Intro to medical technology Essay Example for Free

Intro to medical technology Essay This course will introduce students to the role, ethics, conduct, certification, education, employment, and fundamental knowledge and skills related to Clinical Laboratory Science. There will also be discussions on the more common laboratory tests associated with diseases of organ systems and how the results are utilized in diagnosis. Selected laboratory exercises from major disciplines in Clinical Laboratory Science will be performed. Course Learning Outcomes Upon completion of the course the student will be able to: 1. Appreciate the important role of the Medical Technologist in the saving of lives and relate that to the role of Jesus in the saving of souls. 2. Describe the different designations of laboratory professionals, the major job functions, and the education requirements for entry into the profession. 3. Discuss the various aspects related to proper techniques, safety and interpretation of procedures presented. 4. Perform laboratory procedures taught utilizing correct techniques. 5. Discuss proper specimen collection techniques. Possess an introductory knowledge of the scope of testing performed in each of the following sections of the Clinical Laboratory: a. Haematology e. Microbiology b. Immunology f. Coagulation c. Immunohaematology g. Mycology d. Clinical Chemistry 7. Contribute to the overall improvement of the healthcare system. Instructional Procedures There will be one 80 minute lecture and a three-hour laboratory session weekly for approximately fifteen weeks. A short devotion will be conducted at the beginning of each class period. There will be written tests, assignments, reading reports and one final comprehensive exam. In the case of absence, the University’s absence policy applies (See NCU Bulletin). Students with excused absences who have missed assignments or tests must make them up within one week of returning to class. The laboratory component of this course will carry a Pass/Fail designation. Failure of the laboratory component results in an automatic failure of the course which must be repeated. A failing laboratory grade will not be included in the calculation of the overall grade for this course. In this course, mastery is the goal, and the student is responsible for the information from assignments, text, manual, class discussion, other reading and laboratory procedures. No assignment should be placed beneath the office door unless otherwise specified by the instructor. In the case of absence, the University’s absence policy applies (See NCU Bulletin). Students with excused absences who have missed assignments or tests must make them up within one week of returning to class. Quizzes cannot be made up. Integration of Faith and Learning Outcomes: 1. Demonstrate the fulfilment of God’s manifestation in our lives as the study the of Clinical Laboratory Science highlights the amazing design of the human machinery and the God given skills required to thoroughly investigate it. 2. Exhibit behaviours that reflect an appreciation of health and wellness as tokens from God to be cherished and a commitment to assist others experiencing ill health through by our skills. Knowledge is power, but it is a power for good only when united with true piety. It must be vitalized by the Spirit of God, in order to serve the noblest purposes. CPT p. 38. NCU Values and Attitudes: Focus 1. Christlikeness 2. Integrity 3. Justice Christlikeness: I, Fabian Pitkin and all the students of MTCH: 106 Introduction to Medical Technology Laboratory class, commit to exercising the highest levels of Christlikeness in all actions during this semester in relation to the following: 1 Handling student issues in a fair and equitable manner 2 Displaying honesty with submitted work 3 Displaying kindness to each other 4 Displaying humility, compassion and unselfishness to each other 5 Showing confidence in all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) Integrity: The facilitator and students will undertake learning experiences that exercise the highest levels of integrity such as: Honouring deadlines in submission of assignments Practising academic honesty with respect to the use of published works and other intellectual property Participating equally in group work and activities Good stewardship of tools, equipment and other resources in the teaching learning environment Give fair evaluation to student work Display proper deportment and conduct. Justice: The facilitator and all students will exercise the highest level of justice and fairness in all actions related to this course in the areas of: Fair grading for tasks submitted for evaluation Timely feedback and redress of inquiries, challenges, issues, grouses Impartial treatment of all students regardless of race, age, religious affiliation, nationality or ethnicity. Access to Computer and Internet Resources: Completing these course requirements necessitates regular access to computer technology and the Internet. If a student does not have a personal computer with Internet access, computers on the University’s Main Campus and Extension Sites are available for student use. Civility, Courtesy and Respect: As professionals, mutual respect is required; the instructor expects all class members to communicate in a professional and courteous manner. While everyone may feel passionate about a particular subject and is entitled to his/her opinions, classroom discourse must always be conducted in a respectful and civil tone. No disrespectful or disparaging comments about gender, ethnicity, religion, et cetera will be tolerated. Honour Code: Regulations on plagiarism and other forms of cheating are strictly enforced. Since engaging in either activity may result in very serious penalties, including failing grades, or dismissal from the University, you should endeavour to avoid such activities. Any assignment or work submitted for this course must not have been submitted for any other course. No written or digitally authored work may be submitted for academic credit more than once. If you have questions about how this may apply to an assignment you are considering for this course, please ask the facilitator for clarification. Students with a Disabling Condition: Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements, should communicate with the instructor in a timely manner, to seek such special considerations. Students should present appropriate verification from the relevant administrative office at the University. There is no guideline indicating that special considerations be given prior to completion of the existing university verification process. Course Content Lecture 1. Introduction to the Profession and Fundamentals of the Clinical Laboratory No. Of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Describe the evolution of Clinical Laboratory Science 2. Draw and describe the organizational structure of a healthcare organization 3. Name the departments of a clinical laboratory 4. Describe the various sites for laboratory testing 5. Describe the importance of regulations concerning the quality and reliability of laboratory work. 6. Describe the various categories of personnel in the clinical laboratory 7. Name and describe non-analytical and analytical factors in quality assessment. 8. Describe proficiency testing. 9. Name three medical-legal issues and discuss issues associated with each. 10. Discuss the future directions for laboratory medicine. Content: 1. Functions of the clinical laboratory 2. Organization with the clinical laboratory 3. Regulatory bodies (OSHA, CLIA, etc) 4. Introduction to speciality areas of the clinical laboratory 5. Credentialing 6. Professional organizations 7. Quality Assessment Activities: 1. Group work (Think/pair/share) – What is Medical Technology? What does it entail? 2. Discussion – How important/ integral is this profession to the health care delivery system? Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 4 -20 Lecture 2. Safety in the clinical laboratory, Specimen Collection, Transportation Handling Laboratory No. of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Describe the basic aspects of infection control policies, including how and when to use PPEs and the reasons for using Standard Precautions. 2. Describe the procedure for decontaminating a work area and the steps to be employed when cleaning up hazardous spills. 3. Describe the basic steps if first aid. 4. Identify seven factors that should be monitored by quality assessment methods. 5. Demonstrate and describe the skills needed to interact with patients in the collection of specimens 6. Describe the principles and applications of Standard Precautions 7. Discuss general specimen preparation guidelines 8. Identify unacceptable laboratory specimens 9. Explain the chain of custody in specimen handling 10. Describe relevant medical-legal issues related to specimen collection Content: 1. Occupational Safety and Health Administration Acts and Standards 2. Handwashing Immunization 4. Prophylaxis 5. Exposure control 6. Laboratory Hazards 7. General Infection control Activities: 1. Group work (Think/pair/share) – Why is it so important to be immunized prior to entering into the clinical laboratory? 2. Discussion – What is the value of proper sample collection and handling to the generation of quality patient results? Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 21-72 Assessment # 1: This assesses knowledge, comprehension, and synthesis of facts and principles outline in the lecture. Assessment tools- Matching, Short Answers and Short essays. Content Knowledge Comprehension Synthesis Total Lecture 1 10 20 20 50 Lecture 2 10 20 20 50 Total 20 40 40 100 Lecture 3. Systems of measurement, Laboratory Equipment, and Reagents; The Microscope; Measurement Techniques in the Clinical Laboratory No. of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Convert metric units of measurement for weight, volume, and temperature to English units and metric units or metric units to English units. 2. Convert temperature from degrees Celsius to degrees Fahrenheit or Kelvin. Describe the various types and uses of laboratory volumetric glassware, the techniques for their use, and the various types of glass used to manufacture them. 4. Describe types and uses of laboratory centrifuges. 5. Compare various forms and grades of water used in the laboratory and how each is each. 6. Demonstrate how to properly label a container used to store a laboratory reagent or solution. 7. Identify the parts of the microscope. 8. Explain the difference between magnification and resolution. 9. Define alignment, and describe the process of aligning a microscope. 10. Describe the procedure for correct light adjustment to obtain maximum resolution with sufficient contrast. 11. Identify the four basic measurement techniques. 12. Describe the principle of absorbance spectrophotometry. 