the UK the operating department staff will commence an operating list with a cleaning procedure known as damp dusting before any patient enters the theatre. Damp dusting is the cleaning of flat surfaces (e.g. trolley tops, worksurfaces, anaesthetic machines, etc) to remove dust from the perioperative environment prior to the commencement of the operating list (Plumridge, 2008). This is to reduce the risk of infection whilst the patient is undergoing surgery. Standard precautions recommend the use of Personal Protective Equipment for all theatre staff including aprons, masks, gloves, gowns and eye protection (Gilmour, 2005:91). Each practitioner or healthcare worker will assess the risk of contamination and the appropriate PPE will be applied. This is to ensure safe practice for all theatre staff and to keep the team free from contamination. The control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH) regulations came into force in 1989 and requires employers to assess the risk to staff and patients alike being exposed to and handling substances hazardous to health including blood and bodily fluids (Deane, 2000:41). COSHH is maintained by performing regular audits and staff completing risk assessments when potential risks are noted. I also personally believe that Heat Moisture Exchanging Filter (HMEFs) are invaluable to NHS trusts across the UK. These are little devices that attach to the end of the Anaesthetic machine circuits just before the facemask. It works with the heat and moisture from the patients own respiration by changing anaesthetic vaporises from a vapour to a gas. It also heats the gas up so it does not give the patient any trauma going into the lungs cold. They also have a filter inside, which will not allow any sort of passage for bacteria or virus to get into the anaesthetic machine circuit. A new filter will be used for each new patient again avoiding cross contamination (see Appendix 1). The ventilation system inside operating theatres offers a change of air at least fifteen times an hour (Mardell, 2009:272). This prevents microbial contamination infecting vulnerable patients and also diluting expired Anaesthetic gases. The ventilation system works by pushing clean air downwards, which in turn pushes contaminated air away from the surgical field towards the sides of the operating theatre and out of the exhaust panels. There are two main types of ventilation used in operating theatres the first one I discussed which is called Plenum and is the more financially suitable to NHS trusts. The second main ventilation system used is called Laminar flow this system is mainly used in Orthopaedic procedures. The reason for this is because it can offer in excess of 300 air changes per hour therefore drastically reducing any airborne organisms, which can cause postoperative infection for the patient (Technology assessment team, 2001). The ventilation system also provides the heat ing for the theatre. (Mardell 2009:272) claims that there is no ideal temperature that will be correct as it will depend on the type of surgery taking place. When operating on babies or children the temperature will need to be higher than if operating on adults, this is due to children and babies not being able to maintain their core temperature as well as adults. The use of patient warming devices such as Bair huggers and Blood/Fluid warmers should allow the air temperature to be less of a consideration for the patient and allow staff to set the temperature accordingly. Along with the temperature controls most operating theatres will also have a wall mounted control panel which also allows staff to set the atmospheric humidity. The humidity should be set at no more than 60% but no less than 30% as this minimises the potential for bacterial growth and static electricity (Mardell, 2009:273). The surgical field has to be set up sterile and maintain sterility throughout the procedure. This is usually an invisible box approximately 1 metre square surrounding the operating table which consists of the patient, surgeon and scrub practitioner, and must contain as little equipment as possible to avoid de-sterilising anything or anyone in that area. The surgical field is maintained by people only entering when necessary and to announce to the surgical team when doing so to avoid accidental contamination (Beck, 2009). The sterile field is designed to reduce any risk of infection to a patient or to any staff member involved with the procedure. It is achieved by performing a number of safe practices: staff dress and preparation, patient preparation, utilisation of sterile equipment and theatre etiquette during surgery (Parker, 2004:108). Aseptic Non Touch Technique (ANTT) is a form of rigorous handwashing that frees your hands and arms from living pathogenic micro-organisms (Hart, 2007:43). This is a vital part in preparing for