What went wrong in measuring and managing risk associated with Research Paper

What went wrong in measuring and managing risk associated with financial institutions - Research Paper Example est rate risks, credit risks, foreign exchange risks, and liquidity risks that affected the functions of investment bankers, securities – stocks, bonds, derivatives -- mutual funds and insurance rate. A research into the measuring and managing techniques has been made to understand what went wrong and where. Taking the example of HSBC Holdings plc – a global financial institution providing all financial services under its umbrella, it has been attempted to explain how things went wrong. Financial institutions cater to the needs of different types of customers by providing relevant financial services. Financial institutions worldwide have been affected by the adverse market environment created by the US sub prime fiasco. Trouble began when the financial companies started relying too much on the innovation in the blind faith that it will yield returns. In the current context of sub prime melt down, initially the balloon of leveraging the assets’ market went on getting bigger and bigger, creating unrealistic and illusionary hype in market, which in the end shrank the balloon to cause global crisis of liquidity in financial institutions. Selling of financial products and services is a risky business, fraught with internal and external risks associated. Measuring and managing financial risks is crucial to the success of a financial company. There are different types of financial institutions operating at national as well as global scale. Before delving deep into the list of errors committed by financial institutions, it is significant to define the scope of financial institutions like banks, insurance, mutual funds, securities firms, investment banks, and finance companies. A financial institution collects funds from private as well as public investors to use them in financial assets. Financial institutions play the role of mediators in share markets and debt security markets. Financial activities may include bonds, debentures, stocks, loans, risk

Microsoft Corp.s Pricing Policies Essay Example for Free

Microsoft Corp.s Pricing Policies Essay Executive Summary This case study focused on the Microsoft Corporation and charges made by their competitors, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Justice of antitrust violations and a monopoly of the computer operating systems and applications software, software development tools (e.g., programming language software), and hardware peripherals (e.g., Microsoft Mouse) that Microsoft specializes in. It focused on numerous issues that would lead one to believe that Microsoft was in fact monopolizing the entire industry they were in. . In order to adequately discuss and analyze the issues of this case, I have broken this paper up into four separate sections. Section 1 Key Terms Concepts: Description of the key terms concepts that pertain to this case Section 2 The Case Against Microsoft: Identify the facts and information that support my case against Microsoft Section 3 The Defense of Microsoft: Identify certain facts and information that support a defense of Microsoft Section 4 Discussion: What I have learned from the case After reading this case study, I went back to the email that I received from you and went over the questions that you suggested we consider. The first question was: If you were the DOJ how would you build a case against Microsoft or a dominant leader? I will attempt to do this in Section 2 The Case Against Microsoft. The second question was: If you were Microsoft how might you defend yourself against DOJ claims? I will cover this in Section 3 The Defense of Microsoft. I will attempt to show why it was very necessary for the DOJ to bring a case of monopoly and antitrust violations against Microsoft. In doing this, I will attempt to put myself into Microsofts shoes and defend their claims that they have not created a monopoly. Section 1 1. Key Terms Concepts The reason I decided to include these terms and concepts was to make it easier for me to write this paper and use certain terms without describing them each time I used them in my paper. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division: The Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, a presidential appointee, ran the Antitrust Division of the DoJ. When the Division thought the evidence was sufficiently persuasive, it brought criminal charges. The Division also entered into negotiations with businesses to end litigation in exchange for consent decrees in civil cases, or nolo contendere (no contest) please in criminal cases DOJ: Department of Justice: The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is a Cabinet department in the United States government designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans (http://en.wikipedia. Org /wiki / United_States_Department_of_Justice) DOS: Disc Operating System FTC Federal Trade Commission: The FTC enforces federal antitrust and consumer protection laws by investigating complaints against individual companies initiated by consumers, businesses, congressional inquiries, or reports in the media (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Trade_Commission) ISVs: Independent Software Vendors MS-DOS: Microsoft Operating Systems NDAs: Non-disclosure agreements OEMs: Original Equipment Manufacturers OS: Operating Systems PC: Personal Computer Sherman Anti-Trust Act: it made illegal any form of contract or combination between entities in regards to trade and commerce that would have the effect of restraining trade. And it also put responsibility on government attorneys and district courts to pursue and investigate trusts http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Sherman _ Antitrust_Act) The Clayton Act of 1914: The Clayton Act was designed to prevent monopoly in the beginning rather than to remedy its effects. To accomplish this goal, Congress authorized antitrust prosecutions whenever business practices maysubstantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly in any line of commerce, in any section of the country. Section Two of the act forbade sellers from discriminating in price selling goods of like grade and quality to different buyers at different prices when such differences were neither cost justified nor necessary to meet competition. Section Three limited the use of tying and exclusive dealing contracts. Tying contracts required purchasers or leases to acquire a second, separate product in order to obtain the desired product. Exclusive dealing contracts obliged a purchaser or lessee not to deal in products of competitors Vaporware: is software or hardware which is announced by a developer well in advance of release, but which then fails to emerge, either with or without a protracted development cycle. The term implies deception, or at least a negligent degree of optimism; that is, it implies that the announcer knows that product development is in too early a stage to support responsible statements about its completion date, feature set, or even feasibility (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporware) Section 2 2. The Case Against Microsoft In order to make my case against Microsoft and prove that they are most assuredly in violation of monopoly and anti-trust regulations, I will answer the following questions: 1. Is this a case of monopoly? 2. Is this case a violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act? Is this a case of monopoly? When I began considering my approach to this paper, I first thought about situations where I was absolutely sure I had been the victim of a monopoly. In order to do this, I first had to make sure that I fully understood exactly what a monopoly was. The American Heritage ® Dictionary defines a monopoly as Exclusive control by one group of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service. In simpler terms, I have always thought of a monopoly as a big corporation doing its best to screw-over the little guy (A.K.A the customer) by doing its best to make as much money as possible. The first situation that came to mind when I thought of a monopoly was how the Comcast cable company had a virtual strangle-hold on the cable service in my homes area. Since they had exclusive control of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service, in this case they were the only cable provider in our area, you were forced to settle for Comcasts service unless you had satellite television or you were willing to settle for the wonderfully fuzzy reception from the antiquated rabbit ear antennas of years past. As a result, we unfortunately had to deal with Comcasts horrible service and always rising rates. Luckily for us, another competitor came in to the picture when WOW! (Wide Open West Internet-Cable-Phone) set up service in our area. We switched cable providers almost immediately and we couldnt have been happier. They have provided excellent customer service and their rates are consistently lower  than Comcasts. As a consumer, we definitely benefited from the increased competition and eventual abolishment of the cable company monopoly in our area. With that out of the way, I was forced to look at whether or not Microsoft had a monopoly in their particular industry. Based on the information in this case, I cannot say that Microsoft has a monopoly on any single entire industry. Do they dominate the majority of endeavors that they choose to participate in? Of course they do. Just look at some of these numbers: As you can see from Table 1, Microsoft dominates the market shares of suite software in the United States. The only problem with these numbers is the fact that they are limited in their time range. In my experience, three years is a long enough time to make an approximate forecast for future happenings, from a financial standpoint. However, that is from a transportation and supply-chain perspective where the main variable happens to be the customers shipping fluctuations. In a volatile and constantly evolving market such as software development, these numbers could sway tremendously with the introduction of a new and sought after product or changes in consumer wants and desires. Table 2 shows the financial numbers of Microsoft and three of their competitors: This also tells a lot about Microsofts market dominance, but this time from a financial standpoint. Two things that stand out to me in this table are the fact that Microsoft has almost twice as much net revenue than their nearest competitor (Microsoft has 4,649 and Novell has 1,998). The second thing that jumped out to me is the fact that all of the competitors show an increase in net revenue from 1984 to 1994. Based on the growth of Microsofts competitors (which there are more than one), I feel confident in saying that Microsoft does not have a monopoly in their industry. They do not meet the standard set forth by the simple definition in the dictionary of Exclusive control by one group of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service. As you can clearly see from the tables, Microsoft  does not have exclusive control of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service. However, Microsoft does in fact hold a monopoly on many other counts, one of which is that Microsoft Windows, the Microsoft OS, is installed on most personal computers that can be purchased from Dell, Hewlett Packard, Compaq, and the like. Because this OS comes pre-installed, we as the consumers do not have much of a choice and there is not much of an alternative for us to go with unless we want to switch to an Apple Macintosh OS. Although Microsoft isnt a natural monopoly in the classically defined or economic sense that Ive identified above, it is a natural monopoly in the land of cyberspace. Microsoft is the path of least resistance for government, consumers, and programmers alike. Microsoft may have many faults, but they make a lot of things easier too. Most of us are willing to accept a monopoly such as Microsoft has for increased convenience and usability. Microsoft is a one-product company, no matter how it may sometimes appear. Their success is fundamentally due to the success of Windows. It rose to power with one product, and it resides there because of the success of that product. Unfortunately for us, this is not only the best product on the market, it is the only true alternative for us to use. In my book, regardless of the textbook definition, this constitutes a monopoly by Microsoft. Is this a case a violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act? As I stated in Section 1, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act makes illegal any form of contract or combination between entities in regards to trade and commerce that would have the effect of restraining trade. Based on this case and the readings from week #7, there is proof that Microsoft did violate the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, particularly Sections 1 and 2 of the Act. Section One prohibited contracts, combinations and conspiracies in restraint of trade while Section Two outlawed monopolies and attempts to monopolize. Microsoft violated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act by illegally using its market power to restrain trade in the high tech industry. A filing from the DOJ on December 19, 1999 stated that Microsoft engaged in illegal conduct in five separate ways: * by tying browser sales to sales of the operating system; * by using its market