Evaluating Compliance Strategies Essay Example for Free

Evaluating Compliance Strategies Essay The compliance process is critical when it pertains to the billing and coding process. It is imperative for Medical Insurance Specialist to remain current on the patient’s participation in contract as well as the medical insurance policies, so there will not be any billing errors. Maintaining a communication with the payer will also prevent billing errors. Such regulations and laws are in place for to protect the patient’s financial state, prevent errors of billing and coding, and to link procedures and diagnoses correctly. Becoming knowledgeable of the billing rules should also help prevent billing errors as well. In this assignment, I will discuss how important it is for medical staff to be knowledgeable of the billing and coding compliance strategies. The first strategy to compliance is to carefully define bundled codes and know global periods. This is important, medical insurance specialist must be knowledgeable of what global periods are for surgical procedures and what specific procedure is included in the bundled codes. The second strategy is to benchmark the practice’s E/M codes with national averages. This strategy helps when conducting comparisons with the national averages, because it helps to monitor upcoding. The third strategy is the use of appropriate modifiers. This strategy helps prevent double billing or unbundling. Modifiers such as -25, -59, and -91 are most important when billing in compliance. The fourth strategy is becoming clear on professional courtesy and discounts to uninsured/low income patients. Unfortunately, providers can no longer provide professional courtesy to patients per OIG’s Compliance Program Guidance for Individual and Small Group Physician Practices. However, if the patient may qualify for discounts if they are either uninsured or has low income. According to textbook Medical Insurance: An Integrated Claims Process Approach, â€Å"The practice’s method for selecting people to receive discounts should be documented in the compliance plan and in its policies and procedures information (Valerius, 2008). Lastly, maintaining a compliance job reference aid and documentation template can help with compliance. In other words, having a cheat sheet of commonly used CPT codes or diagnoses codes could help smooth the billing process. There are establishments in place to ensure that there is correct and appropriate coding. Programs such Medicare’s national Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) Policy Manual for Medicare Services provide manuals to help correct improper coding when billing for Medicare services.

Construction Industry And Data Management Construction Essay

Construction Industry And Data Management Construction Essay Many issues affect the success of a project, yet there is sure proof of success based on efficient communication and cooperation and collaboration between team-members. Sending and receiving information is communication; this enables understanding of one another. Common definitions of communication given by Hoyland et al., 1953 and Ruesch and Bateson, 1961 quoted in Miller, 2004 gives that communication is the process by which an individual transmits stimuli to modify the behavior of other individuals. Another definition states that, Communication does not refer to verbal, explicit and intentional transmission of messages alone. The concept of communication would include all those processes by which people influence one another, Ruesch and Bateson, 2004. The theory on communication defines three key elements of communication. These three elements have to be present for communication; these are the sender, the receiver, and the presence of a message. The message must be conveyed through a medium while the receiver must interpret the received message so as to understand its meaning. The medium used is important to communication since it affects the process of decoding. Decoding the message correctly is important since it stands to give the meaning as is intended by the sender. It is important to realize at this point that everyone is different with different perceptions and interpretations of situations (Miller, 2004). Since people have different perceptions, team members of a project have diverse ways oral and written communication; team players also listen and comprehend situations in various ways, all leading to communication problems (Koskinen, 2004). Certain obstacles and filters may have key roles in comprehending the actual message. Barriers or obstacles usually root from the existing mind-state of the person receiving the message; these barriers to correct interpretation of the message might be biasness, prejudice or emotions, it may very well be the lack of technical and educational understanding needed (Thomas et al., 1998). Eliminating all human and technical barriers or obstacles is rather impossible in order to have effective communication, but creating formal, systemized communication set-up can much enhance project performance. This will overall minimize or almost mitigate distortions in effective communication. Good collaboration is dependant on effective communication. Communication may be necessary for collaboration but the reverse is not necessarily true; communication still takes place in absence of collaboration between team members, this means collaboration advances to realize common goals through extra-durable relationships and in presence of complete commitment of team-members (Laepple, 2005). Collaboration can be lasting if specific issues exist as part of the relation. Laepple, 2005 quotes Lorenz et al and says that collaboration constitutes mainly the presence of a common goal or objective, a joint paradigm, the existence of respect among and across all members, and of course the major e lement that is effective communication to be present. In regard to construction projects, common goal or purpose would be safe and timely execution of the project within the bounds of the given budget and quality. Collaboration means nothing without purpose. Joint paradigm, though points to the methods and