a surgical procedure for the safety of your patient. If any member of the surgical team have a poor asepsis technique this could result in a Healthcare Acquired Infection (HCAI) for the patient. Unfortunately nosocomial infections are not a thing of the past and still effect nearly all of our NHS trusts across the UK. (Heritage, 2006) quotes Hospitals are places where sick people go with the expectation that they will get better. Unfortunately, however, there is a risk that hospital patients may become infected because of their stay in hospital. (Nazarko, 2008) quotes Every two minutes a patient acquires a Healthcare Associated Infection (HCAI). Every two hours a patient dies because of a HCAI. These are very scary figures and should make healthcare workers more aware of regular handwashing be tween patients. You can achieve full asepsis by using sterile equipment and ensuring none of your sterile equipment or indeed yourself come into contact with anything non-sterile. Whilst it is impossible to sterilise your hands the surgical scrub serves to minimise the number of pathogens on your hands (Pirie, 2005). A normal hand wash is considered to be inadequate, as it does not remove enough micro-organisms from your skin. Scrubbing up on the other hand is considered to reduce the amount of micro-organisms on your skin dramatically. Scrubbing up is a longer process and is performed more intensively by going from the hands up to just below the elbow. The difference in the two procedures is simply that scrubbing up actively reduces more micro-organisms on your hands and arms than a normal hand washing procedure, which reduces the spread of infection to your patients (Collins Hampton, 2005). Other types of bacteria that are found in operating theatres are called Spores. These differ from normal forms of bacteria in a way that they are much harder to remove from surfaces as they have a hard shell protecting them. The original cell replicates its genetic material, and one copy of this becomes surrounded by a tough coating. The outer cell then disintegrates, releasing the spore which is now well protected against a variety of trauma, including extremes of heat and cold, radiation, and an absence of nutrients, water, or air (Darling, 2009). These can be an extreme problem in operating theatres as some types of spores are released into the air becoming airborne pathogens which can then travel and settle into surgical wounds causing infection in a patient (Wilson, 2006). Waste materials in operating departments are divided into two main categories. One is Domestic waste, which compromises of non-clinical waste, which has not been in direct contact with any blood or body fluids such as paper, equipment packaging and food remains. This waste is usually placed into a black bin liner and disposed of accordingly. The other is Clinical waste which covers all other waste products that has had direct patient contact such as drapes, surgical gowns, gloves and disposable equipment. Swabs should not go into a clinical waste bag until the end of the procedure when they have been checked and accounted for by the practitioner. This waste is usually placed into orange or yellow bin liners and disposed of by incineration. Sharps on the other hand go into there own special bin provided and must never be disposed of in a bin bag in case of an accidental sharps injury to anybody. Infection control is vital in maintaining patient and staff safety alike. It is the responsibility of healthcare professionals as individuals but also working together as a team to carry out the standard precautions set by their trust. Simple things like handwashing between patients and wiping down monitoring leads can hugely reduce the amount of hospital acquired infections for patients. Always check if the equipment you are using is disposable or reusable laryngoscope blades, laryngeal mask airways etc and after usage dispose of them accordingly. When commencing an operating list always carry out your standard precautions for every patient this will help protect you as a member of staff but more importantly it will keep a patient safe. When disposing of waste especially clinical waste ensure there are no tears in the bag and the bin liners have been zip tied at the top to avoid any spillages, which could result in somebody becoming contaminated with any blood or body fluids. Rememb er only to open the hatch at the end of the procedure avoiding any contaminated air being let into the theatre whilst the patient is still undergoing the procedure. This could result again in an infection to the surgical site and cause severe discomfort to the patient post operatively. So always remember the standard precautions are there to protect staff and patients alike. They should be abided by at all times and hopefully we can reduce the rate of infection control dramatically.