power to illegally maintain a monopoly; * by attempting to monopolize the browser market; * by imposing exclusive dealing arrangements between itself and Internet service providers and/or developers; and * by imposing first boot-up and screen restrictions on computer makers. http://news.com.com/2100-1001-233992.html The DOJ filing in December of 1999 shows exactly why Microsoft was in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Some of the things that Microsoft has done that clearly violate the act include, but are certainly not limited to: Microsoft customers upgrading their copies of Microsoft Office at the Microsoft website, but using the competitions web browser, are greeted with a message insisting on the use of MSIE for the full edition of the update. On November 18, 1998 the digital greeting card company Blue Mountain Arts discovered that beta versions of Microsofts Outlook Express (which comes free with Internet Explorer) were automatically filing Blue Mountains e-mail greeting cards into the junk folder rather than the inbox. Shortly afterwards, Blue Mountain Arts discovered that Microsofts WebTV service was blocking their e-mail greeting cards as well. When the courts ordered Microsoft to ship Windows without an integrated Internet Explorer, the company complied by offering a non-functional version of the OS, claiming that the browser was now so completely  integrated into Windows to remove it was tantamount to breaking the operating system. -All three of these examples were taken from the following website: http://www.vcnet. com /bms/departments/dirtytricks.shtml To summarize, Ive identified the following facts: Microsoft does have a monopoly in their industry Microsoft did violate Acts 1 and 2 of the Sherman Anti-trust Act It is convenient for Microsoft to say that their success is solely based on them being able to produce good products. Although they do devote extraordinary resources to improving their technologies, they also work diligently to stifle growth and in-roads from their competition. Section 3 3. The Defense of Microsoft I am not going to spend a great deal of time attempting to defend Microsoft. They have spent millions and millions of dollars working tirelessly to do it themselves. Furthermore, I firmly believe that they have established a monopoly and that this monopoly serves to futher one parties interests: Microsofts. However, I did some research online and came up with the following paragraph from an article titled The Microsoft Antitrust Suit written by Peter Tracey. In it, he wrote The persecution of Microsoft is an assault on the free market, and on the intelligence of the American people. It is the result of long-held envy by Microsofts competitors, including Netscape and Oracle. It is in violation of the constitution, being both ex post facto and vague (Getman). The governments persecution of Microsoft should be stopped, moreover, the antitrust legislation that has exposed business to unfair and unreasonable practices should be repealed. (http://www.levelthreesolutions.com/ peter/msantitrust.html) In Microsofts opinion, the government should not get involved in determining what means a company uses to produce their products. They feel that they have been able to succeed through hard work, tenancity, and superior products. Although it may be unfortunate for their competitiors, Microsoft feels that if you cant stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen. In essence, Microsoft makes the most money doing what they do by taking solid ideas from other people, such as the Disc Operating System, and making them better. Microsoft doesnt monopolize the industry. They simply work harder, take risks, and capitalize where other companies have floundered. Section 4 4. Discussion Before I discuss this particular case study, I must tell you that I have always been a big fan of Microsoft and Bill Gates. I have enjoyed the relatively cheap cost of Microsofts software such as Microsoft Excel and Word. I have also felt that with each successive upgrade of these products I have only been able to improve my performance both at work and school. I also thought it was impressive that Bill Gates could take his ideas, push forward with his undefeatable will, and become one of the richest people in the entire world. However, this case study and the analysis that Ive done with it has really opened my eyes to the seamy side of Microsoft and Bill Gates. I was so moved by this case that I even went and downloaded one of Microsofts few internet browser competitors, Netscape, to compare its product with Internet Explorer. When my wife asked me what my paper was I about I told her it was about Microsoft and whether or not they were a monopoly in the industry. Her very quick and wry response said it so perfectly: Duh, of course they are. Even I know that. I think this says it all so succinctly. Do I think Microsoft needs to be disbanded or separated in to two different operating companies? Not really. Like I said before, I enjoy Microsofts products and I use them constantly. In fact, I am writing  this paper using one of Microsofts products, Microsoft Word. I just honestly think that fair competition and a level playing field for Microsofts competitors would only benefit the consumer in the long run. More people with new insights will be given the chance to expand the technology already in place. Too many companies are skittish about taking on Microsoft because of the monopoly and the fear of being annihilated. Finally, I have learned that cases of anti-trust and monopoly are not always as clear cut as one may think. I always thought that Microsoft had a clear monopoly and that there was nothing any of us could ever do to remedy it. I also really didnt care as long as they continued to improve Windows and the accompanying Office Suite. I can see now that competition in all economic arenas, whether it is cable television or fast-food or computer software, is important, no vital, for lower prices and increased technological growth.

Human Rights Of Individuals And Amnesty International Criminology Essay

Human Rights Of Individuals And Amnesty International Criminology Essay Human rights are the basic rights of any individual regardless of the fact that the individual may belong to any religion, country, and background. Human rights are collective set of rights which an individual enjoys to live. These are rights that apply to all human beings. Human rights ensures that the dignity of an individual is protected, people are given respect within and in other societies. Human rights expresses the idea that all human beings should be treated equally and with justice and the moral values should be same and applied on all humans. The Human rights are majorly categorized as religious, civil, political, social and economic rights. (a) Civil rights comprises of rights which an individual enjoys as a citizen including right to life. It includes freedom to live, protecting people from discrimination as gender, religion, immigrant status, age etc. This includes the rights the state provides being a citizen. (b) Political rights comprises of the right to vote, having the right to express and the right to political participation. (c) Economic and social rights includes the basic rights an individual enjoys, promoting equality in society. It comprises of the right to proper education, right to a living in a safe environment, adequate housing and food, right to proper health facilities and right to social security. Economic rights includes the right to employment. (d) Cultural rights constitute the right of a society linked to cultural freedom. The right to perform cultural practices, to speak ones own mother language and the right to rituals and indigenous land. The protection of these rights are essential for the sustainability and survival of humanity. Human rights benefits people in ways that they can be protected from any social, legal and political violence. Violation in the human rights means to deny the basic rights of an individual. Violation of human rights lead to unbalanced society. Human rights are sheltered by national and international laws. FIVE INTERNATIONAL CASES ON VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS Throughout the course of human history, there have been many examples of violation of human rights. Some examples of violation of human right laws are given, 1. The most tragic case of human rights violation took place in China where due to hukou household registration system, millions of rural migrants are denied basic facilities including education for children. This distinction is based on the place of residence which has categorized citizens to be eligible for certain socioeconomic benefits. This system limits the rural from some socioeconomic facilities as education, health facilities, and better sources of income which their urban dwellers enjoy. 2. The failure of the Mexican military court system to provide justice in cases involving military abuses against civilians is a another examples of human rights violation. In many such incidents sliders detained civilians, held them captive, tortured and abused them and even applied electric shocks. No investigation are done on such cases and no action taken by military against the soldiers involved in such incidents despite medical proofs of tortures. 3. Another example of human right violation is the forced evacuation of Roma Gypsys by the Italian government. In a controversial plan, the Italian government is evacuating nomadic camps which will result in the destruction of 100 camps, leaving 1,000 people homeless resulting in violation of rights of these peoples. 4. In one incident of Human right violation, Iraqi prisoners of war are held by Britain in legal black holes similar to US at Guantanamo Bay, without trial for more than five years. Two Iraqis Faisal Attiyah Nassar al-Saadoon, 56, and Khalaf Hussain Mufdhi, 58 were accused of execution of British soldiers but both men denied any involvement in the fighting. 5. Cases of detention of journalists and scholars in Iran, restricting their right of freedom of speech and academic freedom are sad examples of human rights violations. Two Iranain brothers and physicians Kamiar and Arash Alaei were charged for allegedly communicating with enemy governments because of their participation in global health conferences. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Amnesty international founded in London In 1961 aims at providing justice and rights to those whos rights have been violated. It aims at protecting the dignity of every individual belonging to any society, ethnicity, religion or country. People worldwide face many problems which results in violation or in some cases complete denial of their basic human rights. Amnesty International works globally by collecting information on issues societies are facing and focuses on reducing the abuses to peoples through campaign locally and globally. People in Amnesty International are involved in many activities worldwide ranging from helping free prisoners, stopping violence against women and children, settling disputes between nations, abolishing death penalties and to free people from the discrimination they face which results in violation of their basic rights. Amnesty International emphasizes the Governments to provide security to their citizens when they face a challenge or harsh condition. MAJOR ROLES AND FUNCTIONS PERFORMED BY AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL The main function of Amnesty International is to record any kind of human right violation worldwide and work against it. Amnesty International stress that the Governments of every country should work to meet its responsibility to protect, respect and promote the human rights of every citizen. Following are the major key areas on which Amnesty International works on, 1. Ending Violence against women: People in Amnesty International are involved in campaigns, working against violence against women and girls worldwide. This includes ending all type of violence against women ranging from domestic violence and abuse, sexual abuse, torture and discrimination. Enforcement of laws on violence against women and abolishing laws on women discrimination. It also involves empowering women so that they can protect themselves from the discrimination and work as an active citizen. 2. Stopping violence against Children: Worldwide children faces many abuses and are denied their basic human right. Children suffer many types of violence ranging from torture to death penalties. Amnesty International aims at protecting the rights of children worldwide providing them education and against imprisonment of children. It is also working towards reducing the discrimination of girls education. Amnesty International works to end the employment of children into armed forces and to reintegrate former child soldiers back into civilian life. 3. Abolish Death Penalty and torture: Amnesty International opposes the death penalties, regardless of the fact that what the crime is. Death penalty is an inhuman punishment and results in violation of right to live. 4. Protecting Rights of Refugees, migrants and Internally displaced persons (IDPs) : Millions of people are forced to leave their homes and move to new areas as a result of war, poverty and natural disasters. These people move to other areas in their own country or to other countries in search of homes and better standard of living. Unfortunately they face many situation which results in violation of their basic human rights. As in case of Iraq where many people have migrated to other places as a result of war, Amnesty International is calling on US, UK and other developed countries for resettlement of these refugees who are in urgent need of shelter, food and medical care. 5. Rights of Prisoners of Conscience : Amnesty International has been working for Prisoners of Conscience and has succeeded in helping in release of many such prisoners. Prisoners of Conscience are those prisoners who been imprisoned either because of lawful expression of their beliefs or are human rights defenders facing government intimidation, individuals at risk of execution, or those languishing in arbitrary detention. 