practices generally acceptable to all teams and team-members trying to realize common goals. Here, it is noteworthy that everyone shares different values and these values must also be widely accepted within the working teams. It is important that collaboration exists before the rise of disputes or disagreements and problems in a project; it should, therefore be the foundational element of a project so as to avoid the afore-mentioned issues or any others that may come up (Larson, 1997). For this to be done team-building processes that conjoin the associated parties so as to give a clear picture of both the communication strategies as well as collaboration strategies and to make clear ways in which conflicts and disputes can be avoided well before they arise (Larson, 1997). One more essential factor for successful collaboration is the attitude of the management when faced by serious problem(s) (Larson, 1997). The managements attitude and behavior must be in conformance with the principles of collaboration, namely trust, openness and combined teamwork (Larson, 1997). When productivity deficiencies occur, the first culprits are communication and collaboration (FMI, 2004). FMI conducts the CIPS-Construction Industry Productivity Survey which states communication and/or collaboration issues as major challenges for the improvement of levels of productivity. This paper uses Widemans (1991) terminologies suggesting that buyer organization corresponds to project sponsor, and seller/implementer organization corresponds to project manager. These terms will be synonymously used throughout the study, i.e. buyer/seller and project sponsor or manager. Inter-firm Relationship Theories To deal with the complicated matter of research in inter-organizational relationships it is useful to refer to present theories that clarify the dynamics governing these relationships. The introduction section of this paper summarizes the studys element of investigation as communication existing between the project sponsor and the project manager at the time of IT project implementation where buyer-seller relationships exist. Traditional inter-firm/organizational relationship theories conferring to such analysis are namely the Transaction Cost Economics Theory and the Agency Theory (Williamson 1995). These theories are given as follows. Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) The TCE theory centers around the degree of individual transaction that translates input to required output, for instance the establishment of an IT-based system for the improvement of an organizations internal efficiency. TCE roots in economics; it gives rationales on whether to make a product or buy it from the market. There are two situations whether either there is more control making a fit for purpose in reducing unwanted costs associated to a product but having higher costs of management; or the other situation where prices are reduced by economies of scale as well as competing by price. Williamson (1975) argues for the make or buy decisions; these are supported by various implications like: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The level of specificity of an asset is a major influencing factor. It relates to the degree of the transacted object based on how explicit/unique it is. What value does it hold in terms of individual transaction and whether or not it can be redeployed for future transactions? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The level of ambiguity that arises from In-apt communication or deliberate in-correct and misleading signals that prevent decision-makers from discovering plans made by others involved in the business transaction. The common indecisiveness present in human behavior. The transactions frequency. Initially, TCE was designed for recurring, routine transactions, undertaken by traditionally managed organizations both in functional as well as hierarchical set-ups. Recurring transactions do not require a specific governance structure, though in contrast transactions that are highly unique require more specialized management structures. For this very purpose TCE considers firms governance structures and not specifically production functions (Willimason, p. 387, 1985). Costs involved in these transactions are aptly called transaction costs, here: Transaction costs are minimized by handing over transactions (each with different attributes) to governance structures (each with different capacities and different costs) (Williamson 1985, p. 18). TCE suggests that firms adjust their governance structures in order to attain lowest possible transaction costs. Resistance in physical systems corresponds to transaction costs in economic context; Transaction costs arise from complexity of buyer-seller relationship and the impracticality of developing and agreeing on contracts that are well-detailed enough to aptly form this relationship. For reducing transaction costs, the TCE theory suggests a high degree of asset specificity, and further suggests that incomplete contracts direct towards make product decisions, while lower degree of asset specificity direct towards buy product decisions (Adler et al. 1998). No matter about Agency theory CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY DATA MANAGEMENT The construction business relies heavily on information. The information used can generally be categorized as structured data and unstructured data (Caldas et al., 2005). Database systems are used to generate structured data; the database system uses structures and formats that are predetermined (Caldas et al., 2005). Structured data brings about standardization while improving interoperability of computational systems (Caldas et al., 2005). PMCS-the Project Management and Collaboration Systems contain different modules which use both structured and unstructured data; structured data is present in the cost control module. The PCMS users do not have much control of the system, though realistically, most documents generated by the system (for construction projects) can be classified as unstructured data based on text-documents like contracts, reports and amendment orders etc. (Froese, 2003). Although such documents are classified as unstructured data, but most PMCS that are web-based c lassify them as partially structured. Constructware, a web-based PMCS( Project Management Control Systems presents standard modules to create and track daily reports and change orders as well as RFIs.