Gender Stereotype Essay -- essays papers

Gender Stereotype According to the writers in chapter, â€Å"Gender Stereotyping And the Media†, gender stereotypes are harmful to men and women. Gender stereotypes set impossible standards for men and women that lead to unhappiness, loneliness and possibly violence towards themselves. Stereotypes affect relationships between a man and a woman. Moreover, stereotypes dictate the behavior of boys and girls that lead to violence. Rather than combating gender stereotypes, our society reinforces stereotypes by passing them to the next generation and giving labels and names to the people who do not conform to the stereotypes. Hence, the dichotomy is that our society buys into the stereotypes that reinforce abuse, while tying to remove violence from our society. Traditional female stereotypes rigidly emphasize the belief that women must perform the specific role that are assigned to them. From a traditional perspective, â€Å"femininity is characterized by passivity and sumission.† (Devor P.169) Feminine characteristics of passivity and submission allow women to best fulfill t...

Hand Guns :: essays research papers

I. Introduction It is estimated that in 1994, 39,720 individuals died from firearm related injuries in the United States . This figure is very alarming, especially when one considers this number not as a statistic, but 39,720 human beings. The issue that will be addressed is one that brings with it great controversy. Does our right to own guns infringe upon the rights of others to live? Would it be a greater injustice to ban the right to own guns thus saving lives? Would this action decrease pain and increase pleasure for the majority? I ask that an open mind be kept throughout this presentation, for guns impact two basic rights provided by the Constitution. The first can be found in these words at the end of the introduction: ".in order to promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity" . The next can be found in the Second Amendment: ".the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed" . These two rights clearly belong to all citizens, but now one must question: What about the 39,720 individuals who were killed by guns in 1994. Were their rights upheld, or has a great injustice been committed? Whenever there is an issue which generates great controversy, there are always at least two sides or views which must be considered. There are many degrees of either freedom or control which individuals believe, but they fall into either pro gun control or against gun control. Those who are against restrictions on gun control are represented by the NRA (National Rifle Association). The NRA states the Second Amendment as ".the ultimate civil liberty- the right to defend one's own life- without which there are no rights". The NRA strongly defends any and all gun rights, for they see any gun restriction as the beginning of civilian disarmament. Those who are for gun control and regulations also have varying degrees of beliefs, but they all believe that more regulations are in order. Some want the abolition of virtually all guns, while others simply want tougher regulations on applicants desiring a gun. This side also has many organizations which work to represent their beliefs, one of which is HCI (Handgun Control Incorporated). The right to own guns is defended by many for some of the following reasons. The right to own a firearm provides the public with power.

Papa John’s International, Inc. Essays -- Strategic Case Analysis

Introduction Papa John’s International, Inc., is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky it is the world’s largest pizza chain and considered paramount in the pizza industry. Papa John’s domestic pizzas are made exclusively from a proprietary blend of wheat flour, cheese made from 100% real mozzarella, fresh-packed pizza sauce made from vine-ripened tomatoes (not from concentrate) and a proprietary mix of savory spices, and a choice of high-quality meat (100% beef, pork and chicken with no fillers) and vegetable toppings. However, international ingredients vary to meet customs and tastes. (http://ir.papajohns.com/) The company operates approximately 3,400 domestic and international pizza restaurants. They have five segments of their business: domestic restaurants, domestic commissaries, domestic franchises, international operations, and variable interest entities. (Barney & Hesterly, 2010) They have company-owned restaurants in mature and developed markets, but have recently experienced a measurable decrease in their domestic franchising sales because these franchisees are not strategically located in the more heavily concentrated markets like their company owned restaurants. To further develop the Papa John franchisees, they are working on various economic systems to provide royalty and local marketing relief for struggling franchisees, by providing financing to assist existing and/or new businesses, and educating lenders and banking institutions on the Papa John’s business models and goals. Papa John’s has currently started repurchasing about 1 million shares of its common stock at an average price of $22.52 per share, the company’s board of directors recently extended a repurchase plan through the end of 2010. Papa John’s... ... end-user customers, so as to capture additional market presence. Dominos has recently changed their pizza ingredient and their pricing structure they could become a major threat to Papa John’s customer base because they have always prided themselves on using high-quality ingredients. Dominos is now making attempting to grab up some Papa John’s domestic market share. Works Cited Form 10-K Annual Report Filed Feb 24, 2009, http://ir.papajohns.