13. Explain how the intensity of colour in a substance can be used to measure its concentration. 14. Define Beer’s Law. 15. Name the components of the spectrophotometer. Identify three quality control tests for the spectrophotometers. 17. Describe the principle of nephelometry. Content: 1. International Systems 2. Laboratory plasticware and glassware 3. Laboratory balances 4. Laboratory centrifuges 5. Laboratory reagent water 6. Reagents used in laboratory assays 7. Use of the microscope 8. Photometry 9. Absorbance spectrophotometry 10. Nephelometry 11. Electrochemical methods Activities: 1. Group work (Think/pair/share) – Problem solving; converting Fahrenheit to Celsius to Kelvin and finding unknown concentrations using the Beer’s law. Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 78 147 Lecture 4. Quality Assessment Quality Control in the Clinical Laboratory, Central Laboratory Automation Point-of-Care Testing, and Laboratory Information Systems No. Of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Discuss how professional regulations require the implementation of quality assessment programs in the clinical laboratory. 2. Identify the components necessary to a laboratory’s quality assessment program, including its quality control program and the use of control specimens 3. Assess the diagnostic usefulness of results reported, which requires an understanding of accuracy and precision as well as specificity and sensitivity, for laboratory tests and methodologies. 4. Explain the sources of variance in a laboratory procedure 5. Explain the importance of a quality control program, including the use of control samples, the determination of the control range, and the use of quality control charts 6. Describe the use of reference values, including the use of the mean and the standard deviation in determination of the reference range. 7. Explain the major benefits of laboratory automation 8. Describe the five steps in automated analysis 9. Compare the major advantages and disadvantages of point-of-care testing 10. Identify the four categories of Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA ’88) test procedures 11. Provide examples of instrument-based point-of-care testing 12. Identify at least six characteristics to consider when selecting a point-of-care instrument. 13. Describe overall product and functions of laboratory information systems 14. List and describe components of a computer system 15. Define the abbreviations LAN and WAN 16. Define and give examples of preanalytical and postanalytical testing 17. Identify and describe five Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) standards for design, compatibility, and integration of automated clinical laboratory systems. Content: 1. Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments 2. Accrediting Organizations 3. Quality assessment consideration 4. Quality assessment descriptors 5. Quality control statistics 6. Monitoring quality control Activities: 1. Group work (Think/pair/share) – Problem solving: Laboratory statistics and generation of Levy Jennings chart. 2. Discussion – Practical ways of ensuring quality in the clinical laboratory Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 161 -194 Lecture 5. Laboratory Mathematics and Introduction to Clinical Chemistry No. Of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Calculate proportions and ratios 2. Calculate the requirements for solutions of a given volume and molarity 3. Describe the procedures for making a single dilution and a serial dilution 4. Calculate the amount of one solution needed to make a solution of a lesser concentration from it. 5. Differentiate the expressions of solution concentration weight per unit weight and weight per unit volume. 6. Prepare a percent solution 7. Compare the pathophysiology of types I and II diabetes. 8. Describe the symptoms of diabetes. 9. Identify the four major electrolytes found in blood and body fluids. 10. Name and compare renal function assays. 11. List the major lipid fractions. 12. List the major cardiac markers. 13. Describe liver and pancreatic assays and their significance. 14. Compare the clinical significance of various types of tumours markers. 15. Describe therapeutic drug assays and identify drugs of abuse. Content: 1. Density and specific gravity 2. Expressions of solution concentration 3. Proportions and ratios 4. Concentration of solutions 5. Dilutions 6. Diabetes 7. Electrolytes Acid-base balance 9. Renal function and other organ markers 10. Lipids 11. Hormone assays 12. Tumour markers Activities: 1. Group work (Think/pair/share) – Problem solving in serial dilution, creatinine clearance determination. 2. Discussion – Does automation in the clinical chemistry department render the department the most relaxing environment? Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 151 -159; 200 232 Sectional # 2- This assesses knowledge, comprehension, and application of facts and principles outline in the lecture. Assessment tools-Calculations, Matching, and Short essays. Content Knowledge Comprehension Synthesis Total Lecture 3 10 10 10 30 Lecture 4 10 10 15 35 Lecture 5 10 10 15 35 Total 30 30 40 100 Lecture 6. Introduction to Haematology Haemostasis; Introduction to Blood Banking No. of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Describe the composition of blood 2. Explain the proper processing and testing of haematological samples 3. Discuss the significance of a complete blood count 4. Describe and perform a differential blood count 5. Discuss the common laboratory tests used for coagulation and haemostasis. 6. Define the terms immunohaematology, blood banking, and transfusion medicine 7. Explain the role of antigens and antibodies in immunohaematology 8. Compare ABO red blood cell and serum typing procedures 9. List and explain the components of compatibility testing, including identification, ABO and Rh typing, screening for unexpected antibodies and cross matching 10. Identify and describe the various red blood cell components and derivatives used for transfusion including packed red blood cells, plasma, and platelets, and explain the reason for transfusion of each. Content: 1. Haemoglobin 2. Haematocrit 3. Red blood cell indices 4. Blood cell counts 5. Examination of the peripheral smear 6. Blood cell alterations 7. Haemostatic mechanism 8. Tests for haemostasis Activities: 1. Case study – Case review on anaemia Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 238 – 342; 543 565 Lecture 7. Renal physiology and urinalysis, Introduction to the examination of Body Fluids No. of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Define routine urinalysis, and describe its three main components. 2. Explain the clinical usefulness of urinalysis. 3. Describe the basic anatomic components of the urinary system and the function of each. 4. Define cerebrospinal fluid and describe the components of the routine examination. 5. Define synovial fluid 6. Discus the clinical significance of tests for faecal occult blood. 7. Describe the component of a semen analysis. Content: 1. Renal anatomy and physiology 2. Composition of urine 3. Physical, chemical and microscopic examination of urine 4. Faecal occult blood Activities: 1. Group work (Think/pair/share) – Microscopic mapping the production of urine Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 351 414 Assessment # 3- This assesses knowledge, comprehension, application and basic analysis of facts and principles outline in the lecture. Assessment tools- multiple choice, Short Answers and Short essays. Content Knowledge Comprehension Synthesis Total Lecture 6 10 20 20 50 Lecture 7 10 20 20 50 Total 20 40 40 100 Lecture 8. Introduction to Microbiology No. of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Define the terms: microorganisms, normal and abnormal flora. 2. Discuss basic equipment and techniques used in Microbiology. 3. Discuss steps taken in bacterial identification. 4. Explain the process and purpose of antimicrobial susceptibility testing. 5. Describe the requirement for bacterial cultivation and the common types of media. Content: 1. Introduction to micro-organisms 2. Classification of micro-organisms 3. Basic equipment and techniques used in microbiology 4. Types of specimens 5. Culture and sensitivity 6. Fungi and parasite testing Activities: 1. Group work (Think/pair/share) – Media classification and identification Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 447 -500 Lecture 9. Introduction to Immunology Serology No. of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Define the term immunology. 2. Define the terms antigen and antibody. 3. Describe the general characteristics of antigens and antibodies. 4. Describe the characteristics of agglutination. 5. Compare the grading of agglutination reactions. 6. Name and compare the principles of latex agglutination, coagglutination, liposome-mediated agglutination, direct, bacterial agglutination, and haemagglutination. 7. Briefly describe the applications of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Southern blot, Northern blot, Western blot and DNA chip technology. Content: 1. Overview immunology and serology 2. Antigens and antibodies 3. Specimens for serology and immunology 4. Common immunologic and serologic tests Activities: 1. Group work (Think/pair/share) – Confidentially and HIV reports 2. Group revision – Brief review of the lecture Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 505 530 Assessment # 4- This assesses knowledge, comprehension, application and basic analysis of facts and principles outline in the lecture. Assessment tools- multiple choice, matching and short essays. Content Knowledge Comprehension Synthesis Total Lecture 8 10 20 20 50 Lecture 9 10 20 20 50 Total 20 40 40 100 LECTURE SCHEDULE Modes of Teaching and Learning Student Evaluation A final grade will be assigned on the basis of the student’s performance on tests, assignments, reading reports, labs and the final comprehensive examination. B 70-74 B- 65-69 C+ 60-64 C 55-59 C- 50-54 D 0-49 F Grading system Grades are assigned numerical values as follows: GRADE Quality Points Definition A 4. 00 Superior A- 3. 67 Superior B+ 3. 33 Superior B 3. 00 Above Average B- 2. 67 Above Average C+ 2. 33 Above Average C 2. 00 Average C- 1. 67 Average D+ 1. 33 Below Average D 1. 00 Below Average F 0. 00 Below Average Expectations: 1. Attend all lectures, labs and tests. 2. Read assigned material before each lecture or lab session in order to participate meaningfully in class discussions and to better understand what is expected for the laboratory exercise. Present all labs and assignments on time and in a neat format. No late work will be accepted. No overdue assignment will be accepted at the end of the semester. 