6. Protection of Human dignity: To protect human dignity is the main function of Amnesty International. Amnesty International focuses on promoting the respect of every individual belonging to any religion, country, gender or ethnicity. Protecting the moral values of every individual. EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE FREED AFTER INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE There are many success stories of release of prisoners after international pressure. Such stories area great hope for the human rights activists. Following are some of the success stories, 1. In 1998, two OCESP members, Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera were arrested by military and were tortured to confess to arms and drugs-related crimes. Amnesty International took up their case and found that they were found guilty on basis of false evidence. National and international pressure in the case forced President Vicente Fox to order their release from prison in 2001. 2. On 16th September 2005, Felipe Arreaga Sà ¡nchez, environmental activist, founder of the Peasant Environmentalist Organization of the Sierra de Petatlà ¡n was released after international pressure. He was arrested in November 2004, accused of a murder that took place in 1998. 3. In February 2009, Ayman Nour was unpredictably released from prison after four years due to International pressure. He was a prominent political dissident and a one-time presidential candidate. HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION IN DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Though there have been records of cases and incidents in developed countries but the rate of human rights violence is higher in developing countries as compared to developed countries due to many reasons. In developed countries institutions are strong and corruption rate is low. In developing countries freedom of speech and human rights is not well appreciated. In some societies major rights are not even considered as human rights in the first place. Due to lack of resources, unequal distribution of resources, injustice, unemployment and increase in violence the rate of human rights violation is increasing. The increase in war on terrorism is also resulting in human rights violations. War its self creates disturbance, depriving people of basic rights, where fear, mistrust and violence increases in societies. The main reasons resulting in violation of Human Rights in developing countries are, 1. Discrimination on the basis of ethnicity and casts systems: The discrimination done on basis of cast system, ethnicity, family background results in human rights violation. For example as in India the cast system which has divided the Hindus into different casts, restricts them from adopting a better standard of living. People who belong to lower classes do not have the right to eat and sit between people belonging to high casts. 2. Democratic and institutional weakness: One reason for violation in civil and political rights is because of bad governance, democratic and institutional weakness in developing countries. Power exists in the hands of few people or in hands of those awarded through heredity. People are not given right to vote; right to choose the kind of life they want to live. 3. Economic instability, Lack of resources and unequal distribution of resources: Economic instability is major factor in failure of certain developing countries in human rights violations. These societies do not have the means to facilitate their citizens with basic social and economical rights. Another reason for human rights violation in developing countries is the lack of resources. Inefficiency in allocation of resources such as food and health facilities, housing and other results in violence in society. In this way people are forced to live in bad situations. Unequal distribution of resources creates differences in society where large differences are created between rich and poor. 4. In many societies a number of human rights violations are accepted culturally. There are certain practices taking place in these societies which are not considered as violation of human rights. In fact these practices have been part of the culture of the area for such a long time that these practices have become traditions. No one looks at it as violation of human rights. Such as in some societies of the developing countries womens are not given right to vote, girls are denied right to education and practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) have become traditions in these societies. 5. Corruption and violence is a major contributing factor in violation of human rights in developing countries. Major threats of human rights faced by these nations is the result of corruption. Violence created as a result of the above factors are depriving humans of their basic needs and resulting in violation their basic rights. ASPECTS OF POVERTY AND HUMAN RIGHTS Poverty is condition in which an individual, a family or society is deprived from basic economic necessities required for living. Poverty leads to human rights violation. A poor person faces many types of abuses, stress and difficulties. When an individual does not have the right to proper standard of living, proper food, proper health facilities, education, to adequate housing and income, results in violation of human rights. Most of the various aspects of poverty can be considered as the denials of ones right to a decent living. Poverty leads to bad standard of living. Everyone has the right to live a life in which all basic facilities are available. Some aspects of poverty and human rights are given below, 1. Poverty and Child labor: In developing countries the ratio of child labor is very high due to the fact that in these countries as there is economic instability, discrimination and poverty, families of poor people have to work very hard to earn and compete for a proper living. In such societies children work along with their parents due to which the child gets no education due to which the ration of child labor has increased in the past few years in developing countries. 2. Poverty and Women rights: Over one million people around the world are living a life of poverty and majority of them are females. Poverty results in discrimination in women rights in many ways. It results in limitation of a womens access to power, education, health facilities, job etc. In some cases it has been seen as there is increase in poverty, the female of the house would limit everything and focus on her family so as to meet their needs. This way the female neglects her own basic rights just for the sake of her family. Increase in domestic and sexual violence is a major factor resulting in women poverty. 3. Poor societies face much discrimination: Poor societies are treated unfairly which is a major barrier to achieving their human rights. Poor people do not have access to many facilities. In some societies ethnic background and racism leads to poverty. As example of India is coated earlier where due to cast system people face discrimination whereby human rights of an individual or community is violated or completely denied. When people do not have the basic necessities and live a life of poverty, it results in imbalance in society, creating violence and an unsustainable society. Poor communities do not participate in decision making which leads to bad policy making. 4. Violence and poverty: Violence in poor communities is caused as a result of poverty. When people are denied their basic rights (right to food, adequate living, health facilities, employment and freedom), they adopt certain methods which results in violence in society. Discrimination between poor and rich in providing jobs and education creates frustration which results in violence leading to violation of human rights. 5. Poverty leads to unsustainable living: When individuals in a society or country are not given the basic rights of living leads to an unsustainable living. ASPECTS OF TERRORISM AND SECURITY ASPECTS OF HUMAN RIGHTS The increase in conflicts with nations and the religious conflicts has initiated the increase and deterioration of human rights globally. 1. Migration: Increase in war on terrorism has resulted in migration of thousands of people within their own countries or to other countries. People leave their homes and property in search of a peaceful place to live. First their right to live is deteriorated and secondly the area they migrate to is totally new to them. These people face many problems. They live in tents no matter how harsh the climatic conditions are, they are treated as strangers in the new place, have difficulty in getting employment and are treated as violence creators. There are many examples of such incidents; the recent is the Roma Gypsys from Italy. 2. Increase in prisoners and abductions: Terrorism has increased the abduction of people to places where human rights are totally violated. Disappearance and detention of prisoners and keeping them in jails without trail or fair trial. Human abuse is increasing with the increase in establishment of detention cells and camps like Guantanamo Bay and increase in handing of suspects to be engaged in terrorist activities. Up till now no one knows how many detention cells or camps are present and up till now due to this so called war on terrorism, how many individuals including men, women and children have been detained or killed. 3. Security is the basic right of every citizen of a country, which is the duty of the Government and other local agencies. But unfortunately Governments have adopted such methods to control terrorism as torture, which are resulting in increase in insecurity of citizens. Killing and incidents of abuse, rape, kidnapping, robbery increases. 4. Terrorism creates an environment of distrust, violence, affects human security and dignity, destroys democratic setup of society, creates fear in society, negatively affects the social and economical development of the country, results in violation of human rights and threatens the security of the state. 5. One aspect of increase in terrorism and insecurity affecting the human rights is the destruction and disturbance these activities cause. These activities causes mass destruction of public, private and personal buildings. It creates fear in society. The daily routine lives of citizens is badly affected. As in the case of suicide attacks in any country or such acts results in violation of human rights. People do not feel safe and decrease their outdoor activities. Damage to property, shop, office or factory decreases the labor of an individual thus affecting the livelihood and income in an already economically instable country. REFRENCES: http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGAMR410382005lang=e. http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=3.1.108305094 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/15/china-migrant-workers-children-education http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/04/29/mexico-hold-military-account-rights-abuses http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/army-accused-of-human-rights-abuse-in-case-of-iraqis-held-without-trial-for-five-years-847457.html http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/146286.php

Professionalism In The Health Field Essay -- essays research papers He

Professionalism is an adherence to a set of values comprising both a formally agreed-upon code of conduct and the informal expectations of colleagues, clients and society. The key values include acting in a patient's interest, responsiveness to the health needs of society, maintaining the highest standards of excellence in the practice of medicine and in the generation and dissemination of knowledge. In addition to medical knowledge and skills, medical professionals should present psychosocial and humanistic qualities such as caring, empathy, humility and compassion, as well as social responsibility and sensitivity to people's culture and beliefs. All these qualities are expected of members of highly trained professions. There are many attributes that contribute to being professional. The many that stick out in my mind are responsibility and accountability, leadership, honor and integrity, respect, and caring compassion and communication. All of these attributes pertain to the professional work environment in the own important way. When you are a professional you need to have responsibility and accountability. This means you have to demonstrate awareness of your own limitations, and identify developmental needs and approaches for improvements. You care for yourself appropriately and you present yourself in an appropriate manner (demeanor, dress, and hygiene). You recognize and report errors and poor behavior in peers. You have to take responsibility for appropriate share o...

