Ethical Issues and Future Trends

Ethical Issues and Future Trends Abstract This essay analyzes two recent news stories wherein the issue of standard business communication consent forms has proved controversial. Legal action resulted when plaintiffs found that their DNA had been used and stored for purposes beyond the scope of the consent form and for which they did not give permission. Consent forms remain inadequate and incomplete in the area of DNA collection and do not provide proper information for donors so that they can make an informed choice about how their DNA will be used.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Ethical Issues and Future Trends specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ethical Issues and Future Trends No one disputes the value of DNA research in the ongoing battle against disease. However, the business of scientific research in the future may face stiff ethical challenges on the basis of its existing communication tools. Universities and private DNA research firms often use consent forms to manage the acquisition and collection of DNA for one specific purpose, yet research itself often uses the DNA – without express permission from the donor – to underwrite a host of other unrelated research, some of which can cause harm to the donors. One such recent example occurred in the case of Arizona’s Havasupai tribe, based in the Grand Canyon (Harmon, 2010). In the early 1990s 41 members of the tribe donated samples of their blood and DNA to researchers working with the Arizona State University (Harmon, 2010). In April of 2010 these same members won a settlement against the University in the amount of $700,000, plus the return of their blood and samples, for what the tribe deemed â€Å"genetic era betrayal† (Harmon, 2010). The members discovered that the DNA they donated specifically for research into the tribe’s inordinately high incidence of type II diabetes onset was also used to support research into inbreeding, menta l illness and migration patterns of the tribe’s ancestors (Harmon, 2010). The tribe knew nothing of these others areas of research and did not offer permission for their DNA to be used in this manner. Also, the research employed to study the migration patterns and origins of the tribe’s ancestors suggested that the Havasupai arrived in North America via passage across the frozen Bering Sea (Harmon, 2010). This not only discredited the tribal elders’ stories, but also threatened to undermine the tribe’s sovereign rights and endanger their ongoing land claim battles (Harmon, 2010). The Arizona State University spent nearly $2 million contesting the lawsuits launched by the Havasupai by tribe members (Harmon, 2010). The April 2010 settlement â€Å"appears to be the first payment to individuals who said their DNA was misused† (Harmon, 2010). At the heart of this ethical issue lies the problem of the consent form. In the age of the business of scientifi c research’s increasing dependence of DNA to crack disease, to what extent does the consent form protect the rights of donors? This essay studies the case of the Havasupai tribe and so called â€Å"vulnerable† populations whose limited understanding of DNA research can lead to miscommunication and misappropriation in the business environment.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More DNA holds personal information, and in cases such as the Havasupai tribe, the consent form often does not adequately communicate the full scope of how this personal information may be used or in certain instances abused by the scientific industry. Similar to many other businesses, universities and private research firms typically employ a standard consent form to cover the harvesting of DNA from willing subjects. Federal law dictates that scientific researchers who hail from univer sity campuses as well as those private enterprises in the business of DNA collection and testing must obtain â€Å"informed consent† from subjects (Harmon, 2010). The idea behind these protections is to ensure that participants remain clear on their rights. However, the consent forms themselves typically originate from research that may expose participants to â€Å"physical risks, like experimental drug trials or surgery† (Harmon, 2010). These same consent forms often cannot predict the risks of DNA collection, since the culture surrounding DNA research demands full access. DNA donated for one purpose may prove useful for numerous others, and researchers themselves expect that once the DNA is in hand, all scientific uses become fair game. The geneticist who initially harvested and used the Havasupai blood samples, Therese Markow, upheld the ethical consistency of her actions within the scientific industry (Harmon, 2010). Her detractors, in Markow’s words,  "failed to understand the fundamental nature of genetic research, where progress often occurs from studies that do not appear to bear directly on a particular disease† (Harmon, 2010). In the words of David Karp, M.D., a professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, â€Å"the potential benefit from unencumbered biomedical research trumps the value of individual control. Everyone wants to be open and transparent, [but] the question is, how far do you have to go? Do you have to create some massive database of people’s wishes for their DNA specimens?† (Harmon, 2010). The Havasupai tribes argued yes, and the court agreed with them. In another case that originated in Austin, Texas, a group of parents took federal legal action against the Texas Department of State Health Services, Commissioner David Lakey, M.D., Texas AM, and Texas AM Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs Nancy Dickey, M.D., for failure to produce satisfactory conse nt forms that informed parents of the collection and storage of blood drawn from their babies at birth (Roser, 2009). The parents’ lawsuit claimed that the defendants â€Å"unlawfully and deceptively collected blood samples from their children at time of birth and stored those samples indefinitely for undisclosed research purposes, without plaintiffs’ knowledge or consent† (Roser, 2009).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Ethical Issues and Future Trends specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The parents’ ire flared after they learned that their infant’s blood â€Å"was now state property† (Roser, 2009). The parents’ main fears stemmed from lack of information provided by the consent forms, and they were concerned that â€Å"the blood spots might be used someday to discriminate against their child† (Roser, 2009). The suit also charges that the state of Texas violates ex isting constitutional shields â€Å"against unlawful searches and seizures,† while simultaneously flouting existing privacy laws (Roser, 2009). DNA research offers infinite potential in the area of disease control. Medical advances certainly owe much of their sustained growth and innovation to the use of DNA. Support definitely exists for the continued use of DNA testing and research to combat debilitating conditions such as diabetes, Alzheimers, heart disease and cancer. However, business communication tools have not grown apace with DNA improvement, and as a result donors consistently receive inadequate information. The lack of information leads to lack of trust, and lack of trust in the public sphere has the potential to undermine public support, not to mention severely curtail the number of willing DNA donors. Existing consent forms do not â€Å"fully inform†¦research participants how their DNA may be used† argues law professor Hank Greely, and this communicat ion glitch â€Å"sows distrust† (Harmon, 2010). Researchers will be hard pressed to continue their work without the trust and participation of donors. DNA creates a new era of ethical challenges for business. Rather than continue to surreptitiously glean DNA via ignorance and inadequate consent forms, business communicators in the scientific industry need to open their process up to public scrutiny and become more transparent with their communication tools. References Harmon, A. (2010, April 21). Indian Tribe Wins Fight to Limit Research of Its DNA. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/us/22dna.html Harmon, A. (2010, April 22). Havasupai Case Highlights Risks in DNA Research. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/us/22dnaside.html?ref=us Roser, M. (2009, March 18). Parents Sue Texas Health Dept. and Texas AM over Infant Blood Databank. Texas Civil Rights Project. Retrieved from https://texascivilrightsproject.or g/Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More

How To Write Blog Post Introductions That Hook Readers

How To Write Blog Post Introductions That Hook Readers There are eight  other people reading this post along with us. In just a few minutes, there will only be the two of us. Dont believe it? The challenge was already insurmountable.  People read about 18% of your blog post. Readers are overwhelmed with information and are  purposefully not reading  for their own sanity.  Heck, weve been bemoaning the death of reading since 1991, and even again in 2007. So what to do about getting readers to read? How do you keep people reading to the end? Master The Art Of Blog Post Introductions And Keep Your Readers Reading via @JulieNeidlinger A  Blog Post  Introduction Must Have A Hook Let me introduce you to introductions.  Introductions are first impressions.  You get to make them once. Your blog post introduction must have a hook. Here are six good hooks to use in your blog post introductions. 1. Start with an interesting fact. "Niagara Falls has traveled  7 miles upstream in the past 12,000 years. Let's hope you're growing your web traffic at a faster rate." Start with a fact that is interesting, because not all facts are. Facts that are uninteresting are facts that: Are overused and often repeated. Too common in your niche. Related perfectly to your topic in an unsurprising way. Pick facts that have nothing obviously to do with your topic (Niagara Falls and website traffic?), or are perfectly in line with your topic and thesis, but are so shocking as to be gasp-worthy.  Unrelated facts make the reader think "how is this bozo going to tie that into the topic at hand?" while shocking facts make the reader think "that CANNOT be true, can it?!" Either way, it's a hook. 2. The end of the story first. There are two ways to tell the end of the story first and have a successful hook. Find a way to tell the end of the story without giving away the surprise. "The 20,000 customer registered in our system, and the team let out a victorious yell. We'd hit our goal, thanks to the red button." How does the story end? Because that's a perfect place to start. In this example, the introduction tells the reader what happened, but it doesn't do so in a way that ruins the surprise. There's a lot of action, both by the final customer and the team. There's the suggestion of a competition and success (a goal was met). And there's a cryptic suggestion that a red button did something amazing. Plus, 20,000. That's impressive for anyone wanting lots of customers. This would be a less effective version of the introduction for that post: "After five months of intense A/B testing in which we tested different CTA button colors, we finally hit 20,000 customers. Red was the winning color." Yawn. There is jargon. There are unexplained acronyms. An inanimate button has become the winner instead of the people (customers and the team). What little action there is, is passive.  And you spilled the beans on what the post was about: A/B testing colors. Give a heads-up summation without giving away the surprise. This method gives your reader some respect by saying "hey, this is what I'm going to talk about with you today. If this is interesting, stick around."  Derek Halpern tends to get right to the point with his blog posts, and often introduces them by telling readers what they can expect if they keep reading. Adding "a quick request" is a fine bit of intrigue for the reader. "What in the world could Halpern want from me?" the reader thinks, and keeps on reading. Knowing what's coming and how things will end is helpful for readers. It gives them an idea of whether or not they should take the time and what expectations to have. The danger for you, the writer, is if you have an unexciting topic and give your readers a heads-up  to that. "Today I am going to talk about the value proposition of going paperless at your office, and ultimately prove that you will want to buy a small scanner and ban the paper." Meh. That's not an introduction to remember for all eternity. Halpern's version has a bit more intrigue and zip, though, admittedly, some readers will appreciate the above example. It has its place, but isn't the greatest hook. 3. Use an anecdote. "I once wrote a newspaper story that killed a man." That's the actual blog post introduction I wrote on a post for this blog. It's a one-sentence anecdote. That's an extremely short anecdote; most anecdotes are longer, like those you find in this post about social proof in which several anecdotes are used. Anecdotes are wee bitty stories that put a larger idea or thesis in a different context. Speakers know that starting with a story instead of a philosophical or fact-filled lecture is a sure-fire way to get people's attention. It's the same for your readers. What makes a good anecdote? Something that happened to you, in your life. This makes you the expert on how to apply the story and what it means. I would rather hear an anecdote about your trials and failures rather than the tired anecdote of how many times Edison tried to invent the lightbulb. Something either funny or poignant. Make 'em laugh or make 'em cry (or somewhere close). At the very least, end at a different level than where you started. You start at ground zero with your reader. Your anecdote can't end there. It's no hook if it does. Something related to your thesis. Don't be that speaker that tells a random joke or story and then segues with an "but I digress" and launches into Yawnville. Your anecdote should illustrate your thesis in a new way, or start leading the reader's thought patterns towards where you want to take them with your thesis. A quote can work. Quotations can work, and sometimes make a fine opening. But people quickly get in the habit of using the words of others to boost their own, so watch out for overuse of this technique. And avoid quotations that are overused for your niche. Steve Jobs had some good things to say,  but after a while, those excellent words lose their power because they are overused. Find new quotations from surprising sources. And avoid quotations that are overused for your niche. Steve Jobs had some good things to say, but after a while, those excellent words lose their power because they are overused. – @JulieNeidlinger 4. Ask a (worthwhile) question. Yes, there are stupid questions, and a good share  of them are rhetorical. In their best use, asking a question is a fine way to force the reader to identify with the problem you are about to solve. Questions can be powerful. But some questions are a waste of time. Go easy with  rhetorical questions.   "What are we going to do about your low-performing blog?" Rhetorical questions cannot be answered by the reader. They are asked not to prompt thinking or discover knowledge, but to make a point. They are often dramatic. They can be insulting. "Have you stopped beating your dog yet?" is a classic example. The question assumes someone is being cruel to an animal. It can't really be answered. Or "How do you solve a problem like Maria?", which assumes first that Maria is a problem. It's similar to what I see  being used a lot in lead generation and calls-to-action where one button says "Yes, I want more traffic. Take my email!" while the other button says "No, I want to see my website die a painful slow death." Rhetorical questions set up the reader in a similar, psychological way. The reader has to accept the underlying assumption in order to answer. It can work, but if you make an offensive or insulting assumption, your reader leaves. Use rhetorical questions carefully. Don't ask questions intended to limit the answer. Pet peeve alert: I despise  when people speak in questions so they can pre-empt any difficult or real questions and give softball answers. Here's how it works (and I'm sure you'll recognize the technique): "Do I love web traffic? Yes. Did I mean to send my disgruntled blog readers a skunk in the mail? Of course not." By asking the questions you, the writer, want to answer instead of providing the answers the reader wants, you can create the appearance of forthright and complete discussion without actually doing so. Plus, you slip into passive voice of sorts, where you don't own the action and behavior. How does that work in an introduction? "Do I love web traffic? Yes. Do I know the secret to building it? You bet." Ok, we get it. But what a waste of your reader's time. "My love of web traffic is bested only by my ability to build it." Kind of a silly  example, but you get the idea: be direct, not passive. Do you want more traffic on your blog? Write better blog post introductions with these tips.Don't ask obvious questions. Every time I find myself tapping out an introduction that starts with "do you want more traffic on your blog?" I'm sure somewhere a philosopher dies. What I'm trying to do is tell the reader "yes, this is the post you were looking for" but what I'm really telling the reader is "I don't know how to write." "Do you want more traffic on your blog?" Really? That's your Bob Woodward? "98 percent of blog owners want more traffic. Yeah, we don't understand that remaining two percent, either." You can identify with your reader without asking them obvious questions that they skim over. 5.  Go for the  cliffhangers. Robert Bruce  (who is someone else entirely than Robert the Bruce)  is a writer and a tease. Once in a while but not too often, mind you he sends out an email of Unusually Short Stories. He also posts them on his web site. He is all sparseness and tortuous brevity, his unusually short stories impeccable. They hook, and leave you hanging off the cliff. One of Robert Bruce's unusually short stories. Take a page from Bruce's book: these are the introductory paragraphs that get readers hooked. I know, because I've sat and stared at them willing the next sentence to appear (which  will not happen). I'm a firm believer mimicking and dissecting the successful work of others as a form of practice. Artists often paint from the masters to learn about color, light, and technique (I've done it). While at a writers' conference a few months ago, best-selling author James Hall told of a class he taught his graduate students (which included Dennis Lehane) where they were instructed to find a novel they loved and write their own novel based on the structure of it. He later turned this class into a book called Hit Lit: Cracking The Code Of The 20th Century's Biggest Best Sellers. So let's look at Bruce's example. What makes it work? It's only two sentences, and I'm dying to read the next paragraph. The setup tells us there is a competition known only to us (we have exclusive knowledge). There is a setting, both in place and time. And we know the startling end result. The cliffhanger isn't what happened next, but what happened in between. How do you get from intriguing point A to hilarious and startling point Z? So. A cliffhanger can be either "what happens next" or "what happened in between." Let's say your headline was: How We Went From Zero To 10,000 Customers In Just One Year.   Here's an example of a "what happened in between" cliffhanger: "We started with  three team members  and a plant in the window. One year later, we were taking sledgehammers to the office walls." The rest of the post talks about how you grew your customer base, and how it meant your team grew, too, and you had to expand your office space. (Or how things went poorly and you demolished the office in a fit of rage, but let's hope not.) 6. Gentle confrontation can be a friend. "You were getting 100 new sign-ups a week, and thought your email conversion rate was as good as it could get. But you were wrong, and I'll tell you why." Confrontation is sure to get a reader's attention. Of course, not all confrontation is created equal.  There is insulting and trollish confrontation (always wrong), and there is gentle confrontation. A gentle confrontation takes a soft  swipe at a controversy, or pokes a long-held belief of the reader in a way that encourages them to read on and reconsider. What happens when you do that? The reader feels indignant and keeps reading if only to prepare to prove you wrong. Or the reader is intrigued and keeps reading to see if it's true. The reader skips to the end and leaves a ranting comment never having read your post, meaning you have to gently say "but I said that later in my post." So in the case of the first reaction, gentle confrontation can be a friend. In the case of the second reaction...less so. Either way, introductions that are confrontational can often lead to active comment sections.