4. Submit a one-page (250-300 words) reading report on the last Thursday of each month. Reading reports should be done from journal articles pertaining to any discipline of Medical Technology. Source should have been published within the last two years and cited according to the CBE format. A copy of the article read should be attached to the report upon submission. Topics for each month are: September – Accreditation for Clinical Laboratories October – Quality Assessment in the Clinical Laboratory November– choose one of the major disciplines of Medical Technology (Clinical Microbiology, Haematology, Immunohaematology, Clinical Chemistry) and report on what was read from a scientific journal article. 5. Submit a written assignment specified Wednesdays following a lecture. Each assignment is gear towards cementing principles and facts as taught in lecture and as such evaluates knowledge, comprehension and synthesis of information. 6. Use the lab objectives as a study review guide for examinations. All cellular phones and any other electronic or mechanical gadgets should be turned off during class and laboratory sessions. Disturbance of the class session will result in suspension from the class. 8. Take responsibility for your tenure at Northern Caribbean University and display a professional attitude befitting that of the Medical Technology profession, always bearing in mind that patients’ lives are in your hands. 9. Give at least five (5) hours to the community in voluntary service within the discipline of Medical Technology. This may be organized or arranged by the teacher in the form of a health fair or it may be done through the students’ own initiative which may be reported to and reviewed by the teacher prior to initiation and or completion. REFERENCE MATERIAL Rubrics for Evaluating Oral Presentations ONLINE RULES/POLICIES: All papers and assignments submitted should include a certificate of authorship digitally signed by the student. Be aware that any submitted work for this course may be subjected to detection of plagiarism and breach of copyright. Participation students are required to login at least twice per week to the course website where assignments and announcements will be posted and accepted. An audit/tracking feature embedded in the eLearning system ? orion DL, will be utilized to monitor student activity. Conduct within the Online Learning Environment the same guidelines that apply to traditional classes should be observed in the eLearning environment. Please use proper netiquette when interacting with class members and the course instructor. ONLINE COURSE ACCESS Students will use their ? orion user account credentials to login to the course through the ? Orion Learning Management System (? orion LMS): http://aeorionde. ncu. edu. jm/. For assistance or further details regarding access to online courses please visit: https://aeorionde. ncu. edu. jm/corp/help. aspx For first time users or those requiring further familiarity with the eLearning system, please visit http://aeorionde. ncu. edu. jm/ and click on the orientation link. University Information Systems Services (UNISS) provides technical support between the hours of 8:00AM and 10:00PM Mondays through Thursdays and 8:00AM to 1:30PM on Fridays. The help desk may be reached at (1-876-523-2064) or online chat for immediate assistance. Email service requests can be directed to: [emailprotected] edu. jm POLICY ON SERVER UNAVAILABILITY OR OTHER TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES The university is committed to providing a reliable online course system to all users. However, in the event of any unexpected server outage or any unusual technical difficulty which prevents students from completing a time sensitive assessment activity, the instructor will provide an appropriate accommodation based on the situation. Students should immediately report any problems to the instructor and also contact the UNISS eLearning Help Desk: http://uniss. Ncu. edu. jm/elearninghelp , 1-876-523-2064. The instructor and the UNISS eLearning Help Desk will work with the student to resolve any issues at the earliest possible time. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS In addition to a competent level of computer and Internet literacy, there are some minimum technical requirements must be met to enable a successful learning experience. Please review the important technical requirements and the web browser configuration information at http://aeorionde. ncu. edu. jm/ to ensure that your personal computer meets the outlined requirements. This course has integrated communication tools that may be used to facilitate interaction and communication. Other communication mediasuch as email, instant messaging and web conferencing tools may also be utilized throughout the course. For more details please visit http://aeorionde. ncu. edu. jm/features . Interaction with Instructor: The instructor will communicate with students primarily using the Announcements and Discussions tools. Students may send personal concerns or questions to the instructor via email or using the course messaging module. The instructor will as much as possible reply to student’s queries within a week. LIBRARY SERVICES Distance Learners will need an ? orion user account to access all of the library’s electronic resources (reserves, journal articles, ebooks and search online databases) from off campus. For NCU students living close to one of our extension campuses, a valid NCU ID card is required to check out materials from the Library. For more information on library resources go to http://www. ncu. edu. jm/library/ ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION Please use the Assignments link on the course menu or see the icon on the designated page to upload assignments. You may click on the link for each assignment and follow the on-screen instructions to upload and submit your file(s). Bear in mind that you may only submit each assignment once, after which you should receive an onscreen confirmation. Please refer to the Help menu for more information on using this tool. Please note: each assignment link will be deactivated after the assignment due time. Additionally, unless stated otherwise, assignments are typically due at 11:59 PM on the specified date. After your submission is graded, you may click each assignment’s â€Å"Graded† tab to check the results and feedback. If necessary drafts of work for mastery learning may be sent via email to the instructor for review prior to submission. For team project assignments, one group member will submit the assignment for the group and all group members will be able to view the results and feedback once it’s been graded. Assignment Submission Instructions using Turnitin: Assignment(s) will be submitted and inspected via Turnitin, which is an integrated eLearning tool for plagiarism detection. To submit your assignments, click on the Turnitin icon located on the assignment submission web page. Next, click the submit icon. After which you will need to upload your assignment file please note that only one file may be submitted. To submit your assignment, click on â€Å"Browse† and locate your file then click the Submit button. You will be able to review before confirming your submission. You may return at a later time when the report is available, typically within 24 hours, to review the Originality Report which indicates the sources detected and how similar the assignment is to these sources. 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The Business Culture In China

The Business Culture In China Culture is a complicated concept to define due to its multi-dimensional attribute and the existing disparity in evidence on diverse cultural facets. Understanding culture is a key issue in the development of cross-cultural relationships and is one of the main issues facing multi-national enterprises (MNEs) both internally within the human resource team and externally such as relationship with buyers suppliers from different countries. Culture is also a vital factor that needs to be considered when a firm is expanding internationally, mode of entry to a foreign market, foreign direct investments and also during international mergers acquisitions. In this essay we will discuss first about culture in general, then we will discuss about various dimensions of culture proposed by Hofstede and Trompenaars and then highlight about the business culture of china as per Hofstedes cultural dimensions. Further to this we discuss about a couple of US MNEs international behaviour in Chinese marke t and conclude by discussing on the implications of Chinese business culture on doing business in China Review on culture Culture is a very complex topic and has many definitions. Kroeber Kluckhohn (1952) were able to collect more than 160 definitions of culture. Hence, it is vital to comprehend culture in different perspectives. Its impact on business has been discussed from various perspectives (MÃ ¶ller Svahn 2002). Goodenough (1971) sees culture as a set of beliefs or standards, shared by a group of people, which help the individual decide what is, what can be, how to feel, what to do and how to go about doing it. Hofstede (2001) defines culture as the collective mental programming of the mind which distinguishes one group or category of people from another. Culture has also been defined as a multifaceted and organized set of elements, comprising understanding, beliefs, values, arts, law, manners and morals, and all other kind of skills and habits acquired by a human being as a member of a particular society (Usunier 1996). Culture is the system of shared values that differentiates the members of one group from another (Hofstede, 1980; Mueller Thomas, 2001). Thus, national culture acts as the common frame of reference or logic by which members of a society view organizations, the environment, and their relations to one another (Geletkanycz, 1997). The sources of culture have been divided into the following categories: language, nationality, education, profession, ethnic group, religion, family, sex, social class and corporate or organisational culture (Usunier 1996). A vital component in culture is language, especially for international business. But not only verbal communication is of significance, also the messages given through non-verbal communication; gestures, gesticulations and attitudes are significant. Eye contact, touching, space and privacy are understood and used differently in different cultures. At least 75% of all communication is non-verbal (Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner 1997). Nationality and national culture is often considered a cornerstone of culture. Dimensions of culture Hofstede (1980, 1984), Hofstede and Bond (1988) and Trompenaars (1994) all proposed cultural dimensions by which diverse national cultural patterns can be evaluated. In this essay, we will be discussing more about the Hofstedes Cultural dimensions as they are extensively cited in the literature. Cultural