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1104659-09-11825 (Retrieved 2/11/10) Thursday, February 11, 2010, 2:43pm EST | Modified: Thursday, February 11, 2010, 3:04pm, Papa John’s cooks up heart-shaped pizza promo http://louisville.bizjournals.com/louisville/stories/2010/02/08/daily41.html?ana=yfcpc (Retrieved 2/11/10) http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/22/news/companies/papa_johns_pizza_schnatter.fortune/index.htm (retrieved 2/12/10)

Nursing code of ethics

Ethics refers to the adherence to practices and processes, which are morally acceptable.   Ethical issues are what shape public opinion about an organization. In addition, a code of ethics serves as the benchmark for decision-making. In nursing and healthcare, the issue of culture is more pronounced than anywhere else. In deed, it is in the understanding of the need for a more diversified an ready to serve call that led the University of phoenix to develop a code of conduct for students which guides the nursing students and indeed a the whole university community into understanding how best to deal with the issues of professional relations . The fact that nurses are required to serve many people from various ethnic, religious, racial and cultural backgrounds who come forth to hospitals and healthcare centres in search of health solutions means that, the conduct of nurses must be guided by a common concept which in this case is the code of ethics. Due to these cultural disparities, patients often fail to receive quality services because of practices that are lacking in cultural competence. As a result, the American Association of Nursing has in place a code of ethics which aims at offering guidelines for nurses in the course of service. A code of ethics for nurses and indeed for nursing students is aimed at making sure that, nurses offer service with competence and in an efficient manner in a cross-cultural setting thus enhancing the system’s or institution’s capacity to function in effective ways. The American nursing code of ethics emphasizes on integrity, honesty, care giving, and accountability. Under the provisions in the American code of ethics, nurses are required to strictly act in accordance with the guidelines so as to ensure a smooth running of health care provision in the United States of America. The code of ethics for both nurses and students at the University of Phoenix is aimed at ensuring that, in their professional growth, professional attain qualities which influences the individual’s values, perceptions, beliefs and opinions in corresponding to the professional standards expected of nursing professionals. The US is comprised of the most culturally diverse population.   A big percentage of the world’s ethnic, religious and cultural groups are represented in this population.   This has created a most unique opportunity as well as challenge to many professionals including nursing professionals.   Nurses are presented with patients with very diverse cultural backgrounds. Culture influences how different people will respond to the different ways of health service delivery, interventions and treatment, as a result, the code of ethics is designed to streamline the actions of the nurses in regard best practice. In deed the American nursing code of ethics is designed to guide the nursing professionals into the future. In more the same way as a business strategy, the code of conduct imparts discipline and control in the nursing profession thus making sure that, the profession is ready to face future challenges. Because of the demographic situation in America service providers are under pressure to provide more culturally correct services.   The nursing profession cannot be left behind and therefore the need to comply with the changing needs is overwhelming.   One ethnical principle that guides nurses in their endeavour to provide culturally appropriate care is the appreciating that everyone regardless of their cultural persuasion is entitled to receive quality health care. Cultural differences can influence the caregiver’s prejudices and bias towards a patient.   In a similar way a patient can misconstrue the caregiver’s actions and words.   This can serve to lower the quality of care given to this particular patient.   Professional ethics require that there be no form of discrimination in the provision of health care but in a situation where there is prejudice on either party, then the quality of care is compromised. Nurses are usually supposed to care for the general well being of a patient, they ought to be able to understand and empathize with the patient inorder to cater for their physical and emotional needs.   On an individual level, a nurse has a responsibility to learn the practices that are in accordance to cultural competence. In the year 2010 more than 45% of all patients in the US will come from minority cultures.   This is due to immigration that is the greatest contributor to the cultural diversity.   The health sector has realized the reality of these facts and medical practitioners are now given incentives to encourage them to take up learning on cultural diversity. The above reasons amongst others are worthy considering in regard to how nur4ses in this country are governed. To achieve the health goals, the American nursing association must constantly address the issues at hand and specifically consider reinforcing high values. This is what the American code of conduct seeks to achieve as well as the University of Phoenix Student Code of conduct and the American code of conduct. University Phoenix student code ethics. American nursing code of ethics. http://www.nursingworld.org/ethics/ecode.htm accessed on 07/05/2007   

