Organization Attractiveness Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Organization Attractiveness - Assignment Example In the general workforce, the two mentioned attributes can be said to be highly applicable to recruiting talent. This is because in a well motivated organization, there is very little for employees to look outside for (Greenberg & Sweeney, 2010). Because employees get all that they require by way of salary, allowances and other forms of remuneration, chances that they will be looking elsewhere after settling for a new job are less. Meanwhile, the longer employees try their hands on one thing, the better they become with their talents (Silzer & Dowell, 2010). Engagement is also necessary in recruiting talent because it is the only way by which employees can have a feeling that their talents are being respected and being put to use (Felps et al., 2009). As far as talented people are concerned, there are other attributes that contribute to their selection of one organization other the other. A working environment that encourages growth is one such attribute. This is because every talented person wants to work in an environment where original talent will not only be utilized but also nurtured to grow (Greenberg & Sweeney, 2010). Finally, competition is crucial for talented people because it forces them to always look out for more in terms of making use of what they already have. Felps, W., Mitchell, T. R., Hekman, D. R., Lee, T. W., Holtom, B. C., & Harman, W. S. (2009). Turnover contagion: How coworkers job embeddedness and job search behaviors influence quitting. Academy of Management Journal, 52(3),

Criminal Law Problem question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Criminal Law Problem question - Essay Example The relevant facts in the Kennedy case are substantially similar to the facts in the given problem. In Kennedy, as in the case of Edward, the defendant merely prepared a dose of heroin for the deceased. It was the deceased who self-administered the drug as in Lisa's case. In the Kennedy case, the court ruled that defendant Kennedy cannot be held criminally liable for manslaughter. Applying the Kennedy ruling, then Edward cannot likewise be held criminally liable for Lisa's death because Edward was not the one who injected the deceased with the drug. Under the same principle, Sarah cannot likewise be held criminally liable for Lisa's death as she was not the one who injected Lisa with the drug. Notably, Edward (unlike in Kennedy) was not also the one who gave the syringe to the deceased. If Kennedy (who was the one who gave the syringe to the deceased) is not criminally liable, then a fortiori Edward should not also be held criminally liable for Lisa's death since he was not even the one who gave the syringe to the deceased. In ruling for the defendant, the Kennedy court had occasion to discuss the elements of the crime of unlawful act manslaughter: (1) that the defendant committed an unlawful act; (2) that such unlawful act was a crime and (3) that the defendant's unlawful act was a significant cause of the death of the deceased. In the given problem, Edward admittedly committed an unlawful (and criminal) act by supplying the heroin to the deceased. The mere act of supplying heroin, however, could not have possibly caused Lisa's death since "the supply of drugs would itself have caused no harm unless the deceased had subsequently used the drugs in a form and quantity which was dangerous."2 Clearly, any unlawful act manslaughter charge cannot be based on the mere act of supplying the heroin. According to the Kennedy court, the heroin (as in the given problem) is described as "freely and voluntaril

Vietnam War - Paper Essay Example for Free

Vietnam War Paper Essay The Vietnam War was a conflict between the communist, North Vietnam and South Vietnam. In the wake of the Second World War western fears of a communist expansion throughout Asia were running high. The United States was concerned that if North Vietnam succeed and turned Vietnam into a communist state, neighboring countries were also likely to follow. As an ally of the United States and Australia’s involvement in South-East Asia Treaty Organization and the Australia New Zealand United States Security Treaty and the belief in forward defence Australia was an enthusiastic supporter of the American policy in Vietnam. The majority of Australians supported the countrys involvement in the Vietnam War in its early years mainly because of the threat of communism. Australia felt that if communism dominated South Vietnam it would be an even bigger risk to Australia because of the domino effect. If Vietnam fell into communism so will its neighboring countries including Australia. Australia did not want to fall into communism and agreeing to the request for help by South Vietnam, Australia supported the war and troops were immediately sent to Vietnam. The decision to send the army to Vietman was also made by the Older Australians which were part of the group called the Returned Servicemens League. These people believed in the idea of the Anzac Spirit and expected the younger generation to do their bit as they had during World War II. The Australian People and Liberal Party rallied behind the leadership of Menzies. Therefore, the Liberal Party was also in agreement with Australias involvement in the Vietnam War. In 1966, Australia warmly welcomed the visit of the American president, Lyndon Baines Johnson. The new prime minister of Australia enthusiastically declared that when it came to Vietnam, Australia was all the way with LBJ, which meant that Australia was willing to support the US in supporting the Vietnam War. The Democratic Labor Party at that time who split from the Labor Party had a very large Catholic membership and was also very anti-communist. It was also determined to oppose any ALP policies so it automatically supported the war. After the first announcement of sending troops there was a general support from the news outlets for the governments policy. This wasn’t the kind of support shown in Australia’s involvement in previous wars. There was little mention of words like heroic and more mention of words like grave  decision’. Many of the papers simply said Australia had no alternative, given its geographical position and its treaty commitments. The support was there, but it was muted and it tended to question the political situation in South Vietnam. Australian Catholics had been encouraged to see South Vietnam as not only the last democracy in South East Asia, but as a Catholic democracy. There was widespread support for the government of the Republic of Vietnam, even