dimensions simplify the judgment practice by highlighting the core elements on which national culture can be compared. These elements are universal across all national cultures. National culture pertains to the culture of a sovereign country not to the different sub-cultures that exist within each sovereign country. Trompenaars (1994) proposed seven cultural dimensions and clustered them beneath three major headings: those arising from relationships with other people, those involving the passage of time and those emerging from our attitudes towards the environment. The seven dimensions are: attitudes to time; universalism vs particularism; individualism vs collectivism; emotional; specific/diffuse; achievement/ascription and internal environmental control/external environmental control. Hofstede (1980) highlighted four cultural dimensions: power distance; masculinity/femininity; individualism/collectivism; and uncertainty avoidance. In addition to the original four cultural dimensions, Hofstede (1990) suggested the fifth cultural dimension, called Confucian Work Dynamic. The Chinese Culture Connection (1987) conducted a Chinese Value Survey (CVS) based on traditional Chinese cultural values and recognized this non-Western cultural dimension. Three of the four factors were concurrent with Hofstedes (1984) work-related cultural dimensions. Only one factor, Confucian work dynamics, was not related with Hofstedes (1984) cultural dimensions. Hofstede (1990) espoused this eastern cultural dimension as the fifth work-related cultural dimension in his book, Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. Hofstede (2001) renamed this cultural dimension as Long-Term Orientation (LTO). Power distance (PD) This dimension states the level of reception of inequality in a society. Inequality is found in all societies, and is visible at all levels: physical, social, material, political and legal. PD also indicates to the power disproportion between superiors and subordinates. Uncertainty avoidance (UA) This dimension conveys the outlook towards anxiety over the unknown. Some societies show more anxiety than others in their ways of handling with uncertainties. In high UA organizations, there are more written set of laws in order to lessen uncertainty, whereas in low UA firms, there are smaller number of written regulations and practices. In countries high in UA, employees are expected to abide by the leaders without inquiring leaders intentions and judgments (Hofstede, 2001). Individualism/Collectivism This dimension refers to the socialization an individual receives, either as an individual who stands on his or her own merit, a person whose well-being and happiness will result from his or her own doing, or, as an individual who primarily stands as a member of a group. Masculinity/Femininity Masculinity/Femininity conveys the tendency for some countries to practise qualities conventionally ascribed to women, and which are the quests of social concord, quality of life, and nurturing of relationships. Societies putting more stress on the pursuit of such qualities are called feminine. In contrast, masculine societies, stress the pursuit of qualities often related to manly conduct, such as valuing work over social pursuits, and the accrual of material wealth, over social harmony and quality of life (Hofstede, 2001). Confucian dynamism or Long-term orientation (LTO) According to Hofstede (1991), long-term orientation relates to a positive, dynamic, and future oriented culture linked with four positive Confucian values: persistence (perseverance); ordering relationships by status and observing this order; thrift; and having a sense of shame. This dimension has not been well received by the researchers globally. Business Culture of China The most vital depiction of Chinese culture is its high collectivism and power distance. The majority Chinese leaders have a high power distance, and only rely on the one they know or who are close to them. They wont give the power to anyone not in their group or party, and its hard for subordinates to gain high levels of trust from their leaders (Casimir et al 2006). Various Chinese original concepts, such as face, harmony, guanxi (interpersonal links), renqin (kindness), and paternalistic leadership, can be sketched to these two broad cultural dimensions. Chinese are reasonably low in Uncertainty avoidance, which means that they are not worried by uncertainty and ambiguity. Chinese are also recognized for their stress on hard work and thrift, an attribute explained as Confucian dynamism by Bond (Chinese Culture Connection, 1987) or long-term orientation by Hofstede (2001). Fascinatingly, China is considered as high in Embeddedness (e.g., protect my public image and social order), H ierarchy (e.g., humble and authority), and Mastery (e.g., successful and ambitious) based on Schwartzs values at the culture level (Schwartz, 2006). Embeddedness and hierarchy appear to match to collectivism and power distance, respectively, but Mastery is a comparatively novel depiction of Chinese people in the cross-cultural literature. The Chinese Culture Connection study (1987) depicted 40 values that can be ascribed to Chinese culture. These Chinese values are shown in table 1. Table 1: The 40 Chinese values in the Chinese value survey (Source: The Chinese Culture Connection 1987) Lets discuss about Motorola and Microsoft, both are US MNEs and their journey to enter Chinese market (Gao Y 2007). Motorola entered China in 1987 and now it is one of the most successful foreign companies in china. Microsoft also entered China in 1992 but its journey to China has been bumpier compared to Motorola. The presidency of Microsoft China has been changed five times after the establishment. Various methods used by these firms to make a smooth sail in China were: 1) Lobbying or Gongguan in Chinese and to lobby, a firm should build high-quality guanxi (relationship) with the government. Here lobbying means like building guanxi with Chinese government officials. The president of Motorola visited dignitaries of the Central Government of China to assemble their views on the entry of Motorola before they entered China. In order to get a constructive impression from Chinese government, Motorola donated cell phones to Chinese government officials. Microsoft also used the ways that Motorola adopted but has not been enough successful. Firstly, Bill Gates came to China for the first time almost a year after Microsofts entry into China, Chinese government officials believed that Gates looked down on the Chinese market. 2) Code of conduct Every MNE has its own code of conduct, but China also has its business game rules and amalgamation of the business game rules of China with the codes of conduct of MNEs decides the victory or collapse of MNEs in China. Motorola demonstrated an excellent fit between its own codes of conduct and the business game rules of China. Firstly, it abides by the laws and regulations of China, and makes substantive deal and sets up joint ventures with Chinese enterprises as per the request of Chinese government. Secondly, it respects Chinese culture, and tries to acclimatize its organisational culture to Chinese culture. Thirdly, it shows an excellent understanding of Chinese political context. In 1992, Motorola went ahead to set up branch es of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Motorola also announced that members of CPC have the priority to get jobs from it. Comparatively, Microsoft also has its own codes of conduct, but it doesnt bother about incorporating it with the Chinese business game rules. Firstly, Microsoft was reluctant to set up joint ventures with Chinese companies. Secondly, Microsoft organisational culture is not acknowledged by the Chinese government and NGOs but Microsoft doesnt want to amend it. Thirdly, In 1999 Microsoft also blamed Chinese companies of piracy, which showed that Microsoft didnt comprehend the business game rule in China. Here I also want to bring some personal information about the Chinese culture, my younger brother works for ZTE in India, one of the major telecom firms of china. I was having a discussion with him and asked him about the Chinese culture that prevails in ZTE, he also emphasised that Chinese believe in relationship (guanxi), thats how their business runs. Chinese also expects others to respect their society and culture and they believe in hierarchy and the employees who are old in the organization ought to be respected. Although due to the influence of western culture, Chinese culture is changing towards individualism but overall they are more collectivistic and give more importance to group rather then individual. Culture is perceptibly not stationary. As societies become affluent, the need for interdependence is diminished, leading to individualism. This reckoning suggests that Chinese should turn into more individualistic over time, and Chinese in more affluent regions are expected to be more individualistic. China may be changing toward individualism; it is still on the collectivistic part in the worldwide pitch. Even Hofstede suggested that value transform does happen, but a number of values possibly will change gradually that may take several decades to discover. Chinas hyper economic development has boosted living values upward speedily, leading to a significant change in the social norm about money and materialism and its acceptance by the Chinese society (Abramson Inglehart, 1995; Fang, 2006). A study by Chen (1995) showed that Chinese desire a merit-based incentive scheme even more stoutly than Americans, perhaps reflecting the change in Chinese culture. Implications for International Business in China None of the MNEs can overlook China, because of its massive market potential and its low cost configuration. MNEs need to analyze critically about the Chinese market and the prevailing culture to be successful in China. China is complex and diverse with changing paradigm in culture. Knowing guanxi is definitely useful, but one cannot presume that this information is valid to all the Chinese people that they come across. Multinationals have to be insightful about the dissimilarity between the social and economic apprehensions of Chinese people. Provided the popularity of materialism in contemporary China, many management practices as participative management, empowerment, job enrichment, knowledge management and total quality management may necessitate a high degree of inherent motivation for them to be successful. Regardless of the fact that Chinese may be more long-term oriented, based on the yin/yang principles, Fang (2006) has presented a dialectical outlook of culture, which prop osed an account for an array of ostensibly inconsistent behavioural patterns in various cultures. Thus, it is not astounding that Chinese may be long-term oriented in a few contexts, but are short-term oriented at work.