Big Pharma’s Marketing Tactics Essay

The Big Pharma controversy is about the wide-scale marketing malpractices used by big pharmaceutical companies in America which resulted in a series of negative implications on consumers. It revolves around pharmaceutical companies, government regulators, health professionals (or â€Å"unprofessional†), market consumers and the medical watchdogs. The dispute was formed between the supporters of the marketing tactics used by pharmaceutical representatives and the detractors to it. Specifically it is the context that matters: Is it right, or rather ethical for the medical professionals to profit at the expense of the patients? Are there more underlying factors that led to this controversy? It is important to achieve a balance between the benefits and drawbacks of the marketing tactics used by the pharmaceutical industry; however it is more essential to consider the ethical issues pertaining to these tactics. Certainly, both the consumer welfare and health are of primary concern; but our ethical obligations are not discharged solely by a guarantee of some degree of protection from harm. Still, I strongly believe that the health considerations of consumers should be put before profit maximization, because, unmistakably, the pharmaceutical industry has the responsibility to treat people’s health, instead of harming them. This essay will seek to examine the ethical implications of drug promotion efforts by pharmaceutical giants, the social impacts of drug promotion on consumers as well as the approaches to contain this dispute. Key Issues To Be Discussed  The key ethical issues of argument related to Big Pharma are the questionable marketing practices exercised by the pharmaceutical industry, product safety, science for sale and lobbying efforts. These critical issues have been emotive and multi-dimensional. As a result, it attracted a wide range of views about the topic. Questionable Marketing Practices The marketing efforts of Big Pharma have always been under the media spotlight and the scrutinization of the public and medical watchdogs. The pharmaceutical marketers have made use of different medium to reach to the potential consumers and professionals. The extensiveness of the promotion efforts of the drugs had proliferated into every corners people’s lives. However, many believe that the pharmaceutical industry’s hunger for profits triumphs over their genuine desire to help the public, and that this blinded concern for profits continues to shape the future of this industry. The core of this debate is whether the high cost of drugs is justifiable by the cost of research and development done by the pharmaceutical companies. Has the money been used elsewhere? In fact, the world’s major drug companies have been accused of spending large sums of money on promoting their drugs, rather than researching on them. Big Pharma has developed a plethora of ways to reach out to the public to advertise on their latest and greatest drugs; from television and radio spots to newspaper and internet ads. The advertising budget for the drug companies have sky-rocketed to a significant sum. In 2007, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)’s biggest advertising price tag was attached to Advair, the firm’s blockbuster asthma medication, which rung up US$127 million in advertising spending. The total amount of money spent on marketing by pharmaceuticals was U. S. $57. 5 billion for 2004. The total spent on domestic industrial pharmaceutical R&D was U. S. $31. 5 billion. Clearly, the promotional workings of the drug companies have shown that the U. S. pharmaceutical industry is still mainly marketing-driven. Corrupted practices among doctors and health professionals are not uncommon in the pharmaceutical industry either. Doctors or even undergraduate medical students were bombarded with logo-infested freebies by the companies, in order to persuade them to prescribe their drugs to patients. Many physicians were subjected to financial lures by companies to convince them to favour their drugs and prescribe them. Back in 2009, a study out of Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital found that 84 percent of doctors have ties to drug companies, a ten percent drop from five years earlier. But roughly two thirds of doctors still accept drug samples, while 70 percent accept food and beverage incentives from drug companies. And fourteen percent continue to accept cash payments for services. While some of these unethical practices were tapered off, not all were uprooted. Some octors did not disclose the amount of gifts and cash which they have accepted from the drug companies. They