after the assassination of the Catholic leader Ngo Dinh Diem. At the same time as the Australian government made the announcement that it was sending troops, the Pope called for negotiations to take place in Vietnam for a peaceful resolution. Many Australian Catholics did not see the Popes announcement as any reason not to support the commitment of troops to South Vietnam and so they were in support. There was even a large section of the community who seemed to take no interest in what was going on in South East Asia. Many people believed Vietnam to be too far away for the average person to care about. They were quite unconcerned about the war and firmly believed it should be left up to the government and the army to sort out. Sending troops off to fight in wars was seen by many ordinary Australians as not only the right thing to do but as a good way of increasing Australias prestige in the world. This caused a lot of people to automatically support the government without really questioning if it was a good idea or not. On the contrary, there were many people and organisations that were against this war. Anti-war protests had been taking place in Australia since 1962 when the first military advisors had been sent in to Vietnam. Since then, protests had taken place for various reasons at various times, but it was not until the P.M.’s announcement in April 1965 to provide an infantry battalion for service in Vietnam for ‘further military assistance’ when protests really began to take shape. This opposition was a result of extensive media coverage, a unequal system of conscription and growing political consciousness. A lot of violent and gruesome footage of the war was broadcasted right into peoples homes every evening. Many protests were the result of this. Conscription introduced in November 1964 had forced young men to fight away from their home country. Many people saw this as unfair and wrong. This too caused a lot of controversy and many arguments were made against the government for  introducing this. The ALP was against the commitment of troops to Vietnam. The Labor leader Arthur Calwell had the unenviable job of responding to the government in parliament. Labor saw the war as essentially a civil one in which Australia should not get involved. Calwell did say that they would back the Australian troops and not deny them the support they would need. Many of the trade unions called the government support of Americas foreign policy in Vietnam diggers for dollars. They believed the Australian government was sacrificing the lives of Australian troops to ensure that America would boost the economy by spending more money in Australia. In response to this belief and the announcement of more troops being sent to Vietnam, unions wanted to hold work stoppages in protest. The Australian Council of Trade Unions followed the Labor Party policy of not supporting the war but not denying the soldiers support. In later years, no other group would be more associated with anti-war activities, but reaction in the universities immediately after the announcement. Educated university students didnt see the point in continuing a futile war. They thought that young men being forced to go to war was unnecessary, it disturbed their lives and the potential to live to their dreams. They also thought that the enormous amount of money used on the war should be spent on helping their own count. The fact that it was an overseas war and that it had nothing to do with us was another reason for opposition. The reason why they were opposing the war is because they considered that Australia is following USA blindly, it is not our war and they also didnt like the idea of young men being forced into war and innocent woman, elders and children being killed due to the war. There was also a large and angry anti-war movement growing. There were public draft-card burnings, student sit ins and large noisy group demonstrations when the American President, Johnson visited Australia. By the late 1960s a much stronger and more violent form of protest appeared. Protesters raided officers and campaigns were launched to persuade young men not to register for conscription. The Labor Party was against the conscription method, calling it unfair, and they had much support from the Australian public. We should stop following US policy blindly The women of SOS â€Å"put on their hats and gloves and carried their blue and white banners high to the army barracks, to court, to Parliament House, to the City Sq uare, and even, in 1969, to Vietnam itself. Most of the SOS members were  ordinary middle-class and working-class women, wives and mothers, who had no connections to the radical youth counter-culture, but they educated themselves and others on the situation in Vietnam and on the laws associated with conscription and conscientious objection. In the process, their politics became increasingly radical. Later, Following the success of the November 1969 Moratorium in the United States, a series of Australian’s groups opposed to the war in Vietnam decided to band together to put on a Moratorium in Australia. The demonstration in Melbourne, led by Member of Parliament Jim Cairns, had over 100,000 people taking to the streets in Melbourne alone. Across Australia, it was estimated that 200,000 people were involved. The second Vietnam Moratorium in September 1970 was smaller after more violence occurred. 50 000 people participated and there were violent incidents between police. Two hundred people were arrested in Sydney. The third moratorium in June 1971 were of nearly 100 000 people. By this time public opinion was beginning to turn assertively against conscription and Australian‘s involvement in the war. The intensity of the conflict in Australia over our involvement in Vietnam, and the issue of conscription, contributed to the election of a Labor government in December 1972. Twenty-three years of conservative Liberal government had ended. The new Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, immediately abolished National Service and recalled the Australian army. As we see due to the fear of communism in Australia most Australian’s were ready to send troops to fight in Vietnam. However, as the war progressed and the society were starting to see all the pictures on TV and hearing so much soldiers are dying and sent overseas and that this war can’t be won, Australian’s started to do something about this. They went out on streets to protest, fig ht, and hold moratoriums and as a result of these conflicts the troops were called back after 10 years and 60,000 soldiers fighting in the longest war Australia had been part of.