Professional Values for the BSN Student Essay

Nursing students as training professionals in the field of hospital has to have the ability to handle ethical issues within the said industry. Undeniably though, it is essential enough to consider this particular matter when dealing with healthcare professions such as nursing. True, being a nurse requires one to become highly involved in different human operations and are thus more susceptible to issues that are related to the said situations. Consequently, the said healthcare professionals are required to learn different levels of ethical concerns even during their training years yet. This particular training ensures them of the capabilities that they have to at least manifest their personal concern for their patients as well as their professional standing for the performance of their duties towards their clients.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Being a nurse itself requires hard work and perseverance in treating patients from different ages, genders and situations. According to the Department of Nursing Education, applicants for the nursing job must have certain characteristics that will help them give the needed medication for the patients they care for. The said characteristics particularly involve that of the five major values of professionalism that must be given full attention by nurses in performing their duties to the public. The five values include Altruism, Autonomy, Human Dignity, Integrity, and Social Justice. First to be attended in discussion is that of the value of autonomy and altruism which suggests that individuals be able to perform at a minimum level of supervision provided to them my their administrational officials. Among these characteristics is being able to functionally use the five major senses in a fast paced demand of performance. Another is being able to observe a client at a certain distance, also being able to use muscular movements along with the functions of the major senses in coordination. In short, a nurse who would deal with patients in the emergency room must be able to do multi-tasking to become an asset nurse to the medical team.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Human dignity and integrity is also conscientiously considered within the process as the situations are being dealt with by the nurses in their profession. This includes the basic application of the major rules of nursing in actual operations in handling the health cases of the patients who are in need of careful assistance. As an addition to these attitudes or characters, the basic understanding of a nurse on the hospital rules regarding visitation and family involvement in the medication is also a vital factor that must be considered. According to Laura Marco, â€Å"Family life is vital to a person’s health†; this is why family participation must always be considered as a necessary agent in medicating any patient. In short, family participation must be continuous in order to achieve the â€Å"total care therapeutic surroundings.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the key factors also considered in the abilities that a perfect nurse should acquire is being able to demonstrate utilization of intellectual strength. This means that a nurse must be able to dispose off good judgment even when he is faced with exceptionally complicated and serious medical cases. A nurse must be able to promptly complete all responsibilities such as attending to the care of each patient brought in the emergency room. To become an asset to the medical team, a nurse should be able to think in a mature way and tolerate â€Å"physically taxing workloads† and yet still function at the best performance possible. Stress is always a part of the nursing job. Professionalism is also an important factor to be considered in nursing. In emergency situations, it should be preempted by the nurse to receive negative and demanding commands from the patient or the relatives as well. Remaining calm and continuously focused to aiding the patient should keep the nurse remains in his professional characteristics. In this way, instead of making the situation worse, the attending nurse would even be able to help the relatives and the patient himself to remain calm in the middle of a strenuous situation. This particular value actually involves the consideration that each nurse places on their responsibility to pose social justice in their work. Professionalism involves the consideration that each nurse palaces on the ethical standards that they are placing as part of their professional basis of competency at work.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Yes, being a nurse has never been an easy task, and being a part of a medical team to help patients during emergency cases is much more demanding. But the strong and ideal efforts of a nurse placed in his job could help him attain the required attributes that a perfect nurse should have. His determination to continuously improve and develop his skills in becoming the perfect nurse is among the key concepts to help him attain his best in his chosen career. References: Lewis, Sharon M. Medical-Surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems, Single Volume.(1999). Brooklyn New York. Potter, A. Fundamentals of Nursing. (2000). San Francisco California. Barnes, S. Fundamentals of Nursing: Concepts, Process, and Practice, Seventh Study Guide Edition. (2002). Chicago Press. Chicago.   

Examiner Tips for Igcse Biology 0610

EXAMINER TIPS for IGCSE Biology 0610 How to use these tips These tips are based on some common mistakes made by students. They are collected under various subheadings to help you when you prepare for your examinations. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Make sure you read all the general tips. These can be important in any of the papers you do. Make sure you know which examination papers you are taking before you look at the tips for the different papers All of you will take paper 1, which is all multiple choice questions. You may be taking paper 2, which is Foundation OR you may be taking paper 3, which is Extended.You may be taking paper 5, which is a practical examination in a laboratory OR you may be taking paper 6 which is a written paper about practical work. General Advice †¢ Answering questions. The questions are meant to let you show the biology you know. There are no trick questions. When you are writing your answers remember that another person has to be able to read it. o o o o o o o o Do not waste time by writing out the question before you start to answer. Keep your handwriting clear and legible. Keep you answer in the lines on the question paper.If you write in the margin, at the bottom of a page, or on blank pages, part of your answer might be missed. If you have to cross out something, put a line through, but do not scribble all over it. If you have to use a different space to write another answer to one you have crossed out, then put a note to say where it is, e. g. answer on page 5 Written papers are now marked on computer screen so your written paper will be scanned. If you write on the margin the scanner may not be able to copy this. Try to be precise, in other word be accurate in what you say. Read also Lab 2 BiologyUsing biological terms correctly can help. Do not use word like â€Å"it†, â€Å"they†, â€Å"effect†, â€Å"affect† without any more explanation. A sentence like â€Å"It has an effect on the body† or â€Å"They affect the process† does not say anything. – If you use the word â€Å"it† or â€Å"they â€Å"– think WHAT? – If you use the word â€Å"affect† or â€Å"effect† – think HOW? – e. g. State why magnesium ions are important for healthy plant development. [1] – â€Å"it are needed by the plant† is true but too vague. – â€Å"They are needed by the leaves† is still too vague – Ask yourself: What is it or they? What is the â€Å"need†? â€Å"Magnesium is needed to make chlorophyll† is a better answer – â€Å"Magnesium is part of a chlorophyll molecule. † Good answer! †¢ Terms. These are the n ames used in biology. These will be used in questions. You will get more marks if you can use them correctly in you examination. Ask your teacher if you are unsure of the different meanings between biological terms. o o Try to use the correct spelling. The person marking your answer will try to recognise what word you mean, but if the spelling is too wrong, then they cannot allow you a mark. Some biological terms have very similar spelling.One example is â€Å"ureter†, urethra† and â€Å"uterus†. If your mis-spelling is â€Å"uretus†, it could be â€Å"ureters† or â€Å"uterus†. Other common examples are ovum, ova, ovary and ovule, testes and testa; sucrose and sucrase. Do not try to mix the spellings of two words when you are not sure which of them is the correct answer, e. g. meitosis, when you are not sure whether the answer is mitosis or meiosis, or urether, when you are not sure if the answer is ureter or urethra. You need to check caref ully that you have used the right word when similar terms are used in the same topic , e. g. urea and urine, ureter and urethra. semen and sperm o o †¢ Writing in you own words. You sometimes have to write two or more sentences to answer a question. o o Use short sentences. If you write long sentences you can get mixed up. It is hard to find correct statements in a muddled answer. You are often asked to write down something you have learned. Make sure you have learnt the meanings of the common terms used in biology, e. g. photosynthesis, osmosis, fermentation. In the revision checklist there is a list of the terms which you should be able to â€Å"define†. You also need be able to write down the meaning of more complicated ideas, e. g. evel of organisation, natural selection, global warming, eutrophication. o What you should look for in a question 1) †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The number of marks. In multiple choice questions there is only one mark for a cor rect answer. Other sorts of question show how many marks at the end of each part like this [2]. The number of marks helps you decide how much to write. The number of marks is a guide to how long to spend on each question or parts of a question. If you allow about 1 minute per mark then you should finish in time to check your answers. Do not waste time and write long answer for a question which has [1].You will only get one mark even if the rest of the answer has correct statements. If there are two or more marks do not write the same thing in two different ways, e. g. The leaf is very large. The leaf has a large surface area. The instructions. These are called command words and tell you what to do. If a question says â€Å"Show your working† when you have to do a calculation, then write down the stages of your calculation to show how you got your answer. Even if you get the final answer wrong, you may be given a mark for knowing what to do. If a question asks you to â€Å"Na me† or â€Å"State† two things only the first two will be marked.Use the numbered lines for your answers if they on the question paper. If you write more than two and the first is correct but the second one is wrong, you will only get the mark for the first one. Even if the third answer is correct, it will not be marked. Some questions have two commands in the question, for example â€Å"Predict† AND â€Å"Explain† †¦. † This means you have to say what you think will happen AND then say why you think it will happen. The Revision Checklist has a list of terms used in biology papers to tell you what to do in an answer (section 4. 