believe that their decisions on the prescription of drugs would not be influenced by the gifts which they have accepted. In my opinion, the supporters, primarily the health professionals and representatives of the pharmaceutical giants, have disregarded the genuine health implications and the high drug costs incurred to the general public in concern. They might try fending off such moral challenges by claiming that substantial amount of advertising is necessary to boost the sales of their products. Securing more profits would also mean more money can be invested on research for better drugs. However, it is evident that the excessive promotional efforts of drugs have blinded the pharmaceutical industry, in the pursuit of more profits and sales. Their main concern of profit maximization still remains ahead of the interests of the community. Corruption practices among health professionals should also be stemmed out so that unfair and biased decisions made by doctors would not affect the drugs prescribed to consumers. A significant sum of money should still be used for the development of better drugs to improve the quality of the lives of people. In conclusion, the principle of utilitarianism actually provides the latitude in deciding the extent of marketing efforts by pharmaceutical giants. Health professionals should not benefit at the expense of the patients. Instead, doctors should always act in the best interest of the patients. It is thus important to achieve a balance between the marketing efforts and the genuine interest for the health of the public. Product Safety The safety of the drugs produced has been a compelling issue in this argument. Drug companies have been reportedly illegally promoting drugs for uses for which they were not approved by the authorities. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alleged that Astra Zeneca, an Anglo-Swedish giant, illegally promoted Seroquel, an anti-psychotic drug, for off-label purposes, specifically to physicians who do not normally treat patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Instead, they marketed it in long-term care facilities and prisons for the treatment of unapproved uses, including Alzheimer’s disease, anger management, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression. Subsequently, it led to the recall of the drugs and AstraZeneca paid $520 million to resolve allegations for illegally marketing Seroquel for unapproved uses. Some of these unapproved drugs were marketed through different means. Very often, these off-label drugs were made from low quality materials, or were contaminated in the production process. Due to the competitive drug market, manufacturers are tempted to cut corners by outsourcing production to potentially unreliable third parties and skimp on testing the product before releasing it into the market. As a result, some of these products could pose significant health risks to consumers. The trust consumers have on Big Pharma still remains as a big question. Should consumers continue to trust that the drugs manufactured by the pharmaceutical companies are legal and safe for consumption? There is no definite answer to it. Pharmaceuticals are responsible for saving and improving the lives of many people. However, it seemed to turn out otherwise. Again, profit maximization remains as the top priority of pharmaceutical companies. I believe it would still take some time before the drug industry come to a conclusion between profit-making and the health considerations of the public. In my opinion, it is reasonable for drug companies to source for cheaper alternative and achieve low costs in drug production; however, it should adjust or halt the development if serious problems emerge. Thereby, it is important for drug manufacturers to be mindful of the negative consequences that their products have on consumers. Science for sale Science has always been considered an objective endeavour that removes any form of bias in researches and is inherently true and reliable. The results should be generated independently, without bias and with the sole desire to find the best treatments. However, medical researches today, have become corrupted by money and special interests, and often misrepresent the truth to suit personal needs or corporate economic interests. The underlying motive still boils down to profit-making. Consider the example of the large and widely quoted Jupiter trial â€Å"proving† that Crestor, a cholesterol-lowering drug, could prevent heart attacks in people with normal or low cholesterol. In this trial researchers twisted the data to suit the commercial sponsor of the study. An independent review of the Jupiter trial published in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that it was deeply flawed and the actual data did not show any benefit for the prevention of heart disease. Most medical researches are undoubtedly funded by pharmaceutical giants. Hence, in order to introduce the product into the market, findings are often tailored to be parallel with the economic interests of the company. I believe it is unethical for Big Pharma to pay researchers to twist the truth about bad outcomes and to sneak distorted information and marketing messages into medical journal articles. The consumers’ healths are at stake as they place much trust in the manufacturer when purchasing the products off shelves. If the research, development and distribution of drugs continue the same as it used to be, not only healthcare is at risk, but so are the research enterprise and the reputations of government bodies. The integrity of scientific research is too important to be left to the invisible hand of the marketplace. Healthcare authorities are needed to regulate and ensure that medical results are not manipulated by selfish pharmaceutical companies which are only concern with individual gains. Lobbying efforts Pharmaceutical giants have spent heavily to lobby government bodies. Part of the high costs of drugs is explainable by the high expenditure devoted to lobbying. New disclosure reports in Congress showed that familiar players at the top of the health-care influence heap, includes $6. 