Effective Leadership Strategies in the NHS

Effective Leadership Strategies in the NHS The emphasis on leadership in the National Health Service (NHS) Plan has been one of the most important priorities for nurses and their health professional colleagues. Leadership throughout organisation and across the whole health economy is viewed fundamental for implementing and sustaining change (Department of Health (DH 2002).The NHS Plan clearly articulates the need to modernise the healthcare service with the intention to improve publics health (DH 2000). The goal of public health is to fulfil societys interest in assuring conditions in which population can be healthy through organised efforts and informed choice. To achieve this, the NHS requires dynamic intelligent leaders at all levels of the organisation. The following paragraphs attempts to critically discuss how effective leadership strategies can contribute to the delivery of high quality health within contemporary public health through health protection in combating infectious diseases. Additionally, the paper presents a definition of public health, health protection, and leadership. Some leadership contemporary theories are examined before considering which theory is relevant to health protection and provides a rationale for choice. Key leadership competencies such as vision, communication and creating the environment will be outlined and discussed. The term Public health is defined as the science and art of preventing diseases, prolong life and promoting good health and well being through organised efforts and effective leadership skills (Rowitz 2009). The concept is concerned with the health of the population rather than individuals. It has been stated, that public health is not just dealing with illness, and looks at the impact on health of social, economic, political and environmental factors but also acknowledges human behaviour. Public health correlates with health protection. Both concepts play an integral role in protecting health of general public through effective leadership strategy such as prevention and emergency planning. As a consequent, reducing potential threats to health which includes infectious diseases both communicable or non communicable diseases, and environmental hazards such as chemical or radiation exposures. Furthermore, protecting the health of the public has emerged as a distinct area of practice as well as top priority on the government agenda (Reference). WHAT IS LEADERSHIP Leadership is imperative for the NHS to sustain success in Public health. Leadership is a very complex multidimensional concept and has been defined in various ways. The concept leadership and what makes an effective leader has evoked strong debates in the late 1970s and 1980s (Tamkin et al 2010). In addition, it was at this time that theorists started to defined leadership. From the wealth of available literature there appeared to be several common features central to the phenomenon of leadership. Leadership is a process (Bass 1990), involves influence, occurs within group context, involves goal attainment and leadership exist at all level (Northouse 2001). In other words leadership is seen as unifying people around values, constructing the social world for others around those values and helping people to mobilise change (Stanley 2009). Management and leadership Cook (2004) has found that leadership and management are two concepts that are used interchangeably. However, these words describe two different concepts (Day 2001). Leadership is a process which is similar to management. Both functions involve working with people. While management have to do with providing order and consistency in organisations; leadership produces change. On the other hand, Cannella and Monroe (1997) argued the difference distinction between leaders and manager are narrowing. Emotional intelligence In order to demonstrate and maintain effective leadership characteristics an individual has to utilise emotional intelligence. Furthermore research on emotion intelligence has confirmed that this concept is what differentiate the good from outstanding leader Goleman (2000) thinks that leaders who developed emotional intelligence becomes aware of the emotions of others and are more likely to promote a healthy working environment. Gould (2000), further argued that leaders who show characteristics associated with emotional intelligence are more likely to have a positive impact on staffs. Thus this will contribute to the delivery of high quality public health which could improve organisation outcomes. There are several types contemporary theories of leadership such as the trait theories style theories and contingency theories. The trait theory developed from the great man theory assumes that effective leaders are born not made. This derives from the belief that there is a common set of trait of successful leaders. This theory provides foundation for considering the traits require of a leader. This theory is likely to be rejected by many people. Shaw (2007) argued that the trait approach is limited because the context in which leadership take place is not acknowledge. In contrast, the contingency theory which is based on situational theory argues that the effectiveness of leadership style depends on the particular situation and that leaders are more effective when they are able to change their style to adapt to different situations (Bolden et al 2003). The essence that underpinning this theory is that there is no single best style of leadership approach and that different situation will require different style of leadership (Bolden et al 2003) which is important in todays health service. For instant should an emergency situation arise, the leader would demonstrate autocratic leadership skill rather that participative. Effectiveness correlates with transactional and transformational leadership. Transformational leaders use transactional leadership strategies as well to be effective and this combination corresponds closely to ideal leadership (Lowe, Kroeck Sivasubramaniam, 1996). Transactional theories Also, emotional intelligence has a strong connection with transformational leadership. Transformation leaders are well suited to todays fast changing health care environment where adaptation is extremely important. Within this leadership theory there is an emphasis on empowerment and the development of potential for the achievement of long term goals (Shaw 2007), through mobilisation in order to make change (Bolden et al 2003). Recent research states that transformational leadership style is positively associated with higher employee satisfaction and better performance thus would improve public health. According to