( Request for Information ) Through this team-members can see and edit a standard document, which allows for interoperability between different computers. Despite this, researchers disagree that it is only a reproduction of the text document on different computer systems and does not offer an actual solution to handle complex data (Maoa et al., 2006). A lot of studies have been conducted where common data models have been developed so as to regularize and form one universal methodology to handle structured as well as unstructured data within the construction industry. IFC, the Industry Foundation Class (IFC) has been developed by AII-the International Alliance for Interoperability (Froese, 2003). CAD drawings are present in AutoCAD format, these are used by widely in the construction in dustry; two kinds of informational documents are supported by such formats these are: Contract Documents Project Management Documents (Zhu et al., 2001). DRIVERS OF TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY Project success is impacted by external factors like the adoption and the diffusion of technology advancement in certain industries (Chan et al., 2004). Nonetheless, traditionally, the construction industry is seen as rather slow and reluctant to the adoption and implementation of new technology in comparison to other industries (Laborde Sanvido, 1994). Some important barriers in the adoption of technology by the construction industry are explained by Haas et al. (1999). These barriers include different standards, fragmentation, the type of business cycles, and ways in which risk is avoided. The construction industry survives on low labor costs in majority of regions; this is also a factor discouraging the invention of new technology and its adoption. Technology in-acceptance is mainly due to technological and financial risks felt by the employees who work in the construction industry (Tatum 1989). In-acceptance of technology construction companies poses a major threat to the construction industry. This is affecting productivity levels greatly and supporting the culture that is already change-resistant. A comparison of US and Korea in terms of information technology adoption is under-taken by Williams et al. (2007). These researchers reflect on how IT technologies are almost obsolete in over 150 US-based construction companies. Almost 50% or more have no usage of web conferencing or web portals. These companies have never used barcode scanning and do not have knowledge of e-learning or e-bid; similarly they have never used geographic information systems-GIS or geographic positioning systems-GPS. An article named Forces driving adoption of new information technologies by Mitropoulos and Tatum written in the year 2000 aims at identifying and analyzing internal and external factors that affect technology adoption within the construction industry. Internal factors arise within the organization and external factors come from the project owner or arise from competition. They have studied eight different companies; three of those are mechanical contractors whereas two of them are general contractors. These companies are large with even larger revenues averaging over US$100M. Technologies chosen by the authors are the CAD and the EDI, Electronic Data Interchange technologies and Radio Frequency Identification( RFID cards are important requirements of warehouses so that the stores available for issue are automatically updated in project ) Mitropoulos and Tatum have defined four important triggers for adopting technology; these are: Competitive Advantage Process Problem Technological Opportunity External Requirements Competitive advantage is improved only if new technology helps improve an he organizations critical capability and also if competitors have not already adopted similar technology. On the other hand, process problems originate from: (a)Added need for improved quality and also detailed drawings (b) Existing technologies have become insufficient for design communication (c) Growth of a company that requires better technologies in order to better supply larger-scale, complex projects demanding higher degree of detail. Opportunities in technology have been defined as improved capabilities because of the availability engineers having technology-based backgrounds, presence of complimentary technology, and affordability of up-and-coming technologies. External requirements are those that result from technology changes and are better known as client specifications or external competitor/rival pressure, and legal or regulatory enforcements. Besides these triggers for the adoption of technology, a great change has taken place within the construction industry that has affected practices within project management (Alshawi Ingirige, 2003). The changes that have taken place are marketplace globalization, economic forces, increased project complexity, a demand for quicker results, changing scopes of projects, changing procurement practices, and sophistication of clients (Alshawi Ingirige, 2003). The construction industry is now heavily investing in IT in response to these internal and external factors. By average construction contractor companies are now investing some US$334,241 in information technology. BARRIERS TO TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY The use of IT helps reduce time-taken to perform tasks and helps perform tasks that are difficult or impossible to be done by humans (Allen et al., 2005). Though IT has contributed greatly to the success of business organizations yet there exit barriers for diffusing or adopting IT into businesses. (Becerik,2006). Construction businessmen feel lack of collaboration within the industry, lack of training, and high implementation costs are all barriers to the success of IT in this industry. On the whole, though, barriers may be classified as technical barriers, behavioral barriers, cost-related barriers, organizational barriers, and legal barriers (Bjork, 2003). The barriers include: 1. Communication and hard and soft documentation 2. Information ownership 3. Returns on investment that are indistinguishable 4. Construction site technological limitations 5. Risks, both financial and organizational learning related risks 6. Change resistance and organizational inertia 7. Law of intellectual property and concerns regarding mistrust 8. System security, system reliability and the degree of confidentiality the system offers The construction industry is being affected in a number of ways by all these given factors lowering chances of adoption of technology to this industry; these factors are individually studied and analyzed. (Bjork, 2003).You asked for refrences here they were given at start of para Frameworks of Knowledge transfer Multiple studies have created frameworks to transfer knowledge, for learning and for diffusing new innovations into different areas of the construction industry (Egbu, 2005; Maqsood et al., 2007; Walker et al., 2004; Chinowsky et al., 2007; Anumba et al., 2005 Chinowsky and Carrillo, 2007;). Nonetheless, these frameworks are especially focused and set to a process lacking in consideration of their effect on project management and social relationships. An obstacle to knowledge transfer, its learning or innovations may be linked with certain characteristics of construction industry like short-term labor contracts; fragmentation of a project by functions; short-term coalitions of teams; contract arrangements; poor coordination between project partners; adversarial relationships etc. (Slaughter, 1998; DoreeandHolmen,2004; Dubois and Gadde, 2002;). Ling (2003) states four factors having vital effects on technological innovations in construction. They are: The interest level of team-members (of the project) Work environment Creating task-groups Individual capabilities of members involved with innovation Additionally, Walker Peasupap (2005-a/b 2009) state that management; technology, work environment and team-members are all elemental factors affecting the diffusion of innovation, since they can adversely affect delivery costs of a project, time constraints and limits and quality of the project. These limitations, though may be resolved by integration of humans into project management (Huemann et al., 2007). Studies have been conducted to find out how knowledge management (KM) can be implemented in construction organizations. Different Knowledge Management Frameworks have been developed, some of which are discussed briefly below: In 2002 Whelton et al. proposed a knowledge management framework for projects; this model works on soft systems methodology in order to assist group cognition, group learning and generate solutions. One drawback however is that this framework may prolong negotiation between stakeholders whilst trying to reach mutual agreement when faced by a problem or a situation; this may overall prolong time limitations of the project, causing it too start later than anticipated or finish later than anticipated. A frame-work called cross-sectoral learning has been developed by Al-Ghassani in 2002, in virtual enterprise for helping organizations set up a Knowledge Management strategy. Construction companies need to set-up KM systems in order to preserving knowledge and more specifically to integrate learning into the companies workings both into processes as well as practices which will in turn enhance performance and organizational competitiveness in the global market (Wetherill et al., 2002). Bronn Thi-Le in 2007 created an abstract model that facilitates the detection of problems related to transfer of know-how in large construction related projects. This model aims to identify knowledge break-downs while presenting the best solutions to promote learning and transferring knowledge. Nevertheless, creating social relationships between project teams can prove to be critical in promoting sharing of knowledge in collaborative environments. A project named e-COGNOS, created by Wetherill et al. in 2002 attempts to specify and develop an infrastructure that is an open model; this infrastructure works (in collaborative environments) at KM to create, disseminate, retrieve and capture or store information. e-COGNOS can be effective if there are well-bound social relationships to promote knowledge exchange; users must be motivated and trained on the use of this frame-work. Another example is that of the knowledge transfer framework created by Carrillo et al. in 2006 which is used to help companies manage product-related knowledge. This framework works in three stages, though the maturity level of KM is important as to how the framework may be implemented. Also cultural issues exist when knowledge is being transferred across different territories or across national borders. Another approach called cross-organizational learning approach developed by Franco et al. in 2004 deals with the shortage of processes required for everyday inter-organizational assessment of construction projects so as to facilitate learning while adding value to projects. This approach allows for exchanging feedback on project performance which is useful for learning and improving performance. In 2007 Chinowsky created a learning organization maturity model with a built-in automated tool called Learning Organization Rapid Diagnostic that assists in assessing and the implementation of continuous learning. Nonetheless, for implementation of the multiple characteristics of a learning organization, it can be time-consuming because of the sole reason much coordination and management is required to link together the entire organization. Overall this is an elicit support to use communication systems infrastructure for organizational learning. The CONDOR project is explained by Vakola and Rezqui -2000. They explain how it can support in defining work practices, work processes, commonly-used techniques, tools as well as aid in supporting the technical infrastructure of construction organizations. It even comes with an evaluation tool that assists in gathering of information; it helps in organizing learnt information by distributing it so that organizational learning takes place, and the learnt knowledge can be implemented in future projects. CONDOR continuously creates knowledge, interprets it and distributes it in order to retain knowledge. In 2007, Chinowsky and Carrillo (2007) propose how organizations shit from focusing on KM over to learning organizations based on a STEPS model that is a KM model. STEPS stands for Start-up-Take-off-Expansion stage-Progressive stage-Sustainability, it also has a learning maturity model that is based on leadership, processes and organizational infrastructure, organizational communication collaboration, education and finally culture(s). If KM strategies are successfully initiated, organizations can successfully progress from only KM to having a learning culture. Learning alone cannot necessarily lead to improving performance (Crossan et al., 1995). Good practices in management and knowledge management have a deep correlation (Leseure and Brookes-2004). Various studies show the significance of innovation in construction industries (Egbu, 2004; Latham, 1994; Slaughter, 1998; Gann, 2000; Dubois and Gadde, 2002; Vakola and Rezqui, 2000; Kumaraswamy et al.,2004; Ling, 2003; Dulaimi et al., 2005; Eaton et al., 2006; Egan, 1998; Winch, 1998). PPP/PFI has positive outcomes for innovation (Eaton et al.-2006). Eaton further explored stimulants and barriers against innovation in PPP/PFI projects. Impediments and stimulants related to human relationships are social and organizational variables. This will help in improving PPP/PFI that can in turn affect project performance in regard of project quality, costs, and time managemen t. Concurrent Engineering Concurrent engineering desing is a doctrine in management which has largely being used in the manufacturing industry while less of it has been employed in the construction engineering. The main aim of the philosophy is to reduce timelines in the activities so that the overall project time in terms of cost can be reduced For completion of these activies Concurrent engineering projects parallel and concurrent functions that are overlapped so that the delay in sequential conduct of the activites can be reduced . It is pertininet to mention that the common areas between concurrent activies between engineering production and construction industry has been highlighted by many researchers (de la Garza et al. 1994). In construction industry the the concurrent engineering has primarily defines as the integration of both design , planning and construction processes including the main aim of integration is to reduce construction time and cost and to ensure through various checks that the product is meting the expectations of the consumer . (Noble 1993). One of the main aims of the concurrent engineering methodlogy is to identify which all activites can overlap and which cannot . Furthermore the amount twp activities can overlap in a process mormally depend upon the typr of activities . (Prasad 1996). Concurrent Engineering and Integrated Project Development Integrated project developemnt can be described as the evolution of the concurrent engineering into a full scale methodogical process . Since due to the complexity and the increasing processes involved in the contruction industry of today it is very important evolve the integrated approach for the completion of the task . We will now discuss the IPD in the backdrop of concurrent engineering . I need more information about concurrent engineering IPD Construction structures are becoming increasingly complex while this industry is becoming more specialized; a new approach called Integrated Project Delivery or IPD has been introduced. This approach has been developed in the U.S. for the improvement of cost and the quality of projects as well as enabling better management of project schedules compared to traditional methods. The IPD method attempts to improve the outcomes of a project by collaboration in streamlining the incentives in addition to team goals (ADTF 2006). Though there are a number of organizations that support progression of IPD for instance AIACA Council and the AGC, and while some projects benefited from its use, yet projects using IPD are relatively few in number (Post 2007, Sive 2009). There are reasons for its slow adoption. Some reasons include fear of risk related to IPD (time, money, and innovation); other reasons include the close partnerships that IPD demands and legal frameworks required for incorporating IPD approaches. Furthermore, stakeholders of the construction industry think that new competencies, skills and KM will be needed for collaborating IPD into an organization (Auto-desk White Paper 2008). Still there is no noteworthy research that investigates the existing adoption status of IPD or reasons for its slow adoption within the industry (Sive 2009). Gathering IPD case-studies reflecting best practices would motivate professionals unfamiliar with IPD in getting assurance of IPD benefits and how its profits play a ro le in both successful and unsuccessful projects. Here, this paper provides an example of a project implementing IPD for project delivery. In this paper, we define IPD and discuss BIM-Building Information Modeling in context of IPD. To make further understanding of IPD clear, a case study is discussed to see how IPD may be applied in commercial building projects. The conclusion section will give recommendations for education as well as future research projects both in the context of IPD. Though IPD may be the industry buzz word but there exist no standard definition that is acceptable to all. Differing definitions accompanied by greatly varying approaches of different sophistication levels suggest that IPD describes considerably diverse contract arrangements as well as team processes, (Sive-2009). There are prominent similarities among IPD projects and IPD definitions. IPD is defined by various principles like the following in the context of this paper: (1) Multi-party Agreement (2) Parties Early Involvement It is not necessary that IPD is constituted by these principles. Multi-Party Agreement: One contract exists for the whole project, which involves the general contractor, the project owner, and the architect, or may even involve other parties (if the contract is between more than just two parties) when IPD is used. The prime goal of IPD is maximizing collaboration and coordination throughout the entire project. The contracts are a driving force that allows goals to be attained productively without getting complicated by use of separate contracts since separate contracts can produce opposing motives among the stake-holders and team members. (Post 2007) please attach this ref in ref please Shared Risk and Reward: A majority of IPD contracts incorporate elements designed for encouraging teamwork while promoting project success. IPD, in contrast to traditional projects, combines the risks rewards to reach project goals. (Scarnati, 2001) The goals may differ but are related to cost, project schedules and the quality metrics used in measuring success of a project. Associated risk examples include budget over-costs with different entitys overheads and profits, though on the other hand if a project is below budget a team may be compensated. Risk-reward sharing can be based on value, incentive pool, innovation outstanding performance, performance bonuses and profit sharing. Based on value-Project teams are given incentives; bonuses that are given based on how much value is added by a member to a project. Incentive pool-It will reserve some share of the teams fees (that increases and decreases based on certain pre-agreed criteria) before it is divided and shared among team members; Innovation and outstanding performance-As the name already indicates, teams are rewarded for their hard work or creativity; Performance bonuses-These bonuses are awarded on the basis of quality Profit sharing-Based on group performances, profits are gained collectively for the whole team/group rather than individually. Early Involvement of All Parties: One fundamental benefit of IPD is that it provides all parties the ability to be part of the project and be involved with the project from the start of the design phase. Collaborating from the start can easily address problems of fragmentation existing between the designing professionals and construction professionals which results in work mal-practices or cost changes during the late construction phase. (Scarnati, 2001) Although early collaboration does not need technological tools, but information technology like BIM-Building Information Modeling greatly increases efficiency of collaboration taking place during all project phases. There do, though exist constrains and complexities in implementing IPD. New contracts are using IPD but are not tried tested, and so, are not completely approved and understood. IPD is costly and insurance companies will not cover financial losses incurred as a result of IPD. Moreover the construction industry is accustomed to conventional leadership methods; responsibility, and opportunity; while change is not very evident. (Baiden et al., 2003)The inability to restructure procurement processes for enabling IPD is the area where a majority of agencies and formal institutions are deficient. On the other hand, IPD is correctly and successfully implemented it: Helps in facilitating the sharing of rewards as well as risks amongst stakeholders It may help in creating incentives that are awarded for exceptional performance It can also minimize operations and maintenance co

Conflicts, Climax and Resolution of Hawthorne’s The Ministers Black Ve

     Ã‚  Ã‚   What is the conflict(s) in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil†? Does it resolve after a climax? This essay intends to address these questions. Hugo McPherson in â€Å"Hawthorne’s Use of Mythology† makes a statement regarding the nature of the conflict in the works of Hawthorne: Everything he has to say is related, finally, to ‘that inward sphere.’ For the heart is the meeting-place of all the forces – spiritual and physical, light and dark, that compete for dominance in man’s nature. †¦Those who read him as a Christian moralist recognize instantly an opposition between Head and Heart, reason and passion which is related not only to Puritan theology but to the Neo-Classical view of man†¦.(68-69)    The conflict involving pride and humility, sin and evil, is the direction that Clarice Swisher in â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biography† tends: â€Å"Hawthorne himself was preoccupied with the problems of evil, the nature of sin, the conflict between pride and humility† (13).    In the opinion of this reader, the central conflicts – the relation between the protagonist and antagonist (Abrams 225) - in the tale are an internal one, a spiritual-moral conflict within the minister, the Reverend Mr. Hooper, and an external one with the world at large represented by the congregation. This evaluation seems to reflect Swisher’s first two considerations of evil and sin, and implicitly reflect the â€Å"conflict between pride and humility.† Wilson Sullivan in â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne† tells where the author got the idea of a conflict between good and evil:    He looked back, deeply back into America’s Puritan past, the era of the New England theocracy, when the conflict of good and evil, freedom and tyranny, love and hatr... ... Library. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=HawMini.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=1&division=div1    Kazin, Alfred. Introduction. Selected Short Stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Fawcett Premier, 1966.    McPherson, Hugo. â€Å"Hawthorne’s Use of Mythology.† In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996.    Sullivan, Wilson. â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne.† In New England Men of Letters. New York: Macmillan Co., 1972.    Swisher, Clarice. â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biography.† In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996.    Williams, Stanley T. â€Å"Hawthorne’s Puritan Mind.† In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996.

Cellular Phones :: Mobile Cell Cellular Telephones Phones Essays

Cellular Phones Cellular phones are a phenomenon that has engulfed people in the nineties. They have become a common occurrence whether you are waiting in line at the super market or in a movie theatre. One professor at Murray State University said, â€Å"Many students are carrying them, I had a student get a call in the middle of a test last semester.† Although many people have accepted the thought of carrying a telephone wherever they go, others have not taken the onslaught of cell phones quite so easily. Cell phones have become part of everyday life, and with the dramatic changes that have been made, there is no sign of their existence diminishing. Today, cellular service is available in all 306 Metropolitan Statistical Areas across the country and all of the 428 Rural Service Areas. Cellular phones carry a diverse group of users. In June 1985, there were about 203,000 cellular phone service subscribers. By June 1989, the number had exploded to 2.7 million subscribers, and by June 1995 there were mire than 26 million subscribers. When cell phones were first introduce, only people with a lot of money had them and the service was very expensive. It was a lot cheaper to stop and use the pay phone than it was to use a cell phone. Now, it is almost as cheap to use a cell phone to make a long distance call as it is to make a long distance call using AT&T. Long distance calling has become a vast market of sales and bribery. A majority of cell phone users have a long distance plan with there cellular package. A lot of college students have cell phones just to make long distance calls home to their friends and family. Depending on the time of day, a person in Fayetteville, Arkansas can call a person in Dallas, Texas for as little as 9 cents a minute. That is very cheap for that type of telephone call. Why have Americans become so attached to cellular phones? Is it convenience, or just the way a person feels driving down the road talking to someone. There is no way to tell. I think it is very important to look at the reason Americans buy and use cellular phones. In a survey taken in 1996, Southwestern Bell Cellular asked 5,000 of its users to fill out a survey.

Shakesperean Clothing Essay -- essays research papers

Have you ever looked at a picture of your parents when they were your age? Or maybe your grandparents from way back when? Well, judging by how much we laugh at their goofy clothes and ridiculous shoes, not to mention the hilarious hairstyles, styles have changed a lot. We?ve gone from high waists to low waists, baggy shirts to shirts that could fit your little sister, from bellbottoms to skin-tight jeans, and from voluminous hair to straight and silky locks. Yes, style can change a lot in a few decades and if you think that's a lot of change, try going back a few centuries, to the times of Shakespeare! Back then, the women wore a lot more clothes than we do, that?s for sure! The style included a chemise, stockings (hose), a corset or bodice, a hooped skirt called a Farthingale, a roll (rowle), a stomacher, a petticoat (or a few), a kirtle, and a forepart as underclothes. For over-clothes, they wore a gown, separate sleeves, a ruff, a cloak, shoes, and a hat. I never wear that many layers. Can you imagine how warm it would be in those clothes all day in the middle of July? As f...

Killing- the only way to solve problems? Essay

At about two o’clock. The argument between the Montague and the Capulet has once more messed up the whole town. A woman with a baby said: â€Å"It is not safe to walk on the streets with children any more. This is the third time that the two (Montague and Capulet) families have been fighting against each other in open public places. If anything like that happens then it must be those two families. † Sampson who is a servant of the Capulet family, and Abraham who is a servant of the Montague were the main people of these incidents. From a witness’s information, Sampson started the fight. He went up to Abraham and annoyed him by telling him that he is better than him as a servant. Abraham did not care about what he said and walk away. Sampson didn’t get what he wanted, so he kicked the old man who is also a servant of the Montague’s family. Abraham could not stand the rudeness of him. So he asked to draw with that man. As soon as they took out their swords, all the people who are in their families took out their swords as well. They messed up all the markets. It was like a war: Chickens were flying across the streets: vegetables were making to pieces. Women with children were running away trying to protect their children. People were throwing things from the windows†¦ On of the Capulet’s servant said: â€Å"Capulet heard the noises out at the center place. He asked for long sword. And run out to join the ‘war’. When Montague heard about the fight, he wanted to fight as well. Because he knows that it must be the Capulet that they were going to fight with. His wife held him, but that doesn’t do anything. He told his wife to let him go and he went to fight as well as the rest of the family. Why can’t the two families be peace? That is a question that many people have tried to find out. Both families had been against each other since a long time ago. If one does some thing wrong, the other must have some kind of reaction to it. Conflicts and conflicts over and over again. God knows what happens next between the two families. Minutes after the fight started. Some one went up to the bell tower, and ran the bell. Prince Escalus came to the place with his train. As they go pass, all the people were running away from them, because they didn’t want to get arrested by the prince. When the prince arrived at the place where the fight took place, everyone stopped fighting. The prince spoke, and mentioned that the old Capulet and Montague have disturbed the quite of the streets. And if they ever do that again, their lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace. Both Capulet and Montague ended up going back with the prince in the afternoon.

Into the wild Essay

Fool or Hero? Into the Wild is a book about a young man named Christopher Johnson McCandless, who had a very bright future but threw it all away by hiking into Alaska unprepared and alone. Chris McCandless can be labeled a hero, somebody to be admired or a fool. He can be called a hero because he showed people through his own actions how to live free and not be controlled. He can be called a fool because he had a good education and a bright future but he chose to go unprepared into the wilderness and risk his life and eventually die. In April of 1992 Chris who grew up in a well to do family, decided that he wanted to hitchhike to Alaska and walk alone in the wilderness of Mt. Mckinley. Before Chris decided to do this he had a nice future ahead him. He graduated with honors from Emory University in the summer of 1990. Chris was smart and he was an elite athlete. Right after he graduated he disappeared. â€Å"What no one knew- was that he would shortly donate all the money in his college fund to Oxfam America, a charity dedicated to fighting hunger† (Into the Wild: Pg. 20). He also burned all of his cash, abandoned his car and basically started his life from scratch. Chris also told the strangers he encountered that his name was Alex. Because of this his family couldn’t trace him and find him. Although Chris foolishly did go out into the wild without any experience or any method to survive he can be considered a hero/someone to be looked up to. By trying to hike in Alaska he showed people that they can live their lives however they want to, be independent and make their own decisions. Through his actions he is truly showing what independence means. No matter how many people tried to stop him from trekking in the wilds he would never give in. Chris tells Ron, a retired army veteran who he meets in his travels, â€Å" Look Mr. Franz, you don’t need to worry about me I am not destitute, I am living like this by choice† (Into the Wild, Pg. 51). He was always motivated to be independent and didn’t let anyone make decisions for him. Chris also tells Ron, â€Å"you should make a radical change in your  lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt† (John Krakauer, Into the Wild). By saying that he is telling Ron to explore the world, not to listen to anyone else and go wherever his heart takes him. Chris can be looked up to if they get his real message. Chris wasn’t necessarily saying people should hike to Alaska but he was saying that everyone could control their own lives. There are many reasons why Chris McCandless is a fool for both ruining his life and getting himself killed. He was a good student in school and could have had a very bright professional future, but he rejected graduate school. He was a well-known athlete so he could have had friends but he didn’t want any. He had a savings of 25,000 dollars and he just gave it away. He could have used the money to live a regular life. Instead of living life like a normal person he decided to disappear without telling his family and hike to Alaska. Even the way he travelled was foolish. When he started his hike alone his odds for surviving were already low because it’s almost impossible to hike through Alaska alone. He was even more foolish because of the lack of supplies and food. He only brought a bag of rice to eat. The gun that he brought wasn’t powerful enough to take down a grizzly bear or any bear if he saw one, so he was not able to protect himself. So Chris can be known a s a fool because he underestimated the value of education, family and didn’t prepare properly for surviving in the wilderness of Alaska. In some peoples eyes Chris is a hero and in others Chris is a fool. He got himself killed by hiking to Alaska but at the same time he was sending a positive message out to everyone. Chris is saying that â€Å"It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is your God-given right to have it† (Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild). Although the way Chris tried to prove his point made him look foolish he was only doing it for good reasons. People never understood why Chris threw away his life, but that’s because Chris only did what he wanted to and he showed us by example how to be in control of our lives.