2 million in lobbying by the dominant Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and $4 million by the American Medical Association. Detractors of pharmaceutical lobby argue that the drug’s industry influence allows it to promote legislation friendly to drug manufacturers at the expense of patients. The perfect example of this is the dishonourable legacy of Nevada Senator and U. S. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid. Reid was exposed for accepting large sums of money from Big Pharma in order to craft and guide the health care bill in Big Pharma’s favour. The health care bill drastically expanded Big Pharma’s monopolistic control over America’s health care. Corruption practices by healthcare regulators and government bodies are unavoidable. Acceptance of extravagant gifts and money from powerful lobbyists like Big Pharma would easily allow them to control the government and shape the public health care policies. Financially influenced politicians have their campaigns heavily funded by the pharmaceutical industry. In return, these politicians would help Big Pharma in warding off most government regulations so as to promote their drugs into the drug market. The practice of lobbying is both unethical and deceptive. Such a notion demonstrates the unscrupulous manner in which the pharmaceutical industry runs their operations. It also illustrates that they have no qualms about manipulating the Congress and deceiving the public to achieve their ultimate goals. In my opinion, the government should keep check on these corrupted practices in the Congress and should ban any form of corrupted behaviours that have a large cost to the public. Bridging the gap between the proponents and the detractors Pharmaceutical companies should consider the impact of their actions on the society, who are also direct stakeholders to the issue. The importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) should be further put into actions. Big Pharma should always take actions that protect and improve the welfare of society as a whole along with their own interests. Besides safeguarding economic and legal obligations, certain responsibilities to society should be extended beyond these obligations. I believe that pharmaceutical companies which simply conduct more researches to prove the safety of their products are not going to win over the public totally. Instead, the businesses need to develop more counter-images or cases to boost good representation. It could be better illustrated by taking the case of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)’s initiative of selling the company’s malaria vaccine in Africa for no more than a 5 percent profit. GSK is one of the few pharmaceutical companies that succeeded in developing drugs that are beneficial in the developing world. It is thus evident that the pharmaceutical giant is not all about profit maximizing, but also have the intention to help the less fortunate people. I strongly feel that more stringent regulation and compliance standard from the government would be one way to instill trust in the detractors after all the spotty scandals of Big Pharma. An example would be to issue stronger warnings on the bribes accepted by politicians and researchers from pharmaceutical companies. Given the complexity of the issue, it would help to eradicate any forms of bias in the short run, regardless whether it is for medical researches or bills passed on by the legislation. All in all, it is still dependent on the integrity of researchers and politicians to weigh the risk against potential benefits derived with their own judgement. Higher transparency from the government and corporate would be crucial in determining the trust from the public and the criticism from the detractors. As such, with higher transparency, and more giving back to the society, it might help to regain the public trust and reduce detractor’s scepticism. According to the CSR Pyramid, it is undoubtedly that the biggest responsibility of the Big Pharma should still remain as profit maximization. However, legal obligations should not be neglected as well. Corrupted actions should be eliminated from the industry and healthy marketing practices should be encouraged instead. Accurate medical researches should be bias-free and not swayed by any forms of financial lures. Health professionals should always act in the best interest of patients. The pharmaceutical scene would still require further fine-tuning before we could promote a healthy relationship between the government, the manufacturers and the consumers.