Taylor (2009) it is possible to use transformation leadership skills within a transaction setting. On the other hand, transactional leadership is concerned with influencing others to achieve goals through rules corrective actions, and contingent rewards (Burn 1978 and Bass 1999). Transactional leader avoids risks, is result focused, not flexible and adaptive to situations. It could be said that the environment in which the NHS operates lends itself to transactional leadership for the achievement of targets, performance management and impact of competency or outcomes. Whereas, transformational leaders are creative, innovative, takes risks and influences and inspires others.. For this reason, many theorists in leadership theory advocate transformational approach in organisation to enable people and organisation to achieve their fullest potential. Leadership styles Theorist have indentified many different leadership styles. Firstly the trait theory as known as great man theory identifies characteristic that such as intellect, personality and class. The can be considered as genetic influences. Tamkin agrees that it is very difficult to teach people the traits they need but says that some of these can be learned. Some forms of management training, an example of this is psychometric profiling as this will give staffs an insight into what they are like and what might be areas for improvement Discussion health work environment As the shortage of nurses increases and resources remain limited leadership in the NHS setting has become a topical point for discussion. Thus organisations are searching for ways to create a healthy work environment in attempt to recruit and more importantly retain staff. Tamkin et al (2010) argued in their report that outstanding leaders are also able to see things holistically. Tamkin et al 2010 adds. outstanding leaders act in a way that makes a difference to the immediate recipient and they also think about how this will impact on the organization; that is to say, creating a good atmosphere in the workplace will not only affect staff but feed through to the public. This can be achieved through flexibility, trust and respect. Support, consideration and motivation are also some of the characteristics of an effective leader which correlate with transformational leadership. Furthermore Tamkin et al (2010) confirms that flexibility trust and respect are the corner stone of effective leadership. Such leadership characteristics are the key thus, can result in positive outcomes and therefore a healthier work environment. Communication Many of the problems that occur in an organization are the direct result of people failing to communicate. Leadership has its corner stone, the ability to communicate.ÂÂ   When theÂÂ   word communicate used, it is referring not only to the words one uses to transferÂÂ   factual information to others, but also to other messages that are sent andÂÂ   received.ÂÂ   The purpose of communication in an organisation is to make agreements on what action is going to be taken to achieve the desired outcomes to create results of shared vision. The NHS need to create an effective communication cultures within it organisation to sustain success. In fact Tamkins et al (2010) points out that, listening may be the single most powerful skill of communication because it is an act of respect and valuing others. Being a good listener enables individuals to understand where each team members are coming from and analyze how each individual thinks. Communication correlates with pro ductivity, profitability, public satisfaction and employee retention. Effective communication is a key to bring confidence and trust among employee. Effective communication skills are therefore essential. Effective communication needs to be straightforward in order to aid and understanding (Tamkin et al 2010). Tamkin et al (2010) illustrates some essential aspects of communication, slowing the thoughts processes, increasing understanding, testing conclusion, listening constructively, getting to the essence of things and exploring areas of disagreement. This indicates that, to be an effective leader one has to understand all the factors that influences communication which transform into effective message in order to address current public health issues such as infectious diseases (Rowitz 2009). Conclusion Effective leadership is essential if the health service is to modernise and provide improvement through health protection and public health. The leadership qualities required in modern health care service derive from transformational leadership theory and include the ability to motive and influence others to produce change to provide high standard of care for patients and a harmonious working environment for staff. Leadership provides vision and mobilisation to achieve goal. In essence, for organisation to run effectively including the NHS there need to be leadership and management. While leaders develop and articulate strategic vision to produce change and move organisations forward managers co ordinates to ensure that the job gets done. One thing that is certain is that change will always be a part of the NHS and learning how to work within this culture to the benefit of the public will remain a priority. Leadership describes the ability to influence, motivate and enable members of an organisation to contribute to the effectiveness and success of the organisation. Leadership is valued in the healthcare setting, especially when it helps to achieve goals that are beneficial to protecting health, such as the enactment of effective preventive- health policies. Most importantly, individuals with effective leadership qualities can foster a culture of cooperation which may improve public health. Thus, it is evident that meaning of leadership and management are noticably different. Indeed some managers may dislike the distinction, because it illustrates that managers are not leaders, however leaders are actual managers (Machie1987). Seeing the bigger picture Outstanding leaders recognise the interconnected nature of their organisations and act accordingly. Understanding that talk is work Outstanding leaders talk to staff to find out what motivates them and how they can boost enthusiasm. Giving time and space to others Outstanding leaders allow people more freedom and influence over the work they do. Growing through performance Outstanding leaders invest in their workforce and use challenges presented to encourage growth, learning and engagement. Putting we before me Outstanding leaders work hard on team spirit, shared decision-making, collaborative working and forming strong bonds between teams. In short leadership should be trustworthy.