Internet Advertising Essay -- Computers Technology Media Essays

Internet Advertising The November cover story for Newsweek was entitled â€Å"e-life† and the issue was dedicated to the many ways that the Internet is changing our lives and work. While the changes have affected many industries and many jobs, one of the biggest changes in marketing and sales is the rapid and unpredictable growth of Internet-based sales and advertising. Currently, many users benefit from the use of â€Å"free† email sites and Web-search portals, all of which are funded by revenues from banner advertising. (Sadly for these advertisers, many are increasingly able to ignore this stimulus). All types of businesses now want to reach an audience that is more consistently â€Å"logged on† to the Internet. If the Internet is where the customers are to be found, then that is where advertisers must go. While many of us are acutely aware of this fact, few of us know enough about how to place ads, what types of ads are available, and how the industry is changing. This paper is dedicated to understanding this topic further. The Context: Who Is Spending On Ads and How Much? In 1997, businesses spent $600 million on Internet advertising, and Internet ad spending rose to $1 billion in 1998.[1] To put these numbers in context, it is useful to compare the growth in Web advertising to the growth in non-Web advertising[2]: Year Web Advertising Spending $ Non-Web Ad Spending $ 1997 600M 133 Trillion 1998 1B 155 Trillion Such a table indicates clearly that Internet ad spending doubled while non-Web spending grew by 17%, and these numbers give marketers some sense of the urgency and immediacy of the need to learn about Web-based advertising. Interestingly, marketers have caught on: studies show that total I... ...arketers in cyberspace are: consider what type of ads you want to place, consider carefully how you plan to measure success of your campaign- attempt to monitor mindshare as well as final sales. [1] www.computerworld.com, BancAmerica Corp., Robertson, Stephens & Co. Date posted: Feb. 23, 1998 [2] Ibid. Source: Veronis Suhler & Associates and BancAmerica Corp., Robertson, Stephens & Co. estimates (12/97) [3] Ibid. [4] Internet Advertising Bureau, December 29, 1997. [5] Internet.about.com/business/Internet/library/weekly/1999/aa061499.htm?iam=dp&rf=dp, Dateline: 06/14/99 [6] www.adres.Internet.com [7] www.blueplatypus.com, â€Å"interstitial ads† search. [8] Ibid. [9] Ibid. [10] Internet.about.com/business/Internet/library/weekly/1999/aa061499.htm?iam=dp&rf=dp Dateline: 06/14/99 [11] adres.Internet.com/primer/article/0,1401,,00.html

Flag Desecration is Freedom of Expression :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Flag Desecration is Freedom of Expression Our nation’s flag is an everlasting symbol of freedom and hope that stands as a testament to our nation’s power. Most importantly our flag represents the freedom of the individual to express his ideals as they see fit. Therefore when the very essence of Americans freedom is challenged by the â€Å"flag amendment,† that would forbid the desecration of the American flag, a dilemma forms. While flag burning is highly offensive, it is none the less a means of expression and is protected by the constitution of America. Forbidding an individual from expressing themselves is the opposite of what our flag represents. Even though Flag burning is considered one of the highest displays of hatred toward a country, it is still protected by the first amendment. It is a means of expression. Despite the fact that this sounds a little farfetched, flag desecration is under the same category as art, or literature—expression. When an individual feels dissatisfaction towards his country, depending on the individual, they may write a political satire, draw a political cartoon, or burn the flag. It is all relevant to the level of dissatisfaction of the individual. Flag burning cannot be thought of outside of the spectrum of expression. In some cases flag burning is not even taken seriously by those involved in the act; most cases are considered â€Å"drunken pranks† or merely â€Å"teenage vandalism.† In the entire history of the United States there have been less than two hundred reported cases of flag desecration. In addition to the fact that there is a lack of flag burning in total, flag desecration is on the decline—In 1996 there were 31 reported cases, in 2002 11 cases, in 2003 six cases, and this year so far there has been only one case. The U.S. Supreme Court, the highest court in the judicial system, ruled that â€Å"the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea offensive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Supporting this amendment debases the ideals of our founding fathers.

External and Internal Forces in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Essay

External and Internal Forces in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte In Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Jane Eyre, the eventual goal of Jane Eyre’s journeys and struggles as a character is for Jane to be strong enough within herself to stand on her own. It is not until she finds this internal strength that she can live as a content individual and weather the distracting demands put on her by the external forces that surround her. Throughout most of the novel, Jane makes the mistake of looking for this internal peace through external forces like Mrs. Reed, Mr. Rochester and St. John. To convey this tendency, Charlotte Brontà « constructs her narrative so that, rather than looking within herself to find internal solace, Jane turns away from cold, alien internal imagery, and looks instead to fickle external imagery that is at times a friend, and at times a foe. The internal imagery is reflective of Jane’s own internal state, and the external imagery is reflective of the state of the external forces that surround her; until Jane realizes t hat she cannot find solace in the ever-changing external forces around her, and must instead look inside herself for this solace, the internal imagery must remain cold and alien, and the external imagery must remain unpredictable in its ability to comfort. For the purposes of this paper, the external world is defined as any force, whether this force is human or of the natural world, that is outside of Jane Eyre, and thus threatens to distract Jane from her essential journey as a character. The internal self is within Jane, and must be strong in order for Jane to stand on her own and able to withstand the external forces of the narrative. From the very first scenes of the novel, Jane looks to the external wor... ...the wood symbolizes and find their way home, toward the internal happiness that â€Å"home† represents. The novel Jane Eyre details one woman’s journey to find a place for herself in a world that does not want her. In order to do this, she must find internal strength and solace. For a large portion of the novel, she seeks and fails to find this through external forces. For every two steps forward, she takes one step back because of external forces that draw her away from this internal self. However, Jane does manage to progress and eventually find internal happiness. Her journey and her turn to the external, battle with the internal, and eventual acceptance of her internal self in spite of external forces is embodied in the external and internal imagery that Bronte uses throughout the course of the novel. Such imagery is inherently necessary to Jane’s evolution.