3 Command words and phrases).General Biology Ii Study Guide (Online Class)Make sure you know what these terms mean. e. g. â€Å"Name the process by which green plants make sugars†, all you need to write for your answer is â€Å"Photosynthesis†. A question which asks you to â€Å"Define photosynthesis† , would expect you to write one sentence such as â€Å"The process by which green plants use light energy to make sugars†. What the question is about. Make sure you know which part of your biology is being tested Read the whole of a question carefully before you begin to answer it. Some of the parts have similar answers so you need to work out the difference between them.If you write exactly the same thing in different parts of the same question, then only one of them might be a correct answer. It helps to highlight the main features of a question. e. g. â€Å"Name the tissue that transports the sugars made by photosynthesis to other parts of the plant†. This tells you that you want a one word answer, about plant transport of sugars. Do not be put off the question is about something you have not studied. There will be enough information in the question for you to work out an answer. 2) †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 3) †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ à ¢â‚¬ ¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢Look carefully at any diagrams, graphs or tables and make sure you understand what they are about. You may have to use information from them to answer the questions. Answer each question as far as you can. Do not spend a long time staring at a question If you have forgotten something, go on to the next question or part of a question. Come back to the ones you found difficult when you have finished all of the paper. Try not to leave blanks. When you come back to a question you often remember an answer you left out. Do not waste time by writing about things unrelated to the question. Paper 1 Tips †¢ Each question tests just one thing.You have about 1 minute to read and answer each question. o Some questions test what you know and understand. For example â€Å"What part of the eye detects light? † o Some questions test if you can use what you have learned to understand new data. These questions will often have a diagram, graph or table to use. Try to decide what the question is testing as you are reading it. o To answer a question that asks â€Å"What is a characteristic feature of all living things? o You need to know the characteristic features of living things. If you know a quick way of remembering all seven then you can jot it down on the question paper. . g. MRS GREN for Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion and Nutrition, or the first letters of Real Elephants Grow Massive Red Feet Slowly, o To answer a question that has a diagram of the circulatory system and asks â€Å"In which vessel will absorbed alcohol first be found? â€Å". You need to think about what the question is asking you. – Is it about digestion? – Is it about excretion (of alcohol)? – Is it about the circulation? The question is asking about something absorbed from the gut to be transported, so it is about circulation. – Which vessel carries substances absorbed by the gut? Answer â€Å"The Hepatic Portal Vein†. So you have to choose the letter which labels the hepatic portal vein. Do not try to find a pattern in the letter order of correct answers. o The same letter could be the correct for several answers in a row. o Letter A might be the correct answers for more questions than are B, C or D. Or there could be fewer correct answers shown by letter D than any of the others. o Do not let what you have chosen for the previous questions influence what letter you choose. †¢ †¢ Written Paper Tips †¢ You should read all of a question before you begin to answer it.Different questions will ask you to do different tasks to test how well you know and understand biology. o The topic is usually the same for all different parts of the question. Remember that underlining important words will help you to be clear about what you are being asked to do. o Look for clues in the words of the question. If you see â€Å"mammal† you know that the anima ls are warm blooded and have biological systems like ours. o If you are only given a Latin name or a name you do not recognise, e. g. â€Å"dik-dik†, look to see if you are told anything about it. If you are told it is a herbivore, then you know it eats plants.The main sort of tasks you might be asked to do are: †¢ Identify features of cells, tissues organs. For example, â€Å"label on Fig. 5. 1 using labelling lines, a petal, a sepal and a stamen. To answer this question o You have to know the structure of a flower. o You also have to be able to find the structures on a diagram of a flower you may never have studied. o You then have to draw a label line to the structure and write the name next to the labelling line. If you do not draw a label line, or use and arrow, you may not get any marks even if you have found the correct structures.Use information given in the question. For example if a question asks you to â€Å"Use examples from† or â€Å"Use only this i nformation† or â€Å"With reference to Fig. 6. 2† . . . STOP and THINK! Find out what you are expected to use as examples or get information from. You will not get any marks if you use examples from somewhere else. The information can be given to you in different ways: o Diagram like a food web, a set of apparatus or biological structure. o A graph, which could be a line graph, a bar chart or a histogram. Check the headings and units carefully o A table.Check the headings and units carefully o You may have to give examples to show that you understand an idea in Biology. – After a diagram of a food web you might be asked to â€Å"Name an organism from this food web that is a primary consumer, a tertiary consumers and a producer†. – To answer this question you have to know definitions of producers, primary consumers, tertiary consumers. Then you have to show that you understand how these terms apply to the food web shown in the diagram. If you put exa mples from other food webs you have learned, you will not get any marks.After a diagram of leaf structure you may be asked to â€Å"Describe and explain the advantage of the distribution of chloroplasts shown in Fig. 8. 1† – To answer this question you have to observe the diagram and describe which cells have the most chloroplasts. Then you have to work out why this arrangement might help photosynthesis. If you write answer about what chloroplasts do you will not get any marks. Draw or interpret graphs. If you are asked to draw a graph: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Choose a scale which uses most of the grid. Choose a simple scale, e. g. one small square is equal to 1 or 2 or 10 units in the data.Do not give make it hard for by having to multiply each item in the data by 2/3! o Write the name of the axes and their units, e. g. rate of water loss/ g per h , temperature/ o C, time/ s o Plot the points exactly using a sharp pencil. Draw the points lightly so tha t you can rub them out if you need to. Make them more definite when you are sure they are right. o Use a cross (x) or a dot in a circle ( ) for your plot points. o Join the points with a â€Å"line of best fit or a zig -zag line. o Remember that all curves do not have to pass through the point where the two axes meet. Do not extend you graph beyond the plotted points. If you are asked to read figures from a graph: o Make sure you work out the scale. o Make sure you read from the correct axis and put in the units. o If you are asked for a trend or pattern, describe the overall change, e. g. the line increases and then levels. off. Do not describe each point of the graph. Draw or interpret tables If you are asked to draw a table o Use a ruler and a pencil to draw the table. o Write headings for each column or row of the table. 3 o Write in units if they are needed, e. g. volume of water/cm , mass of seed/g. Do not put units in the table spaces where you write numbers. Do calculations . If you are asked to do a calculation: o You may have to find the figures from a table or graph. o Make sure that you show the units in the calculation. o Show you working. o If you use a calculator, round up the figures to the same as in the question – do not copy all the figures after the decimal point, e. g. If the question figures are 5. 6, 4. 6, then your answer should only have one number after the decimal point. Show or complete equations. You do not have to know chemical symbols for equations of the processes in biology.But it will help you to understand them if you do. o If you are asked to give either a word or a symbol equation, do not combine symbols and words in the same answer – If you have to give the word equation for anaerobic respiration by yeast, write: o o Glucose > carbon dioxide +ethanol + energy If you have to give the chemical equation for anaerobic respiration by yeast, write C6H12O6 > 2C2 H5 OH + 2CO2+ energy Do not write something like gluco se > CO2 + ethanol and energy †¢ Make comparisons. If you are asked to compare two things make sure you make it clear which you are talking about. A question may give to table of data and then ask you about it. Make sure you only use information from the table. e. g. in a table of the composition of normal breast milk and colostrum, you can see which milk contains more fat, protein and sugar. Your answers should start with â€Å"colostrum has more †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. than breast milk† or â€Å"breast milk has more †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ than colostrum†. Do not put â€Å"it has more protein. † The person marking cannot guess which you thought had more protein. o The question may ask you to make a comparison about biology you have learned. e. g. the differences between arteries and veins.The clearest way of answering is to make your own table. Make sure the headings are clear. Keep the comparisons of the same feature together. Artery has thick wall thick muscle layer ve in has thin wall very thin muscle A table like the one below will not get any marks as there are no comparisons of the same features. Artery thick wall no valves †¢ veins elastic layer small amount of muscle Extended writing. This means writing several sentences together. e. g. Suggest what happens if excess nitrogen fertiliser is washed into a stream or pond [4] o The mark scheme used for a question like this will have a list of oints that the person marking your answer will use. o There will be more points than there are marks, so you do not need to put them all in your answer. The points for this question could be: – Algae and aquatic plants grow faster using the fertiliser. – Algae cover the water surface. Light cannot pass to aquatic plants lower down. – These plants die. Bacteria of decay feed on the dead plants. – Bacteria increase in numbers. – These bacteria are aerobic. – They use up more oxygen. – There is not enough o xygen for other organisms which live in the water. – These organisms die. The process is called eutrophication. If your answer is something like â€Å"The fertiliser causes low oxygen and it affects animals in the water. † you will not get any marks. The answer is much too vague, in other words it is not precise. I your answer is something like â€Å"The animals do not have enough oxygen for their respiration and they die. † you will get some marks. Paper 2 tips †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Most of the questions are short answers. This means that you writing mainly one word or one sentence answers worth one mark. [1]. Longer answers will need two or three sentences. Check the number of marks.Check the number of command words, do you have to do one or two things. Use the lines given. Do not write too much. Check if you are asked for an actual number of answers. Only give that number. Use the numbered lines and give one answer per number. There will be a few parts of questions that need extended writing. These will have four [4] or [5] marks. The question will often be related to some information you are given. You will need to write four or five sentences in an order that makes sense. You can think of it like â€Å"telling a story†. Remember to refer to any information you are given.Paper 3 tips †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ There is more to read in this paper. Many questions will be one, two or three sentence answers. Check the number of marks. Check the number of command word – do you have to do one or two things Check if you are asked for an actual number of answers. Only give that number. Use the numbered lines and give one answer per number. There are questions that may start in one part of the syllabus and link to another, e. g. the information could be about the animals in a particular habitat and what they eat. The first parts of the question might be about the food chains or food webs whic h include these animals.Another part of the question could be about the structure of one of the animals or about factors in its environment. You are likely to have questions about events and situations that are new to you. Do not be put off. The question will tell you all you need to know. What you need to do, is show that you can connect the biology you have learned with the new facts. e. g. you may not have learned anything about how cats inherit the length of their fur. o The question tells you that the alleles for fur length are co-dominant. o The question tells you the fur length of pure bred parents are long and short. You know that the offspring of cross breeding are heterozygous for fur length. o You know from your genetics lessons that for features controlled by co-dominant alleles, both alleles are expressed in the offspring. o You know enough to work out that the fur length of the offspring will be medium length. You are likely to be asked to interpret unfamiliar data, e. g. result from an experiment you may not have carried out or could not be carried out in a school. Do not be put off. Follow the same rules as before. There will always be enough information in the question for you to answer it. †¢ †¢General Tips for Practical Papers †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Look to see how many marks are given for each question. Divide the time of your examination in proportion to the marks given. Whichever paper you do the same rules for recording observations. Use the same rules as in the tips for written papers for tables, graphs, calculations and comparisons. Recording your observations †¢ You can record as: o statements in writing o as tables o drawings †¢ Neat work helps to keep you calm and feeling in control. †¢ Use all the space available on the paper for your observations. †¢ Do not write an explanation until the question asks for one. †¢ Use a sharp HB or B pencil.It can be rubbed out easily if you need to corre ct a mistake. †¢ Don’t forget headings for the columns and the rows or tables or graph axes. Don't forget the units! †¢ Make drawings as big as the space allows. †¢ Use a ruler for labelling lines. †¢ Label in pencil. Planning investigations Some times you are asked to suggest a way of carrying out an investigation or to improve the method that is in the question paper. †¢ When you read through an investigation try to work out three main things: 1. What is being changed – this is called the independent variable, e. g. light 2. What is being measured – this is called the dependent variable, e. . oxygen given off by plant 3. What is being kept the same – these are called the standard or control variables, e. g. type of plant, number of leaves on the plant, environment of plant ,the apparatus used, time for collecting oxygen. †¢ Some investigation needs to have two parts: o the experimental- which is the apparatus used to measur e the process being studied and contains the living organism being tested. o The control. –which will be exactly the same as the experiment except the living organism will be missing or replaced by something non-living. e. g. there would be no plant in one set of apparatus. The control shows that the results are due to the activity of the living organism and is not due to the apparatus or an environmental factor. Tips for paper 5 In paper 5 you are following instructions, using laboratory equipment, making observations, recording results and drawing conclusions. †¢ Start by reading the entire first question. †¢ Think about the apparatus needed for each step and imagine using it in your mind. †¢ Check the time to be allowed and imagine following the instructions. †¢ Do the same when you are ready to begin the next question. Following the instructions †¢ Follow the instructions for practical methods exactly.If you make a change in the method you can alt er the results. †¢ Do not take short cuts. †¢ Always label test tubes and other containers to help you remember which is which. †¢ If you are told to â€Å"Wash the apparatus thoroughly after each use† make sure you do. If there is anything left in the apparatus the next stage may not work. †¢ If you have to measure a specimen make sure you draw a line on your drawing to show where you made our measurement. †¢ You will get marks for following instructions accurately. Recording your observations †¢ Do not forget that observations can be seen, heard, felt and smelled. †¢ e. g. olour, fizzing, warming, smell of a flower, texture (feel) of a fruit. †¢ You can always something to observe, so make sure you record something for each observation. †¢ Write down exactly what you observe. †¢ e. g. if you add a drop of iodine to a drop of starch solution on a white tile, the colour changes. o You should write â€Å"the colour changed fro m yellow to black. † o If you write â€Å"it turned black† you have not given all the information. o If you add iodine to a drop of water on a white tile. o You should write down ‘the colour stayed yellow. ’ o If you write ‘the colour stayed the same’, or ‘no change’, you have left information out.Conclusions †¢ Use your own results for your conclusions. †¢ Do not write the conclusion you have learned from a class experiment or from theory. E. g. in an investigation you test drops of a mixture of sodium chloride, amylase and starch solution with iodine once a minute for eight minutes. Then you repeat this with a mixture of water, amylase and starch solutions. o The blue/black colour might disappear sooner in one test tube than the other. o Even if you know that sodium chloride usually makes amylase work faster, you must write down the results from YOUR investigation. You must draw conclusions from YOUR results. o If the c olour in both tubes changes at the same time, the conclusion has to be that the sodium chloride made no difference. That is the correct conclusion drawn from your observations. Tips for paper 6 In this paper you are making observations from information given in the paper, recording results and drawing conclusions. Try to imagine doing the practical which has produced the results in the questions. Recording observations †¢ All of your observations are either measurements that you make or diagrams on the paper. †¢ Write down exactly what you see.Making measurements †¢ Make your measurements as accurate as you can. Measure to the nearest unit e. g. mm. Do not try and â€Å"guess† 0. 5mm. †¢ Make sure you put units! †¢ If you have to make calculations use the blank pages within the paper. Do not write in the margin. †¢ Write neatly and show your working. The person marking your paper might be able to give you marks for knowing what to do if you make a mistake or do not finish the calculation. Conclusions †¢ Use your measurements or observations or on the results given in the question for your conclusions. †¢ Do not rely on something you have learned as â€Å"the right answer†. Examiner Tips for Igcse Biology 0610 EXAMINER TIPS for IGCSE Biology 0610 How to use these tips These tips are based on some common mistakes made by students. They are collected under various subheadings to help you when you prepare for your examinations. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Make sure you read all the general tips. These can be important in any of the papers you do. Make sure you know which examination papers you are taking before you look at the tips for the different papers All of you will take paper 1, which is all multiple choice questions. You may be taking paper 2, which is Foundation OR you may be taking paper 3, which is Extended.You may be taking paper 5, which is a practical examination in a laboratory OR you may be taking paper 6 which is a written paper about practical work. General Advice †¢ Answering questions. The questions are meant to let you show the biology you know. There are no trick questions. When you are writing your answers remember that another person has to be able to read it. o o o o o o o o Do not waste time by writing out the question before you start to answer. Keep your handwriting clear and legible. Keep you answer in the lines on the question paper.If you write in the margin, at the bottom of a page, or on blank pages, part of your answer might be missed. If you have to cross out something, put a line through, but do not scribble all over it. If you have to use a different space to write another answer to one you have crossed out, then put a note to say where it is, e. g. answer on page 5 Written papers are now marked on computer screen so your written paper will be scanned. If you write on the margin the scanner may not be able to copy this. Try to be precise, in other word be accurate in what you say. Read also Lab 2 BiologyUsing biological terms correctly can help. Do not use word like â€Å"it†, â€Å"they†, â€Å"effect†, â€Å"affect† without any more explanation. A sentence like â€Å"It has an effect on the body† or â€Å"They affect the process† does not say anything. – If you use the word â€Å"it† or â€Å"they â€Å"– think WHAT? – If you use the word â€Å"affect† or â€Å"effect† – think HOW? – e. g. State why magnesium ions are important for healthy plant development. [1] – â€Å"it are needed by the plant† is true but too vague. – â€Å"They are needed by the leaves† is still too vague – Ask yourself: What is it or they? What is the â€Å"need†? â€Å"Magnesium is needed to make chlorophyll† is a better answer – â€Å"Magnesium is part of a chlorophyll molecule. † Good answer! †¢ Terms. These are the n ames used in biology. These will be used in questions. You will get more marks if you can use them correctly in you examination. Ask your teacher if you are unsure of the different meanings between biological terms. o o Try to use the correct spelling. The person marking your answer will try to recognise what word you mean, but if the spelling is too wrong, then they cannot allow you a mark. Some biological terms have very similar spelling.One example is â€Å"ureter†, urethra† and â€Å"uterus†. If your mis-spelling is â€Å"uretus†, it could be â€Å"ureters† or â€Å"uterus†. Other common examples are ovum, ova, ovary and ovule, testes and testa; sucrose and sucrase. Do not try to mix the spellings of two words when you are not sure which of them is the correct answer, e. g. meitosis, when you are not sure whether the answer is mitosis or meiosis, or urether, when you are not sure if the answer is ureter or urethra. You need to check caref ully that you have used the right word when similar terms are used in the same topic , e. g. urea and urine, ureter and urethra. semen and sperm o o †¢ Writing in you own words. You sometimes have to write two or more sentences to answer a question. o o Use short sentences. If you write long sentences you can get mixed up. It is hard to find correct statements in a muddled answer. You are often asked to write down something you have learned. Make sure you have learnt the meanings of the common terms used in biology, e. g. photosynthesis, osmosis, fermentation. In the revision checklist there is a list of the terms which you should be able to â€Å"define†. You also need be able to write down the meaning of more complicated ideas, e. g. evel of organisation, natural selection, global warming, eutrophication. o What you should look for in a question 1) †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The number of marks. In multiple choice questions there is only one mark for a cor rect answer. Other sorts of question show how many marks at the end of each part like this [2]. The number of marks helps you decide how much to write. The number of marks is a guide to how long to spend on each question or parts of a question. If you allow about 1 minute per mark then you should finish in time to check your answers. Do not waste time and write long answer for a question which has [1].You will only get one mark even if the rest of the answer has correct statements. If there are two or more marks do not write the same thing in two different ways, e. g. The leaf is very large. The leaf has a large surface area. The instructions. These are called command words and tell you what to do. If a question says â€Å"Show your working† when you have to do a calculation, then write down the stages of your calculation to show how you got your answer. Even if you get the final answer wrong, you may be given a mark for knowing what to do. If a question asks you to â€Å"Na me† or â€Å"State† two things only the first two will be marked.Use the numbered lines for your answers if they on the question paper. If you write more than two and the first is correct but the second one is wrong, you will only get the mark for the first one. Even if the third answer is correct, it will not be marked. Some questions have two commands in the question, for example â€Å"Predict† AND â€Å"Explain† †¦. † This means you have to say what you think will happen AND then say why you think it will happen. The Revision Checklist has a list of terms used in biology papers to tell you what to do in an answer (section 4. 3 Command words and phrases).General Biology Ii Study Guide (Online Class)Make sure you know what these terms mean. e. g. â€Å"Name the process by which green plants make sugars†, all you need to write for your answer is â€Å"Photosynthesis†. A question which asks you to â€Å"Define photosynthesis† , would expect you to write one sentence such as â€Å"The process by which green plants use light energy to make sugars†. What the question is about. Make sure you know which part of your biology is being tested Read the whole of a question carefully before you begin to answer it. Some of the parts have similar answers so you need to work out the difference between them.If you write exactly the same thing in different parts of the same question, then only one of them might be a correct answer. It helps to highlight the main features of a question. e. g. â€Å"Name the tissue that transports the sugars made by photosynthesis to other parts of the plant†. This tells you that you want a one word answer, about plant transport of sugars. Do not be put off the question is about something you have not studied. There will be enough information in the question for you to work out an answer. 2) †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 3) †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ à ¢â‚¬ ¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢Look carefully at any diagrams, graphs or tables and make sure you understand what they are about. You may have to use information from them to answer the questions. Answer each question as far as you can. Do not spend a long time staring at a question If you have forgotten something, go on to the next question or part of a question. Come back to the ones you found difficult when you have finished all of the paper. Try not to leave blanks. When you come back to a question you often remember an answer you left out. Do not waste time by writing about things unrelated to the question. Paper 1 Tips †¢ Each question tests just one thing.You have about 1 minute to read and answer each question. o Some questions test what you know and understand. For example â€Å"What part of the eye detects light? † o Some questions test if you can use what you have learned to understand new data. These questions will often have a diagram, graph or table to use. Try to decide what the question is testing as you are reading it. o To answer a question that asks â€Å"What is a characteristic feature of all living things? o You need to know the characteristic features of living things. If you know a quick way of remembering all seven then you can jot it down on the question paper. . g. MRS GREN for Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion and Nutrition, or the first letters of Real Elephants Grow Massive Red Feet Slowly, o To answer a question that has a diagram of the circulatory system and asks â€Å"In which vessel will absorbed alcohol first be found? â€Å". You need to think about what the question is asking you. – Is it about digestion? – Is it about excretion (of alcohol)? – Is it about the circulation? The question is asking about something absorbed from the gut to be transported, so it is about circulation. – Which vessel carries substances absorbed by the gut? Answer â€Å"The Hepatic Portal Vein†. So you have to choose the letter which labels the hepatic portal vein. Do not try to find a pattern in the letter order of correct answers. o The same letter could be the correct for several answers in a row. o Letter A might be the correct answers for more questions than are B, C or D. Or there could be fewer correct answers shown by letter D than any of the others. o Do not let what you have chosen for the previous questions influence what letter you choose. †¢ †¢ Written Paper Tips †¢ You should read all of a question before you begin to answer it.Different questions will ask you to do different tasks to test how well you know and understand biology. o The topic is usually the same for all different parts of the question. Remember that underlining important words will help you to be clear about what you are being asked to do. o Look for clues in the words of the question. If you see â€Å"mammal† you know that the anima ls are warm blooded and have biological systems like ours. o If you are only given a Latin name or a name you do not recognise, e. g. â€Å"dik-dik†, look to see if you are told anything about it. If you are told it is a herbivore, then you know it eats plants.The main sort of tasks you might be asked to do are: †¢ Identify features of cells, tissues organs. For example, â€Å"label on Fig. 5. 1 using labelling lines, a petal, a sepal and a stamen. To answer this question o You have to know the structure of a flower. o You also have to be able to find the structures on a diagram of a flower you may never have studied. o You then have to draw a label line to the structure and write the name next to the labelling line. If you do not draw a label line, or use and arrow, you may not get any marks even if you have found the correct structures.Use information given in the question. For example if a question asks you to â€Å"Use examples from† or â€Å"Use only this i nformation† or â€Å"With reference to Fig. 6. 2† . . . STOP and THINK! Find out what you are expected to use as examples or get information from. You will not get any marks if you use examples from somewhere else. The information can be given to you in different ways: o Diagram like a food web, a set of apparatus or biological structure. o A graph, which could be a line graph, a bar chart or a histogram. Check the headings and units carefully o A table.Check the headings and units carefully o You may have to give examples to show that you understand an idea in Biology. – After a diagram of a food web you might be asked to â€Å"Name an organism from this food web that is a primary consumer, a tertiary consumers and a producer†. – To answer this question you have to know definitions of producers, primary consumers, tertiary consumers. Then you have to show that you understand how these terms apply to the food web shown in the diagram. If you put exa mples from other food webs you have learned, you will not get any marks.After a diagram of leaf structure you may be asked to â€Å"Describe and explain the advantage of the distribution of chloroplasts shown in Fig. 8. 1† – To answer this question you have to observe the diagram and describe which cells have the most chloroplasts. Then you have to work out why this arrangement might help photosynthesis. If you write answer about what chloroplasts do you will not get any marks. Draw or interpret graphs. If you are asked to draw a graph: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Choose a scale which uses most of the grid. Choose a simple scale, e. g. one small square is equal to 1 or 2 or 10 units in the data.Do not give make it hard for by having to multiply each item in the data by 2/3! o Write the name of the axes and their units, e. g. rate of water loss/ g per h , temperature/ o C, time/ s o Plot the points exactly using a sharp pencil. Draw the points lightly so tha t you can rub them out if you need to. Make them more definite when you are sure they are right. o Use a cross (x) or a dot in a circle ( ) for your plot points. o Join the points with a â€Å"line of best fit or a zig -zag line. o Remember that all curves do not have to pass through the point where the two axes meet. Do not extend you graph beyond the plotted points. If you are asked to read figures from a graph: o Make sure you work out the scale. o Make sure you read from the correct axis and put in the units. o If you are asked for a trend or pattern, describe the overall change, e. g. the line increases and then levels. off. Do not describe each point of the graph. Draw or interpret tables If you are asked to draw a table o Use a ruler and a pencil to draw the table. o Write headings for each column or row of the table. 3 o Write in units if they are needed, e. g. volume of water/cm , mass of seed/g. Do not put units in the table spaces where you write numbers. Do calculations . If you are asked to do a calculation: o You may have to find the figures from a table or graph. o Make sure that you show the units in the calculation. o Show you working. o If you use a calculator, round up the figures to the same as in the question – do not copy all the figures after the decimal point, e. g. If the question figures are 5. 6, 4. 6, then your answer should only have one number after the decimal point. Show or complete equations. You do not have to know chemical symbols for equations of the processes in biology.But it will help you to understand them if you do. o If you are asked to give either a word or a symbol equation, do not combine symbols and words in the same answer – If you have to give the word equation for anaerobic respiration by yeast, write: o o Glucose > carbon dioxide +ethanol + energy If you have to give the chemical equation for anaerobic respiration by yeast, write C6H12O6 > 2C2 H5 OH + 2CO2+ energy Do not write something like gluco se > CO2 + ethanol and energy †¢ Make comparisons. If you are asked to compare two things make sure you make it clear which you are talking about. A question may give to table of data and then ask you about it. Make sure you only use information from the table. e. g. in a table of the composition of normal breast milk and colostrum, you can see which milk contains more fat, protein and sugar. Your answers should start with â€Å"colostrum has more †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. than breast milk† or â€Å"breast milk has more †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ than colostrum†. Do not put â€Å"it has more protein. † The person marking cannot guess which you thought had more protein. o The question may ask you to make a comparison about biology you have learned. e. g. the differences between arteries and veins.The clearest way of answering is to make your own table. Make sure the headings are clear. Keep the comparisons of the same feature together. Artery has thick wall thick muscle layer ve in has thin wall very thin muscle A table like the one below will not get any marks as there are no comparisons of the same features. Artery thick wall no valves †¢ veins elastic layer small amount of muscle Extended writing. This means writing several sentences together. e. g. Suggest what happens if excess nitrogen fertiliser is washed into a stream or pond [4] o The mark scheme used for a question like this will have a list of oints that the person marking your answer will use. o There will be more points than there are marks, so you do not need to put them all in your answer. The points for this question could be: – Algae and aquatic plants grow faster using the fertiliser. – Algae cover the water surface. Light cannot pass to aquatic plants lower down. – These plants die. Bacteria of decay feed on the dead plants. – Bacteria increase in numbers. – These bacteria are aerobic. – They use up more oxygen. – There is not enough o xygen for other organisms which live in the water. – These organisms die. The process is called eutrophication. If your answer is something like â€Å"The fertiliser causes low oxygen and it affects animals in the water. † you will not get any marks. The answer is much too vague, in other words it is not precise. I your answer is something like â€Å"The animals do not have enough oxygen for their respiration and they die. † you will get some marks. Paper 2 tips †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Most of the questions are short answers. This means that you writing mainly one word or one sentence answers worth one mark. [1]. Longer answers will need two or three sentences. Check the number of marks.Check the number of command words, do you have to do one or two things. Use the lines given. Do not write too much. Check if you are asked for an actual number of answers. Only give that number. Use the numbered lines and give one answer per number. There will be a few parts of questions that need extended writing. These will have four [4] or [5] marks. The question will often be related to some information you are given. You will need to write four or five sentences in an order that makes sense. You can think of it like â€Å"telling a story†. Remember to refer to any information you are given.Paper 3 tips †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ There is more to read in this paper. Many questions will be one, two or three sentence answers. Check the number of marks. Check the number of command word – do you have to do one or two things Check if you are asked for an actual number of answers. Only give that number. Use the numbered lines and give one answer per number. There are questions that may start in one part of the syllabus and link to another, e. g. the information could be about the animals in a particular habitat and what they eat. The first parts of the question might be about the food chains or food webs whic h include these animals.Another part of the question could be about the structure of one of the animals or about factors in its environment. You are likely to have questions about events and situations that are new to you. Do not be put off. The question will tell you all you need to know. What you need to do, is show that you can connect the biology you have learned with the new facts. e. g. you may not have learned anything about how cats inherit the length of their fur. o The question tells you that the alleles for fur length are co-dominant. o The question tells you the fur length of pure bred parents are long and short. You know that the offspring of cross breeding are heterozygous for fur length. o You know from your genetics lessons that for features controlled by co-dominant alleles, both alleles are expressed in the offspring. o You know enough to work out that the fur length of the offspring will be medium length. You are likely to be asked to interpret unfamiliar data, e. g. result from an experiment you may not have carried out or could not be carried out in a school. Do not be put off. Follow the same rules as before. There will always be enough information in the question for you to answer it. †¢ †¢General Tips for Practical Papers †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Look to see how many marks are given for each question. Divide the time of your examination in proportion to the marks given. Whichever paper you do the same rules for recording observations. Use the same rules as in the tips for written papers for tables, graphs, calculations and comparisons. Recording your observations †¢ You can record as: o statements in writing o as tables o drawings †¢ Neat work helps to keep you calm and feeling in control. †¢ Use all the space available on the paper for your observations. †¢ Do not write an explanation until the question asks for one. †¢ Use a sharp HB or B pencil.It can be rubbed out easily if you need to corre ct a mistake. †¢ Don’t forget headings for the columns and the rows or tables or graph axes. Don't forget the units! †¢ Make drawings as big as the space allows. †¢ Use a ruler for labelling lines. †¢ Label in pencil. Planning investigations Some times you are asked to suggest a way of carrying out an investigation or to improve the method that is in the question paper. †¢ When you read through an investigation try to work out three main things: 1. What is being changed – this is called the independent variable, e. g. light 2. What is being measured – this is called the dependent variable, e. . oxygen given off by plant 3. What is being kept the same – these are called the standard or control variables, e. g. type of plant, number of leaves on the plant, environment of plant ,the apparatus used, time for collecting oxygen. †¢ Some investigation needs to have two parts: o the experimental- which is the apparatus used to measur e the process being studied and contains the living organism being tested. o The control. –which will be exactly the same as the experiment except the living organism will be missing or replaced by something non-living. e. g. there would be no plant in one set of apparatus. The control shows that the results are due to the activity of the living organism and is not due to the apparatus or an environmental factor. Tips for paper 5 In paper 5 you are following instructions, using laboratory equipment, making observations, recording results and drawing conclusions. †¢ Start by reading the entire first question. †¢ Think about the apparatus needed for each step and imagine using it in your mind. †¢ Check the time to be allowed and imagine following the instructions. †¢ Do the same when you are ready to begin the next question. Following the instructions †¢ Follow the instructions for practical methods exactly.If you make a change in the method you can alt er the results. †¢ Do not take short cuts. †¢ Always label test tubes and other containers to help you remember which is which. †¢ If you are told to â€Å"Wash the apparatus thoroughly after each use† make sure you do. If there is anything left in the apparatus the next stage may not work. †¢ If you have to measure a specimen make sure you draw a line on your drawing to show where you made our measurement. †¢ You will get marks for following instructions accurately. Recording your observations †¢ Do not forget that observations can be seen, heard, felt and smelled. †¢ e. g. olour, fizzing, warming, smell of a flower, texture (feel) of a fruit. †¢ You can always something to observe, so make sure you record something for each observation. †¢ Write down exactly what you observe. †¢ e. g. if you add a drop of iodine to a drop of starch solution on a white tile, the colour changes. o You should write â€Å"the colour changed fro m yellow to black. † o If you write â€Å"it turned black† you have not given all the information. o If you add iodine to a drop of water on a white tile. o You should write down ‘the colour stayed yellow. ’ o If you write ‘the colour stayed the same’, or ‘no change’, you have left information out.Conclusions †¢ Use your own results for your conclusions. †¢ Do not write the conclusion you have learned from a class experiment or from theory. E. g. in an investigation you test drops of a mixture of sodium chloride, amylase and starch solution with iodine once a minute for eight minutes. Then you repeat this with a mixture of water, amylase and starch solutions. o The blue/black colour might disappear sooner in one test tube than the other. o Even if you know that sodium chloride usually makes amylase work faster, you must write down the results from YOUR investigation. You must draw conclusions from YOUR results. o If the c olour in both tubes changes at the same time, the conclusion has to be that the sodium chloride made no difference. That is the correct conclusion drawn from your observations. Tips for paper 6 In this paper you are making observations from information given in the paper, recording results and drawing conclusions. Try to imagine doing the practical which has produced the results in the questions. Recording observations †¢ All of your observations are either measurements that you make or diagrams on the paper. †¢ Write down exactly what you see.Making measurements †¢ Make your measurements as accurate as you can. Measure to the nearest unit e. g. mm. Do not try and â€Å"guess† 0. 5mm. †¢ Make sure you put units! †¢ If you have to make calculations use the blank pages within the paper. Do not write in the margin. †¢ Write neatly and show your working. The person marking your paper might be able to give you marks for knowing what to do if you make a mistake or do not finish the calculation. Conclusions †¢ Use your measurements or observations or on the results given in the question for your conclusions. †¢ Do not rely on something you have learned as â€Å"the right answer†.