Computer Crime :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The technological revolution has taken full swing. If a business doesn't have some form of e-commerce, or if a person does not have some form of an e-mail address, they are seen as living in the stone age. This new world of virtual life, where with the click of a button a person can travel millions of miles in a few seconds, millions of new opportunities have arisen. However, someone has to always ruin the good things in life. Very similar to Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," where the second thing built in a Utopia was a prison, the advent of computer crime is only becoming more prevelant everyday. The whole idea of a computer crime is rather absurd indeed. Really, who wants to go around spray painting on computers anyway? Though the definition of computer crime varies from source to source, the most common being," any illegal act which oinvolves a computer system" (  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "What is a computer..." p.1). This holds true even if the computer contains s omething as simple as a threatening e-mail. Computer crime in nature ranges from relatively small things such as software piracy to magnificent crimes like fraud.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Computer crime itself has metamorphasized from its mere infancy. In the late 1970's, a would-be criminal would need direct access to the actual computer terminal. This is because the most computer crime of that time actually involved hardware sabotage and theft, rather than a more software oriented problem. In the late 1970s and early to mid 1980s, computer crime had elevated a notch with the advent of the inter-schiool network. This network was a connection of several major universities through modem lines. Educated computer users were now changing each others ideas and information, but not for the malicious, but instead for the better. The mid to late 1980s saw the rise of computer "hackers" such as Kevin Mitnick. kevin Mitnick was caught at least a half dozen times, with the charges ranging from criminal tresspassing to fraud. Mitnick had broken into several corporations' servers,n one being the well reknowned Sun Microsystems. When he was arrested Mitnick beca me a martyr and a heron to many teenage computer enthusiasts. These teens would be determined to carry on the symbolic spirit, or what they thought to be, of Kevin Mitnick. However, the computer crimes that thses users perpatrate cost small businesses and corporations millions each year, put restraints on legitimate computer users and still remain an extremely dangerous, costly and virtually unstoppable crime.

Diet Misconceptions Essays -- Nutrition

It is a well-known fact that women have always worried about their weight. In fact, they worry about it so much that in a recent poll done by NBC and the Meredith Corporation, it was discovered that women in the United States worry more about weight than they do about cancer (Davies). Fearing fat cells more than mutated cells? It may not be so crazy. The national weight has skyrocketed in recent years, with much of the blame being laid on fast food restaurants and our sedentary lifestyles, but what if there’s a more detrimental contributing factor? Most people don’t research a diet before they go on it, unless the research includes finding out the success rate. Living in an era of mass advertising and media bombardment, our eye can be caught easily by flashy words and hype diets, leaving the truth buried underneath the desires to lose weight. Not only does it cover the truth, it covers the solution to many societal problems such as obesity and diseases with links to die t. Misconceptions regarding nutrition are causing major problems today and even fuel the most worrisome health dangers. To dig past this dilemma, correct knowledge about nutrition needs to be gained, or hype diets and incorrect information will continue to affect the American diet; leaving people unhappy and overweight. Americans foster many different views about how we should eat: non-fat, low-fat, low-carb, Adkins style, etc. But which is the right way? The misconceptions vary greatly and spread across a large area. What has been ingrained in people as children may be wrong in its assumptions about diet. For example, is it surprising that non-fat diets are actually worse for you than eating a healthy amount of fat each day? The food pyramid teaches the method o... ... Publishing Service Selection Page. Version Vol. 19, Issue 2. Nutridate, n.d. Web. 16 May 2012. Davies, Megan. " U.S. women worry more about weight than cancer: poll | Reuters ." Breaking News, Business News, Financial and Investing News & More | Reuters.co.uk. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2012. Meyers, Hannah Rice. "Pros & Cons Of Diet Pills | LIVESTRONG.COM." LIVESTRONG.COM - Lose Weight & Get Fit with Diet, Nutrition & Fitness Tools | LIVESTRONG.