Body Paragraphs Essay

There have been thousands of studies done on the effects of television on children. Most of these studies have leaned toward the negative effects that television has on children. According to a study by the University of Michigan, even though television can have positive effects it can also affect the health, behavior and family life of children in negative ways. Also while studies have been done on the effects that television has on children under the age of two there has been no clear evidence on the effects. Some studies have shown that it may lead to learning and attention problems, but not the experts have agreed this is true. Children are seeing more and more violence on television every day. Even in G rated movies children are subject to violent acts. All we have to do is look at some of the Disney movies over the years. While Snow White was a positive upbeat person that was nice to everyone, she was still killed by the wicked witch. The movie the Lion King shows children how Scar plotted the death of Mufasa and it shows Simba coming back for revenge. Then you have cartoons like The Simpsons and Family Guy. These show play up the use of foul language, violence, and disrespecting everyone, especially your parents. The characters on these shows have become idols. Bart Simpson and Stewie have become idols to children. They talk like them and act like them. They think that when they are violent or they curse or when they disrespect their parents it is funny and something that they should do. An average American child will see 200,000 violent acts and 16,000 murders on TV by the age of 18 (www.med.umich.edu). This viewing of violent acts are desensitizing are children to violence. They are becoming less aware of violent acts or just don’t care that much when they happen right in front of  them. There is a research report that was written in 2009 by Brad J. Bushman and Craig A. Anderson called â€Å"Comfortably Numb The Desensitizing Effects of Violent Media on Helping Others. This research shows the how violence in movies and on television desensitizes people to violent acts or the plights of others around them. They are also their fear of the world is increased. They are seeing that not only the bad guys are violent but the good guys are extremely violent and that they get away with the violence. Children are not sure who they can trust or who is good. Some even see that by becoming the â€Å"good guy† you can get away with more bad behavior. According to KidHealth.org, TV characters often depict risky behaviors, such as smoking and drinking, these same characters are reinforcing gender-role and racial stereotypes. I know that our doctor told my daughter to watch Teen Mom. This show may show the downsides to teen parenthood, in my opinion it has kids thinking it would be cool to have a child and then maybe they could get on television. I have spoken to several different people from my daughters parenting class and I have talked to my daughters Family First specialist. They have agreed that shows like these are not good models for teen moms. Yes, they may show the difficulties that these girls have but they also show these girls still having sex, disrespecting their parents and fighting. Also all have agreed that too much television and television that is not supervised can be harmful to children. According to KidsHealth.org children who spend too much time in front of the television are more likely to become overweight. Children are spending more time in front of the television which is making them less active. They do not go outside and play sports or socialize with other children. Children are more likely to constantly snack while watching television. These are not always healthy snacks. They are things like cookies and chips. They see the commercials for these and their minds tell them that they want them. By limiting the time that your children are watching television you will be able to help them become more active and more sociable. On the reverse side of this situation, though, is that some of the negativity  can be reduced as long as parents limit the amount of time that children spend in front of the television. It has been suggested that no more than 2-3 hours a day of television for older children and 1-2 hours of television for younger children. Also parents need to supervise and be aware of what their children are watching. Television can be a learning experience as long as parents take the time to talk to their children about what is being watched on television. Parents can also be a positive role model for their children by limiting the time they watch television. They need to watch more positive programs when they are watching television with their children. If there is something bad on the show they need to take the time to explain to their children the behavior that they saw on the television program was not appropriate and why it wasn’t appropriate.

Reading in the English Literary Heritage-response to Shakespeare Essay

Write an essay, which focuses on the character of Lady Macbeth as presented in act five, scene one and the scenes leading up to the murder of King Duncan. In act five, scene one the audience sees one of the many facets of Lady Macbeth’s complex character as she is seen to be sleepwalking, while being carefully observed by her waiting gentlewoman and a doctor of physic. Her gentlewoman introduces this deranged behaviour, when she says, â€Å"Lo you, here she comes. This is her guise and, upon my life, fast asleep.† There are many possibilities to be explored that could be found to be the impetus bringing Lady Macbeth to sleepwalk. The first being that in Shakespeare’s time a person found to be sleepwalking meant that evil spirits and demons possessed them. Lady Macbeth played a forceful role in the scheming, leading up to the murder of Duncan and was heavily involved in the event itself. In act two, scene two; exasperated with Macbeth, Lady Macbeth takes the daggers to smear Duncan’s blood on his servants’ faces. The sight of Duncan’s blood has had a profound effect on her and in act five, scene one this becomes apparent when she says in her sleep, † Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him.† In saying this line she is remembering and reflecting on the moment of when she placed the bloody daggers next to the guards. She is thinking about how much Duncan bled. The image of Duncan’s blood on the daggers and on her hands has stuck in her mind and is plaguing her thoughts, so much so that she is desperate to be cleansed. The crime is lying very heavily on her conscience and her heart and she longs to be cleansed of the blood, which is symbolic of her guilt at the deeds she has committed. While in a frantic, frenzy she says, â€Å"Out damned spot! Out, I say!† Whilst delivering this line, Lady Macbeth excessively rubs her hands in a washing motion. Although this is not a stage direction in the play, it is implied by the gentlewoman’s line, â€Å"It is an accustomed action with her, to seem thus washing her hands.† This action of Lady Macbeth suggests that her conscience and imagination are deceiving her causing her to have an illusive image of her hands covered in blood. She is trying to erase herself of the guilt she now feels at murdering Duncan. Although in Act two, scene two Lady Macbeth, says to Macbeth, â€Å"A little water clears us of this deed.† By this she means that with water the blood will wash off and they can forget that the murder ever happened. However, in act five, scene one she is distressed because she can’t get rid of the vision of blood and the feeling of guilt. She says, â€Å"What, will these hands ne’er be clean?† This rhetorical question is almost a statement from Lady Macbeth in a state of desperation questioning whether she will ever be able to be rid of the guilt at what she has done. All throughout this scene Lady Macbeth is in a state of mental turmoil and most of her deepest, most private thoughts and feelings are revealed. Subtly this illustrates how men and women in Shakespeare’s time had vastly different roles. Lady Macbeth has no one to talk to with a head full of anxieties, regrets and confusion. She is isolated and alone. Her thoughts about the murder and how distant Macbeth has become are driving her mad, which is manifested by her sleepwalking. Whereas Macbeth’s fears are displayed in act three, scene four at a banquet, when Macbeth is unnerved at his mind’s illusion of Banquo’s ghost. These feelings of Macbeth are shown at an extremely public event, a banquet surrounded by all his lords and important men in society. However Lady Macbeth’s fears are revealed in the private setting of her bedroom. She has to be much more conservative than Macbeth as it is her role to be publicly stable. Macbeth is permitted to expose his true sentiments, because he is king and furthermore because he is a man. In the time before the murder, Lady Macbeth loved life and she and Macbeth had the perfect partnership. They saw each other as equals and were both ambitious and secure in their relationship and their position in society, although Lady Macbeth was continuously striving for more. Despite all this, after the murder they have drifted apart. They no longer control things together and the emotional distance between them means Lady Macbeth fears what her tyrant husband will do next because she feels she no longer knows him as she once did. Evidence of this can be found in the fragmented language she uses when sleepwalking, that echoes her own and Macbeth’s words about past murders: Duncan, Lady Macduff and Banquo. Her tortured imagination peregrinates over past conversations she has had with Macbeth. At first she ponders on the murder of Duncan, â€Å"One, two. Why then ’tis time to do’t.† Which is referring to what Macbeth says to her in act two scene two, just before he goes to carry out the murder, â€Å"I go and it is done. The bell invites me.† Then she turns her attentions to the murder of Lady Macduff and her children, she says, â€Å"The thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?† Following this she relives what she says to Macbeth at the banquet in reassurance to convince him that he can’t see Banquo. â€Å"Banquo’s buried; he cannot come out on’s grave.† However, Lady Macbeth continuously goes back to the murder of Duncan, which implies that compared to the other murders she was most affected by it. This is because she was heavily involved so it was when her state of mind and all the different aspects of her life changed suddenly and dramatically. Repeatedly Lady Macbeth restates lines that she said to Macbeth in a desperate attempt to re-establish the connection that she and Macbeth once had. As Macbeth no longer seems to exist for her, she has become extremely isolated and in saying lines such as, â€Å"Come, come, give me your hand.† She is yearning for the security of her own marriage. While sleepwalking, Lady Macbeth carries with her a candle. As suggested in her gentlewoman’s line, â€Å"She has light by her continually, ’tis her command.