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2012. Pollan, Michael. In defense of food: an eater's manifesto. New York: Penguin Press, 2008. Print. Taubes, Gary. Good calories, bad calories: challenging the conventional wisdom on diet, weight control, and disease. New York: Knopf, 2007. Print. Trebilcock, Bob. " EBSCOhost: IF YOUR DIET PILL WORKS... It's bad for you." EBSCO Publishing Service Selection Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2012. Diet Misconceptions Essays -- Nutrition It is a well-known fact that women have always worried about their weight. In fact, they worry about it so much that in a recent poll done by NBC and the Meredith Corporation, it was discovered that women in the United States worry more about weight than they do about cancer (Davies). Fearing fat cells more than mutated cells? It may not be so crazy. The national weight has skyrocketed in recent years, with much of the blame being laid on fast food restaurants and our sedentary lifestyles, but what if there’s a more detrimental contributing factor? Most people don’t research a diet before they go on it, unless the research includes finding out the success rate. Living in an era of mass advertising and media bombardment, our eye can be caught easily by flashy words and hype diets, leaving the truth buried underneath the desires to lose weight. Not only does it cover the truth, it covers the solution to many societal problems such as obesity and diseases with links to die t. Misconceptions regarding nutrition are causing major problems today and even fuel the most worrisome health dangers. To dig past this dilemma, correct knowledge about nutrition needs to be gained, or hype diets and incorrect information will continue to affect the American diet; leaving people unhappy and overweight. Americans foster many different views about how we should eat: non-fat, low-fat, low-carb, Adkins style, etc. But which is the right way? The misconceptions vary greatly and spread across a large area. What has been ingrained in people as children may be wrong in its assumptions about diet. For example, is it surprising that non-fat diets are actually worse for you than eating a healthy amount of fat each day? The food pyramid teaches the method o... ... Publishing Service Selection Page. Version Vol. 19, Issue 2. Nutridate, n.d. Web. 16 May 2012. Davies, Megan. " U.S. women worry more about weight than cancer: poll | Reuters ." Breaking News, Business News, Financial and Investing News & More | Reuters.co.uk. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2012. Meyers, Hannah Rice. "Pros & Cons Of Diet Pills | LIVESTRONG.COM." LIVESTRONG.COM - Lose Weight & Get Fit with Diet, Nutrition & Fitness Tools | LIVESTRONG.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2012. Pollan, Michael. In defense of food: an eater's manifesto. New York: Penguin Press, 2008. Print. Taubes, Gary. Good calories, bad calories: challenging the conventional wisdom on diet, weight control, and disease. New York: Knopf, 2007. Print. Trebilcock, Bob. " EBSCOhost: IF YOUR DIET PILL WORKS... It's bad for you." EBSCO Publishing Service Selection Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2012.

Microbiology Coursework: Bacillus Cereus

Microbiology Coursework: Bacillus cereus After investigation following on outbreak of food poisoning at a pizza restaurant, it was found that all suffers had consumed a portion of side salad from the self-service salad bar alongside their main dish. Subsequently, this was further traced to a rice salad. Environmental Health Officers investigating this outbreak suspected it may have been caused by Bacillus cereus (B. cereus). The presence of large numbers of B. cereus in a food is indicative of active growth and proliferation of the organism and is consistent with a potential hazard to health. The diagnosis of B. ereus can be confirmed by the isolation of more than 105 B. cereus organisms per gram from epidemiologically implicated food, but such testing is often not done because the illness is relatively harmless and usually self-limiting 1. Design a method(s) to enumerate the: i)Total bacterial count ii)Bacillus cereus count In the rice saladThis outbreak of food poisoning could be i nvestigated by performing an enumeration (plate count) of the total viable bacteria in the rice salad on a general non-selective agar using either the pour or the spread plate method. To confirm that the outbreak had been caused by any B. ereus present in the rice salad a selective media agar, such as mannitol egg yolk polymixin agar (MEYP/MYP), should be used. Once B. cereus has been confirmed a further enumeration of the B. cereus should be performed on the MEYP/MYP agar selective media plate to show whether the amount of B. cereus present is within the range known to cause food poisoning 105–107 cells g? 1 of food for Diarrhoeal syndrome, or 105–108 cells g? 1 of food for Emetic syndrome. (Granum & Lund, 2006) To perform a total cell count and the confirmation of B. cereus by either the pour or spread plate method the equipment required is as follows:General non-selective agar Mannitol egg yolk polymixin agar (MEYP/MYP) Petri dishes Glass or disposable â€Å"hockey stick† spreader Bunsen burner Test tubes Ringers solution Pastettes / Pippettes Food blender Before a cell count can be performed a serial dilution of an homogenate of the rice salad is required. For this one part rice salad is blended to nine part ringers solution, from this initial homogenate that the serial dilution is created by taking 1ml of this original and adding it to 9ml of ringers solution thereby creating a 1:10 dilution of the original.This step is repeated a further 5 times, each time taking 1ml from the dilution created in the previous tube and adding it to 9ml of ringers solution thereby with each step the original sample is diluted by a further factor of 10, (Figure 1). Once the serial dilution has been completed down to a dilution of 1:1,000,000 (10-6) either the pour or spread plate method of plating out of the samples can be performed Figure 1: Serial dilution When using a general non-selective agar both the pour and spread plate methods can be used for en umeration of the total bacteria in the rice salad.With both methods all plates are performed in triplicate. Along-side the non-selective agar, an agar such as MEYP/MYP selective agar which is selective for B. cereus can be used to confirm that B. cereus is present in the original sample. In the pour plate method 1ml or 0. 1ml of each of the dilutions prepared earlier within the serial dilution are added to individual petri dishes and a nutrient agar which is held at around 50oC is poured over each of these samples, the petri dishes are swirled causing gentle agitation and mixing the bacteria with the agar.After the agar has solidified the plates are incubated, after this incubation the pour plates show bacterial growth both on and within the agar due to aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. In the spread plate method 0. 1ml of each of the serial dilution solutions is pipetted onto the surface of a pre-poured agar plate and spread using a â€Å"hockey stick† spreader, the agar plate s are then incubated. Bacterial colonies only grow on the surface of the spread plate, (Figure 2) Figure 2: Method of Pour and spread plate technique. Microbial Growth, 2011) Once the plates have been incubated they are examined and the number of colonies counted, only plates that show between 30-300 colonies are counted, if the number of colonies is above 300 then the plate is discarded as too numerous to count, if below 30 it is discarded as too few to count. After the plates showing between 30-300 colonies have been counted the number of bacteria in the original sample can be worked out using the calculation Number of colonies on plate x dilution of sample = number of bacteria / mlIf growth has occurred on the MEYP/MYP plates, a Gram stain can be performed on a sample from one of the colonies, when the gram stain is examined under oil immersion B. cereus should appear as large Gram-positive bacilli in short-to-long chains; with spores that are ellipsoidal, central to subterminal, and that do not swell the sporangium. (Tallent, Rhodehamel , Harmon, & Bennett, 2012) (Figure 3) Figure 3: flow diagram showing order of events leading to the enumeration of total bacteria and Bacillus cereus in a sample of food. 2.Explain why MEYP/MYP agar is selective for Bacillus cereus B. cereus is mannitol-negative. The mannitol content of the medium thus allows differentiation of the accompanyingmannitol-positive microbial flora which are identified by a change in colour of the indicator phenol red to yellow. B. cereus is not affected by concentrations of polymyxin which inhibit the common accompanying microbial flora (Donovan, 1958). Addition of polymyxin is necessary, however, if the sample material is suspected to contain high-numbers of accompanying microorganisms B. cereus produces lecithinase.The insoluble degradation products of egg-yolk lecithin accumulate around the Cereus colonies to form a white precipitate. A lecithinase reaction occurs very early in many strains, Cereus colonies can, therefore, often be rapidly identified before accompanying polymyxin-resistant microorganisms have had a chance to fully develop. Incubation: 18-40 hours at 32  °C. B. cereus appears as rough, dry colonies with a pink to purple base which are surrounded by a ring of dense precipitate. Colonies surrounded by a yellow or a clear zone are not Bacillus cereus.Further tests should be performed to confirm the identity of Bacillus cereus (anaerobic degradation of D(+)glucose, degradation of gelatin, positive nitrate reduction). (Merck, 2012) 3. Suggest how health officers may have come to the tentative conclusion of B. cereus poisoning. Health officers may have come to this conclusion based on the short incubation time to the sudden onset of illness, and due to rice already being implicated as the source of this type of food poisoning in other cases. 