† Lady Macbeth is frightened of darkness and always needs the security of light around her. This may be because Duncan’s murder was committed at night in darkness and she is frightened of his ghost or of being murdered herself in darkness. However it is a strong contrast to the start of the play, Act 1 Scene 5 where she pleads for darkness, so she and Macbeth can murder Duncan. â€Å"Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, that my keen knife see not the wound it make.† It is also a contrast of the personality and state of mind of Lady Macbeth; at the beginning of the play she is a strong, confident, motivated and ambitious woman and the driving force behind Macbeth. However as the play develops she becomes less assertive, and more unsettled. Lady Macbeth thought that once the murder of Duncan was accomplished and completed, it would be finished and she and Macbeth would become successful rulers of Scotland. She reflects on this thought in act five, scene one, by saying, â€Å"Who knows it, when none can call our power to account?† Nevertheless only one part of this dream of the future has come to life and that is that she and Macbeth are rulers of Scotland. Duncan’s murder was far from the end of that series of events for Lady Macbeth; instead it has provoked lots and changed everything. The sleepwalking portrays this and shows that she is unsettled, maybe because of her unfulfilled dreams. The audience is shown another feature of Lady Macbeth’s character in act five, scene one. Her sentiments are expressed with a simplistic use of language, with the use of prose as opposed to verse. For example, â€Å"Here’s the smell of blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. O, O, O.† This uncovers what Lady Macbeth is truly feeling in her heart and head. Her human emotions are also demonstrated about her regret at the amount of bloodshed, and the audience sees her as not just a manipulator but as scared, vulnerable and confused woman. Her gentlewoman says in sympathy for her, â€Å"I would not have such as heart in my bosom for the dignity of the whole body.† The presence of the doctor and the waiting gentlewoman add to the effectiveness of this scene by the way they react to what Lady Macbeth is doing and saying. When the doctor realises what Lady Macbeth is reliving and saying about the murders he is unsure, horrified and can’t make sense of it. Whereas the waiting gentlewoman already knew about the murders from Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking in the past and she knows she could be in serious trouble if the doctor tells anyone what he has discovered. She says to the doctor, â€Å"Neither to you, nor anyone, having no witness to confirm my speech.† However the doctor and the waiting gentlewoman are both innocent onlookers on the situation and have mixed emotions. Whereas they are both horrified at what they hear, they can’t make sense of it and feel pity for Lady Macbeth and how troubled she is. The doctor says, â€Å"My mind she has mated and amazed my sight.† And, â€Å"The heart is sorely charged.† This all adds to the effectiveness of the scene because it shows a normal person’s reaction to what has happened to Lady Macbeth, which also shows a contrast to the audience between her uneasy and almost insane character and that of a sane, rational person. This enhances Lady Macbeth’s character for the audience. Further more when the doctor says, â€Å"This disease is beyond my practice. More needs she the divine than the physician.† There is a feeling of sadness and sympathy from him. This provokes the same feelings from the audience. In the first half of the play the audience saw Lady Macbeth as a strong, female character, (relative to Shakespeare’s times) and now they see that she has a tyrant of a husband, who has no conscience and she is bearing all the guilt of their actions for both of them. I believe that Shakespeare wanted to affect the audience in this scene and make them have some sympathy for Lady Macbeth. The dramatic function of the presence of the doctor and waiting gentlewoman in this scene is to narrate to the audience the scenes events and explain to them what is happening. The doctor gives detailed descriptions of what is happening, for example, â€Å"Look how she rubs her hands.† It is then the waiting gentlewoman who commentates further and emphasizes the events, and also adding some further information, beyond the scene, such as, â€Å"It is an accustomed action with her, to seem thus washing her hands; I have known her continue in this a quarter of an hour.† This gives the audience additional information about the events, which increases the effect of the scene because it is delving into the reasons of Lady Macbeth’s increasing uneasiness. One could consider that Shakespeare’s dramatic purpose of placing this scene at this point in the play is to show the transformation and variation in Lady Macbeth’s character. Prior to this scene in the play the audience sees Lady Macbeth as a strong, ambitious, female. Throughout act five, scene one Shakespeare reminds the audience of the past events leading up to the murder of Duncan and how Lady Macbeth has come to be so disrupted, unsettled and disturbed. The scene summarizes previous events, while also depicting Lady Macbeth’s state of mind to the audience and showing the transformation of her character. Act five, scene one’s dramatic purpose is to be in a position to be able to be a conclusive scene of the beginning of the plays events, before moving on to the downfall of Macbeth. The opening scene of the play grabs the audience’s attention as three witches appear on stage. The witches would have scared an audience in Shakespeare’s times because they was a strong belief in superstition but nowadays it takes a lot more to scare an audience. In act one, scene one; briefly the witches arrange a meeting with Macbeth on a heath. â€Å"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?† To which the reply is, â€Å"Upon the heath. There to meet with Macbeth.† In act one, scene two Macbeth is instantly introduced as a heroic, strong character by the Captain of a battle, in which Macbeth defeats the rebel enemy Macdonald, personally killing him against the odds. â€Å"For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution.† Reflecting on this King Duncan sentences a traitor, the Thane of Cawdor and awards this title to Macbeth. â€Å"No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive. Go pronounce his present death and with his former title greet Macbeth. What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won.† The witches are re-introduced to the audience in act one, scene three, this time on the heath in foul weather, which serves to increase the dramatic effect. They are waiting for Macbeth to come. The witches are evil women, who plan to use their power. As they wait for Macbeth they plot to torment a sea captain whose wife has tormented them, by describing terrible things, which makes the start of the scene quite violently disturbing, with a threatening atmosphere. Macbeth’s arrival is signalled by a drum, â€Å"A drum, a drum; Macbeth doth come.† Says the third witch. As Macbeth enters for the first time in the play, with fellow warrior Banquo, his initial words are, â€Å"So foul and fair a day I have not seen.† Immediately this establishes a connection between Macbeth and the witches, as their lines in the opening scene were, â€Å"Fair is foul, and foul is fair.† Also the witches are called the weà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rd sisters, and in Anglo-Saxon mythology, weà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rd sisters were the goddesses of destiny who predicted the future. When Macbeth and Banquo enter they are puzzled as to what these beings are with such a revolting appearance, Banquo describes them, â€Å"So withered and so wild in their attire, that look not like th’inhabitants o’th’earth. Each at once her choppy finger laying upon her skinny lips; you should be women and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so.† What happens next is very significant for the rest of the play. The witches’ prophecy about Macbeth and his future and then at his request, Banquo, † All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis. Thane of Cawdor. That shalt be king hereafter.† They predict that Macbeth will have these titles and that Banquo’s descendants will be kings, but he himself will not. â€Å"Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.† Then refusing to answer Macbeth’s questions the witches vanish in front of Macbeth and Banquo, leaving them shocked, bewildered and discombobulated. The witches come to Macbeth at exactly the right moment and place to shock him. He is fresh from the killings at the battle and his raw ambition is hungry for greater things. The witches introduce these things to him by speaking his innermost thoughts and tempting him with his own aspirations and predilections. Macbeth and Banquo are both left to reflect on what the witches have just said to them and to try to make some sense of it when Ross enters, telling Macbeth of his new title, Thane of Cawdor, â€Å"He bade me, from him, call thee Thane of Cawdor: In which addition, hail most worthy thane, for it is thine.† This shocks Macbeth, as he says, almost accusingly, â€Å"Why do you dress me in borrowed robes?† Then, later in the scene three, Macbeth exposes his initial thoughts in an aside to the audience about the witches’ prophecy and how there moral implications have affected him. Macbeth’s mind is in turmoil, as he battles with his conscience and his desires over how he should behave in response to the witches’ prophecy. He is disturbed and horrified at the thought of killing Duncan, as they have great respect for each other, but he desperately wants to become king, that is his deepest ambition and desire, â€Å"Why do I yield to that suggestion, whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs against the use of nature?† However he resolves with himself to accept the future and the changes it will bring, â€Å"If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir.† Whereas Banquo uses the imagery of clothes to elucidate Macbeth’s, â€Å"rapt†. He says, â€Å"New honours come upon him like our strange garments, cleave no to their mould, but with the aid of use.† During act one, scene four, Duncan reveals and announces that his own son, Malcolm is to be heir to the throne. This irritates and appalls Macbeth; if Duncan had not named Malcolm as his heir, the thanes would have elected the next king after Duncan’s death, and as Macbeth is a honoured warrior, there was a possibility he would have been elected. The audience sees another facet to Macbeth’s character when in an aside he says about his annoyance, â€Å"That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, for in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires, let not see my black and deep desires, the eye wink at the hand.† These lines really seal Macbeth’s evil intentions and it is maybe what makes him decide, definitely that he will be king, whatever the consequences are for others and him. When the audience first sees Lady Macbeth in act one, scene five, she is reading Macbeth’s letter in which his meeting with the witches is described to her, â€Å"They met me in the day of success, and I have learned by the perfectest report they have more in them than mortal knowledge.† In reading the letter further, Lady Macbeth learns of the witches’ prophecy and that the first, that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor has been fulfilled almost right away. Previously Macbeth has demonstrated his disgust at the thought of the murder of Duncan and the consequence and repercussions it would have. After reading the letter Lady Macbeth reinforces these emotions and thoughts by saying in her first soliloquy, â€Å"Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be what thou art promised.† Lady Macbeth knows her husband is ambitious and passionate about his dreams of kingship, but she also knows and feels that he is too fair and conscientious about what is wrong and what is right. She says, â€Å"I do fear thy nature it is too full o’th’milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way.† We know Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are great partners, who share everything, and know each other inside- out, and this is confirmed in Macbeth’s letter when he refers to her as, â€Å"My dearest partner of greatness.† However, taking this into account Lady Macbeth realises that to become queen of Scotland and to realise her own and Macbeth’s dreams she will have do or sacrifice anything to get this. She says, â€Å"What thou wouldst highly, that wouldst holily; wouldst not play false, and yet wouldst wrongly win.† Saying this it appears as though Lady Macbeth’s naked ambition is almost stronger than her husbands. She seems to disregard morals in order to get what she wants and has unbelievably strong willpower and determination. Once she has decided Macbeth will be king, then she starts to introduce supernatural forces and the idea of inviting in evil spirits to help her succeed. â€Å"That I may pour my spirits in thine ear and chastise with the valour of my tongue.† It is when Lady Macbeth is told of Duncan’s plans to visit the castle that her ambition and wickedness bloom and become very apparent. She knows that this is her chance to seize the moment and facilitate Macbeth’s future role as king of Scotland. In her second soliloquy she summons up her evil spirits in the form of magic to assist her with her murderous plans for Duncan. She refers to a raven, which is a bird, seen as an evil omen and then she says, â€Å"Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty; make thick my blood, stop up th’access and passage to remorse.† In saying this, it is clear that she no longer just wants to be an ambitious and dominant woman, her desire is to become evil personified, pitiless and with no sense of morals. She says, â€Å"Come to my woman’s breasts and take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers.† She is saying that she wants her breasts to be full of poison, rather than â€Å"the milk of human kindness.† Which is what she described Macbeth as having. Lady Macbeth closes her speech with triumph, summoning night, death and hell. She pleads for a disguise for the crime that she and Macbeth will commit. â€Å"Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, that my keen knife see not the wound it makes, nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark.† Lady Macbeth almost seems to have changed from an ambitious, forceful woman into an evil woman, harbouring evil spirits and thoughts. However in reality she is still a mortal woman, whose actions will cause her to suffer great consequence and remorse. As Macbeth enters, Lady Macbeth greeting echoes that of the witches. â€Å"Great Glamis, worthy Cawdor, Greater than both by the all-hail hereafter.† This suggests that she now has formed a connection with the dark side and that evil spirits really are deeply entwined in her thoughts and actions. The instant she starts a conversation with Macbeth, she makes it clear what is going to happen to Duncan that night, â€Å"O never shall sun that morrow see.† She is implying in her words that after that night Duncan will never see sunlight again, because he will be dead. Lady Macbeth instructs Macbeth to, â€Å"Look like th’innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.† She makes an analogy, in which she compares Macbeth to be a serpent, which is biblically an evil creature. Then she takes control of the situation and Macbeth with a strong sense of purpose and character that is ruthless, â€Å"To alter favour ever is to fear. Leave all the rest to me.† When Duncan arrives at the castle in scene six Lady Macbeth confidently leads him inside and to his death with a sense of triumph. â€Å"Your servants ever have theirs, themselves, and what is theirs in count to make audit at your highness’ pleasure, still to return to your own.† However during this time, leading up to the murder Lady Macbeth continuously has to reinforce her plans, courage and strong will onto Macbeth, who shows reluctance in accepting it. At the start of scene seven, Macbeth is seen to be agonising relentlessly with his conscience over killing Duncan and the consequences it will incur. He wrestles with his conscience, saying, â€Å"If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well it were done quickly.† Then he has a change of heart saying, â€Å"He’s here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed; then as his host, who should against his murderer shut the door, not bear the k nife myself.† This private reasoning continues until, finally Lady Macbeth appears and puts a stop to it. At first Macbeth refuses to do the murder, saying, â€Å"We will proceed no further in this business.† However his efforts are wasted on her as she turns angrily on him and we see her become a manipulating, strong willed woman again. Immediately she turns things around on Macbeth and simply points out that he implied that the murder was the only thing to do. â€Å"Was the hoe drunk? Hath it slept since? And wakes it now to look so green and pale at what it did so freely? From this time, such I account thy love.† She also says that if he is taking back all the things he said, she will assume that that is true about how strongly he loves her. This would hurt Macbeth and also come as quite a surprise as they have such an intense and loving relationship. Then more effectively she torments Macbeth about his masculinity by calling him a coward. â€Å"Live a coward in thine own esteem.† She knows Macbeth well enough to know that will upset him because he is publicly known as a heroic warrior, however it doesn’t get the reaction she wants as he points out to her that he is merely a man. I dare do all that may become a man; who dares do more is none.† Furthermore Lady Macbeth makes the ultimate taunt to persuade her husband to kill Duncan by saying she would kill their child. â€Å"I have given suck and know how tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I sworn as you have done this.† In saying this Lady Macbeth is playing her womanliness against Macbeth’s manliness by saying she would make the ultimate sacrifice to keep the promise he has made. She makes the point that she once was a mother, and she could remember the overwhelming love she felt for her child, but she would have given it all up to make Macbeth king. Lady Macbeth is also clever in realising she needs to use violent, disturbing, grotesque imagery for Macbeth as a shock tactic to convince him to murder Duncan, as this night is their perfect opportunity. At this point Macbeth offers no resistance to his wife’s strength and force over him, as he knows he will not overcome her determination and extreme assertiveness, â€Å"Bring forth men-children only, for thy undaunted mettle should compose nothing but males.† He only questions what should happen if they were to fail, which she replies in an extremely optimistic, self assured and almost over confident manner, â€Å"Who dares receive it other, as we shall make our griefs and clamour roar upon his death!† The plan for the murder is organised and in act one, scene seven Macbeth leaves to complete it saying, almost wearily and sadly, â€Å"I go and it is done. The bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan, for it is knell that summons thee to heaven or hell.† In act two, scene two, exhilarated by alcohol and anticipation Lady Macbeth awaits her husband to confirm that the murder is done. â€Å"That which hath made them drunk, hath made me bold; what hath quenched them, hath given me fire.† She has drugged Duncan’s bodyguards, but is afraid that Macbeth may have been too cowardly to carry out the murder. â€Å"I have drugged their possets, that death and nature do contend about them, whether they live, or die.† It is then, when Lady Macbeth reveals her single weakness up until this point, which is why she couldn’t or wouldn’t murder Duncan herself, â€Å"Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t.† This is another facet of her character shown, as we start to see her humane side exposed and vulnerable. Following this Macbeth returns to Lady Macbeth to say he has completed the murder in a terrible state of remorse and fear of what will punish him of the crime he has just committed. â€Å"Wherefore I could not pronounce ‘Amen’? I had most need of blessing, and ‘Amen’ stuck in my throat.† He is obsessively panicky because he cannot say ‘Amen’. It is then, that Lady Macbeth regains control of the situation and transforms into an iron willed woman again in order to hold Macbeth together. She says to him in an ironic and impatient manner, dismissing his hallucinations of a voice crying he had murdered sleep, â€Å"These deeds must not be thought after these ways; so, it will make us mad.† It is then when she sees that Macbeth has brought the bloody daggers back from the scene of the murder that she implicates herself and gets further involved with the murder; Macbeth refuses to return the daggers so she says, â€Å"Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures; ’tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil. If he do bleed, I’ll gild the faces of the grooms withal, for it must seem their guilt.† From this point onwards Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s relationship starts to change as they drift apart emotionally and physically. Their personas are dramatically reversed as Lady Macbeth who was once an iron willed, passionate, ambitious woman becomes extremely deranged and depressed. Her character develops and changes throughout the play as she is transformed from an ambitious, powerful woman to someone is full of regret and with a heart full of foreboding, which lies very heavily on her conscience. Paradoxically, Macbeth’s characteristics, his strong sense of morals and fairplay and a clear conscience are replaced with a tyrant personality and where little or no remorse at the taking of other people’s lives.