4. Suggest ways in which: i. The rice salad might have been infected by the Bacillus cereus; ii.The Bacillus cereus c ould have survived the normal cooking process of the rice; iii. Bacillus cereus causes food poisoning. B. cereus is present in the outer casing of rice and, because it is able to form spores that are very resistant to low or high temperatures, it can therefore easily survive cooking and less-than perfect refrigeration. Improper storage of food stuffs is the issue. Bacillus cereus spores can survive boiling and if the food, in this case rice is stored at ambient temperature, the spores can germinate into toxin producing bacteria. Herriman, 2009) Bacillus cereus has been reported to be present in stools of healthy humans at varying levels (Johnson, 1984) therefore if an individual had not washed their hands after going to the toilet then handled the serving spoon any B. cereus from the hands could be transferred to the serving spoon which in turn could either infect the rice salad or the hand of the person next using the spoon. When rice is boiled and then stored in the fridge without being cooled first, these spores can germinate on the cooked rice and grow well at 4oC.If the rice is then used in a stir fry or similar dish, where the cooking time is relatively short, or the rice is held at an insufficient temperature enough of the bacteria survive to be ingested. Bacillus cereus causes food poisoning of two different types, emetic and diarrhoeal. (Table 1) Table 1. Characteristics of the two types of disease caused by Bacillus cereus Diarrhoeal syndromeEmetic syndrome Infective dose105–107 (total)105–108 (cells g? 1) Toxin producedIn the small intestine of the hostPreformed in foods Type of toxinProteinCyclic peptide Incubation period8–16 h (occasionally >24 h)0. –5 h Duration of illness12–24 h (occasionally several days)6–24 h SymptomsAbdominal pain, watery diarrhoea and occasionally nauseaNausea, vomiting and malaise (sometimes followed by diarrhoea, due to additional enterotoxin production? ) Foods most frequently implicatedMeat products, soups, vegetables, puddings/sauces and milk/milk productsStarch-rich foods; Fried and cooked rice, pasta, pastry and noodles The form that produces diarrhoea is accompanied by symptoms that are virtually indistinguishable from those caused by the Clostridium perfingens bacteria.The affected person experiences abdominal cramps and severe watery diarrhoea within about 15 hours of eating the contaminated rice. Vomiting rarely occurs but the diarrhoea carries on between 1 and 2 days. The diarrhetic syndromes observed in patients are thought to stem from the three toxins Hemolysin BL Hbl, Nonhemolytic Enterotoxin Nhe and Cytotoxin K CytK. These enterotoxins are all produced in the small intestine of the host, thus thwarting the issue of digestion by host endogenous enzymes. Some strains of the bacteria have an extra plasmid that carries a gene for a toxin that causes severe vomiting.These strains cause the emetic form of Bacillus cereus and produce symptoms very similar to food poisoning by Staphylococcus aureus. After ingesting rice contaminated with these strains, vomiting begins between 1 and 5 hours. The effects are fairly short-lived and the digestive system usually returns to normal within about 24 hours. The emetic form is commonly caused by rice that is not cooked for a time and temperature sufficient to kill any spores present, then improperly refrigerated. It can produce a toxin, cereulide, which is not inactivated by later reheating. This form leads to nausea and vomiting 1–5 hours after consumption.It can be difficult to distinguish from other short-term bacterial foodborne pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureusReferences Microbial Growth. (2011). Retrieved March 3, 2012, from The Growth Of Bacterial Cultures: http://classes. midlandstech. com/carterp/Courses/bio225/chap06/Microbial%20Growth%20ss5. htm Donovan, K. O. (1958). A selective medium for Bacillus cereus in milk. J. Appl. Bact. (21), 100-103. Granum, P. , & Lun d, T. (2006, January 17). Bacillus cereus and its food poisoning toxins. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 157(2), 223-228. doi:10. 1111/j. 1574-6968. 1997. tb12776. x Herriman, R. (2009, September 13). Food-Borne Intoxication – Bacillus Cereus. Retrieved March 6, 2012, from ezinearticles. com: http://ezinearticles. com/? Food-Borne-Intoxication—Bacillus-Cereus&id=2915150 Johnson, K. M. (1984). Bacillus cereus food-borne illness. An update. J Food Prot, 47, 145–153. Merck. (2012). MYP Agar. Retrieved March 01, 2012, from Merck Microbiology Manual 12th Edition: http://www. mibius. de/out/oxbaseshop/html/0/images/wysiwigpro/MYP_Agar_105267_engl. pdf Tallent, S. M. , Rhodehamel , E. , Harmon, S. M. , & Bennett, R. W. (2012, February 02). BAM: Bacillus cereus. Retrieved March 05, 2012, from FDA U. S. Food and Drug Administration: