Anxiety of High School Students Essay

1.1Introduction Anxiety is a general term for several disorders that cause nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worrying. These disorders affect how we feel and behave, and they can manifest real physical symptoms. Mild anxiety is vague and unsettling, while severe anxiety can be extremely debilitating, having a serious impact on daily life. People often experience a general state of worry or fear before confronting something challenging such as a test, examination, recital, or interview. These feelings are easily justified and considered normal. Anxiety is considered a problem when symptoms interfere with a person’s ability to sleep or otherwise function. Anxiety occurs when a reaction is out of proportion with what might be normally expected in a situation. Anxiety disorders can be classified into several more specific types. The most common are briefly described below. †¢Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic disorder characterized by excessive, long-lasting anxiety and worry about nonspecific life events, objects, and situations. GAD sufferers often feel afraid and worry about health, money, family, work, or school, but they have trouble both identifying the specific fear and controlling the worries. Their fear is usually unrealistic or out of proportion with what may be expected in their situation. Sufferers expect failure and disaster to the point that it interferes with daily functions like work, school, social activities, and relationships. †¢Panic Disorder is a type of anxiety characterized by brief or sudden attacks of intense terror and apprehension that leads to shaking, confusion, dizziness, nausea, and difficulty breathing. Panic attacks tend to arise abruptly and peak after 10 minutes, but they then may last for hours. Panic disorders usually occur after frightening experiences or prolonged stress, but they can be spontaneous as well. A panic attack may lead an individual to be acutely aware of any change in normal body function, interpreting it as a life threatening illness – hypervigiliance followed by hypochondriasis. In addition, panic attacks lead a sufferer to expect future attacks, which may cause drastic behavioral changes in order to avoid these attacks. †¢A Phobia is an irrational fear and avoidance of an object or situation. Phobias are different from generalized anxiety disorders because a phobia has a fear  response identified with a specific cause. The fear may be acknowledged as irrational or unnecessary, but the person is still unable to control the anxiety that results. Stimuli for phobia may be as varied as situations, animals, or everyday objects. Look more: problem cause solution speech outline essay For example, agoraphobia occurs when one avoids a place or situation to avoid an anxiety or panic attack. Agoraphobics will situate themselves so that escape will not be difficult or embarrassing, and they will change their behavior to reduce anxiety about being able to escape. †¢Social Anxiety Disorder is a type of social phobia characterized by a fear of being negatively judged by others or a fear of public embarrassment due to impulsive actions. This includes feelings such as stage fright, a fear of intimacy, and a fear of humiliation. This disorder can cause people to avoid public situations and human contact to the point that normal life is rendered impossible. †¢Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by thoughts or actions that are repetitive, distressing, and intrusive. OCD suffers usually know that their compulsions are unreasonable or irrational, but they serve to alleviate their anxiety. Often, the logic of someone with OCD will appear superstitious, such as an insistence in walking in a certain pattern. OCD sufferers may obsessively clean personal items or hands or constantly check locks, stoves, or light switches. †¢Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is anxiety that results from previous trauma such as military combat, rape, hostage situations, or a serious accident. PTSD often leads to flashbacks and behavioral changes in order to avoid certain stimuli. †¢Separation Anxiety Disorder is characterized by high levels of anxiety when separated from a person or place that provides feelings of security or safety. Sometimes separation results in panic, and it is considered a disorder when the response is excessive or inappropriate. 1.2 Background of the Study Anxiety is an unpleasant emotion experienced as dread, scare, alarm, fright, trepidation, worry, and uneasiness, which triggers mechanism for self-regulation strategies that facilitate performance (Schultz and Davis, 2000). Minimal amount of anxiety can mobilize human beings to respond rapidly and efficiently, but excessive amount of anxiety may foster poor response and sometimes inhibit response (Simpson et al., 1995). The quantity  of anxiety experienced by the learner and the negative effects of it on their academic achievement are one of the major reasons for educators to be concerned about (Price 1991, and Clement 1997). Anxiety is a common symptom found in different population especially among students. Researchers have focused on the role of anxiety in their attempt to understand these difficulties. Anxiety difficulties in certain students may be related to motivational orientation and the lack of effective study skills and test-taking skills. These students may not utilize cognitive, metacognitive, and self-regulated learning strategies effectively. Therefore, for these students, anxiety becomes an issue during course instructions and academic performance suffers. Educators are perceived to have enormous task and responsibility in helping the students reach their career goals. They play a very important role in making the learners realize their full potentials by helping them overcome the various obstacles they encounter in the process. The experience of anxiety seems to be inescapable in the phenomenological-existential world of these learners. Hence, an imperative need is felt by the researchers to further investigate this problem about anxiety. The present study is relegated to the high school students in a public Secondary Education Institution in Manila. The respondents chosen for the study were from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Laboratory High School. Curriculum on this institution imposes a student to strive for academic excellence because of high standards and policies for grades. The schedule for these students is very demanding and requires attendance in class, laboratory work, six days a week along with daily homework. Frequent testing of students is necessary throughout the program for evaluation of progress in mastering content. Students verbalize and exhibit a great deal of anxiety regarding examinations, practicum, projects and other requirements. This study on the anxiety of high school students of Polytechnic University of the Philippines Laboratory High School is conducted to provide baseline data for the guidance and counseling department to plan and map relevant  intervention programs to address this specific concern of the recipient students. The findings gathered by this study can be of great help to the students, educators, parents, and the school administrators of the institution in arriving at solutions to the problem of anxiety among learners. 1.3 Theoretical Framework This study is anchored on the theory of Sigmund Freud (Freud, as cited by Fiest & Fiest, 7th Edition). He emphasized that anxiety is a felt, affective, unpleasant state accompanied by a physical sensation that warns the person against impending danger. The unpleasantness is often vague and hard to pinpoint but the anxiety itself is always felt. In one point of hid theory, he indicated that anxiety is a signal from the ego about a real (existing) or potential danger (Theories of Anxiety, Strongman, 1995). This study is also concerned o how anxiety relate to physical state of the students. In connection with this, researchers shall explore the physiological and neurological theories of anxiety. They account for anxiety as involving particular parts of The Central Nervous System, with addition of general arousal and their overt effect on the body, like perspiration and fast heart beat. According to the biological theory, the GABA system is responsible for the motivation of fear and anxi ety. GABA is known as Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid, it is a naturally occurring transmitter inhibitor. It is a substance in the body which helps us to maintain an optimal flow of stimulation or information thereby reducing the flow of neural transmission. There are GABA receptor sites which the GABA will bind and produce the effects mentioned previously. The ability to bind is not fixed, and is dependent on the presence of benzodiapines. This benzodiapines are anti-anxiety drugs such as Valium, Librium, and Alprazolam, which help regulate neural transmissions. The body naturally produces this chemical, but it has not yet been isolated. When the benzodiapines bind to the sites, it increases the ability of GABA to bind to its own receptor sites (Tallman et al., 1980). The GABA receptors then trigger the opening of Chloride channels which leads to a decrease in the firing rate of critical neurons in many parts of the Central Nervous System. Those who experience more anxiety than others (high level of anxiety), fail to produce or release  benzodiapines which are necessary for the amount of GABA needed to regulate neural transmission. This study wants to determine the level of state anxiety, the level of trait anxiety and the student’s perception of situational threat. State anxiety, like kinetic energy, refers to palpable reaction or process taking place at given time and level of intensity (Batoc, 2011). Its intensity is expected to be in high in circumstances perceived as a threatening and low in non-stressful situations. While trait anxiety, like potential energy, refers to individual differences in reactions (Batoc, 2011). It implies differences between people in the disposition to respond to stressful situations with varying amounts of state anxiety (Spielberg, 1982). The State-Trait Anxiety Theory which was developed by Spielberg gives the foundation for identifying the different psychological construct properties of state anxiety and trait anxiety, and for categorizing the different variables in studying anxiety. He postulated the State and Trait Anxiety are analogous in certain respect to kinetic and potential energy (Spielberg. 1985). While in Cognitive Perspective, loss of control and inability to make a coping response are two main focuses. Loss of control refers to a situation when there are unpredictable or uncontrollable events in one’s life which lead to anxiety and/or depression. As a result, feelings of helplessness develop. The unpredictability which may be associated with a task may cause anxiety (Seligman, 1975). The inability or perceived inability to make an adaptive response to a threatening event or the fact or perception that no such response is available will lead to feelings of anxiety. Since anxiety is very ambiguous, it is the key which prevents the elaboration of clear action patterns to handle the situation effectively (Lazarus, 1991).

Code of Ethics Essay

Introduction The organization’s code of ethics serves as a guide to its employees when making difficult decisions. Ethics helps professionals with their actions and practices that are directed to improve the welfare of people in an ethical way (Fremgen, 2009). An organization’s culture and mission statement also help its employees make ethical decisions. The Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) organization is the national public health organization that is committed to protect the health and safety of our nation. CDC’s mission statement focuses on to protect the health and safety of our communities through prevention strategies and control of disease. The mission statement motivates the employees to do their best to prevent diseases and infection. The code of ethics provides guidance to ensure that CDC employees avoid situations that could violate ethics law (CDC, 2013). The organization’s mission statement and culture reflect its ethical values. Organizat ion’s Goals and how they are tied to its ethical principles. The organization’s goals are to provide protection for our nation’s health and safety. The CDC has pledged to treat all human beings with dignity, honesty, and respect. They have also pledged to provide an environment for positive personal growth and integrity. The CDC provides employment for over 17,000 employees and they work to provide a diverse work environment where everyone is treated equally, respectfully, and with human dignity. The ethical principles tied to the organizational goals are autonomy and integrity. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, and everyone deserves the truth. The CDC works to provide the most truthful information regarding disease, both treatment and prevention. They are using new technology to make access to information easier, as well as research becoming more scientific and in depth. It is important to the CDC that everyone in our  nation is provided with the most up to date information. Organization’s role and importance of the ethical values The CDC organization’s role is paramount to the continued health of this nation. The CDC has responsibilities toward everyone with in this country to provide education and protection about health and disease prevention. From an ethical stand point the CDC uses the theory of utilitarianism which is basically doing the most good for the greatest number of people. With the CDC, a team of nurses, doctors and scientists do their best day in and day out to do oversee the nation’s ongoing health hazards by providing proven research and constant breakthroughs to the public. Also with the CDC being a federally funded agency under the department of health and human services, the healthcare organization must practice ethical behaviors with one which is justice â€Å"Fairness in all our actions with other people. It means that we must carefully analyze how to balance our behavior and be fair to all. Justice implies that the same rules will apply to everyone (Fremgen, 2009).† With their use of technological advancements no single person or persons are given more or less information and or protection from illnesses or disabilities. The other must be responsibility, responsibility is a sense of accountability for one’s actions. Responsibility implies dependability. A sense of responsibility can become weakened when one is faced with peer pressure. Medical professionals must be able to answer or be accountable for their actions (Fremgen, 2009).† Since this organization is federally funded it has a duty to every American to follow through with every part of their mission statement for a healthier and well safeguarded nation. â€Å"Detecting and responding to new and emerging health threats (Centers for Disease Control, 2013).† This means that as healthcare organization workers are working around the clock to prevent new illness while trying to make old illness a thing of the past. Operating on the fact that if one is human and is part of t his country then they have a right to protection from emerging health dangers. Relationship between the organization’s culture and ethical decision-making The Organizational Culture revolves around creating a work environment where employee health and safety is valued, supported and promoted through workplace health programs policies, benefits, and environmental changes (CDC, 2013). In order to achieve this goal the CDC  promotes positive health based programs both in communities and places of employment. If employers create a healthier workplace then not only will it decrease the likelihood that employees will have to miss work due to injury or illness, it will also ensure higher productivity from staff. If companies enact policies and procedures that support health it will make that company more attractive place to work for both existing employees and potential new employees. The five main categories that CDC recommends offering health information and care for employees are behavioral health, health screening, mental health, injury, and adult immunizations (CDC, 2013). Providing services for things like depression, alcohol and substance abuse, smoking cessation, and nutrition courses will help provide overall better lives for employees which will result in having more highly motivated productive workers while they are on the job.. Some ideas for promoting a healthier workplace to lower obesity would be offering lunches to employees to purchase that consist of fresh fruits, vegetables, and salads. Employers can put together exercise groups or offer reimbursement to employees who obtain gym memberships and attend at least four days a week. Importance of the organization’s ethical values supporting your ethical values It is important that the ethical values of an organization support the ethical values of its members/staff. Without the support and understanding of ethics in the workplace, situations can become incredibly hard for not only the staff but also for the patients involved. The principles and values mentioned in oaths and declarations form the basis for ethical practices in health care. â€Å"Despite differences, these works often emphasize several common value orientations or ethical principles, including beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, respect for patient autonomy, and confidentiality.† (Gabel, 2011) As a rebirth of interest in medicinal ethics is not only a positive influence for patients, but is also very crucial to all medical staff members. Research has been collected to suggest that medical professionals, particularly physicians, often have a rising burnout rate when they perceive that the ethics and values they stand by are not the same as the organization they are connected to and work with. Doctors and other medical staff personnel who are faced with overwhelming working conditions, negative influences to their own morals, are most likely attend to these situations in different methods in attempting to save  his/her personal resources. â€Å"However, overwhelming work demands or conflicts involving basic values make increased stress, diminished or depleted resources, and more likely causes burnout. (Gabel, 2011) To not accept low-paying patients because of government insurance, such as Medicaid, could be considered unethical. Even though a code of ethics can form a bas eline for unethical behavior, such behavior should be viewed as unethical in the first place. When employees share the same values they will react the same when such problems arise. It is not farfetched to assume that organizations will run smoother when its workforce agrees on what is moral behavior and what is not, at least with respect to the conduct of business. Social Responsibility for CDC in the community The social responsibilities for this organization in the community are to continually inform and educate the people of the importance in preventing the conditions that may affect them as a whole. According from the Public Health Reports, â€Å"Understanding the multilevel and overlapping nature of these epidemic, and their social and structural determinants, is the key to designing and implementing more effective prevention programs† (Dean & Fenton. 2010). An example of what this organization is socially responsible for is when they are dealing with individuals who are affected by HIV, Viral hepatitis, STIs, and TB. They are responsible for informing an individual with how to properly go about their disease or infections, they are provided the information they need that includes how to overcome being socially impaired due to their conditions, and they are also offered interventions to help them cure or proper treatments of their condition. According to the Report of the National Expert Panel from the CDC website, they have made suggestions like opening both a YMCA and health clinics in housing communities to help promote health. They also suggested that they train more community activists that can serve as advocates in the community for healthy families and also to open book banks and create walking paths. They also suggested that the CDC can help the communities by investigating social determinant of health, help develop community-based systems that help with health disparities and also to use more evidence based programs in the schools. Conclusion CDC is the nation’s leading public health agency that protects the health and safety of the members of our community. The organization uses ethical approach when serving the nation. CDC has a culture that supports and develops ethical practices, raising staff awareness, and tools to analyze ethical issues (CDC, 2013). The organization follows the policy of Code of Federal Regulations provided by U.S. Health and Human Services in any research involving human subjects. CDC has many research centers to conduct prevention research to prevent and control chronic and acute diseases. References Centers for Disease Control. (2013). Mission Statement, Public Health Ethics, Workplace Health Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov Dean, Hazel D ScD, MPH and Fenton, Kevin A MD, PhD. (2010). Public Health Reports. Addressing Social Determinants of Health in the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS, and Tuberculosis. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles Finegan, J. (1994). The impact of personal values on judgments of ethical behavior in the Workplace. Journal of Business Ethics, 13(9), 747. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview Fremgen, B. F. (2009). Medical law and ethics (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Gabel, S. (2011). Ethics and Values in Clinical Practice: Whom Do They Help? Mayo Clinic proceeding 86(5):421-424. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles Recommendations for future efforts in community health promotion. Report of the National expert Panel on Community Health Promotion. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/pdf/community

College admission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

College admission - Essay Example As I watch my ball roll onto the green, I feel like I could do anything. When I play a hole, playing under par, there is no feeling like it in the world. Of course, golf is not always about great feelings. This game has taught me patience. Sometimes, especially on public courses, rude golfers do not let faster players play through. It can be frustrating waiting on a slow golfer. My patience is also tested when I hit the ball into the water, woods, or a bunker. I usually just take the penalty instead of hitting the ball out of the sand or woods. My patience is also used on my fellow friends who golf. Some of them are only casual golfers, so they joke around and drink beer on the course. This can be irritating when I am having a bad day. I really do not like the distraction, but try to be patient and hold my tongue. Another aspect of my golf experience is losing. I have become a graceful loser, but it is hard. I really hate to lose by one or two strokes. When I lose, I replay the game over and over in my head. Generally the next time, I try to improve my game. I find this productive, instead of getting angry and throwing a fit. I like to watch golf tournaments. The masters like Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, and others inspire me to perfect my form. Even though I know that I will never be in their league, I try to learn from them. It is amazing some of the shots that the pros make. I watch the Masters, PGA tour, and recently the Ryder cup like others watch football and wrestling. Golf is also another way for me to get a work out. The physical aspect of the sport makes me feel good. Sometimes with school and my other activities it is hard to get outside and be physical. I like to be active as much as possible. Golf allows this to happen. I think it is important to have a way to relax. Golf allows this to happen. I think I will be a better student, because I have found a way to reduce my stress level.

Enthymeme's in Obama's 2008 election and the effectiveness on our Essay

Enthymeme's in Obama's 2008 election and the effectiveness on our current Y, technological generation - Essay Example Furthermore, it also tells about the successful strategies to use media or new media for reaching and engaging millennial generation towards some certain activities. â€Å"Obama comes out as a moderate American who is really different from his other party fellows. Although Obama convinces his listeners through reasoning and logic in almost his every political speech, his present speech is, from first to the last paragraph, full of the use of logical style of talking.† (Alvi and Baseer) Every president of the United States including the current president Barrack Obama constructs enthymemes according to their specific targeted audience or crowd. â€Å"This separation is evident in his minor premises both when he specifically addresses the target audience and when he uses a word or idea that suggests that he is trying to persuade a particular group. I am also contending that each president’s speech can be broken down into numerous major and minor premises that lead to one overarching conclusion in each speech that those premises support.† (Lawson, 7) THE CONCEPT OF ENTHYMEME â€Å"An enthymeme, while a type of syllogism, does not contain the same indisputable logical truths as the formal syllogism. It is a rhetorical syllogism, or informally stated syllogism, which contains same three elements as a complete syllogism: a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.† (Lawson, 8) However, one of these elements in an enthymeme is understood as it is already known as a general knowledge or some belief held by the audience as well. Basically, an enthymeme is considered as an unfinished argument in a way that not all the parts in this are exactly expressed or definitely stated. Therefore, it is dependent upon the previous mentioned assumptions which were the general knowledge or prior beliefs or knowledge regarding the subject. Furthermore, the speaker also relies upon the presupposition which helps them build their arguments in the futur e. This is the concept developed by the great Aristotle. According to his assumption and belief, enthymeme is an argument which basically opposes to an assumed idea or a topic which is either an indisputable fact or it is proved with the help of science and has science support. However, there is no one specific definition for the word ‘enthymeme’ as its meaning differs from person to person and what they think of this particular word. A recent study has shown that â€Å"Scholars have been trying to define and redefine enthymeme through various philosophical and literary readings of Aristotle’s texts. Each definition contains similar elements, but none of them are exactly alike.† (Lawson, 12) Because of this fact mentioned that ‘enthymeme’ has various definitions and analysis with respect to that particular enthymeme. One early scholar named E.M. Cope presented a definition that has been the core element for many different scholars when it come s to discussing enthymeme. Lloyd Bitzer, R.C. Seaton and Carol Poster are the few names who follow E.M. Cope regarding enthymeme. Seaton points out that â€Å"Cope bases his initial definition on another one set forth by Sir William Hamilton, and later ‘reverses his own decision in a note with the remark that the view given in the text „was adopted mainly in deference to the decided opinion expressed by Sir William Hamilton’ † (Seaton 114). But, Bitzer points out that Aristotle refutes this

Differences Between International Business Management and United Essay

Differences Between International Business Management and United States Business Management - Essay Example Different business management practices differ depending on the purposes and the scope of the business or the area it covers (Adekola & Sergi, 2008). There is the difference between international business management and United States business management. The international business management is a business that incorporates many factors as compared to the business management of America. The international business has factors like different government policies, cultures of different people and other foreign elements that are put into consideration, while the United States business management has only the domestic policy, one culture, and other internal factors that are considered when designing it. The American Business Management uses an individualistic approach where managers are the one who are responsible for the decisions made in their areas of the jurisdiction (Dewan, 2011). In this case, the decision always lies with the management though the other staff can discuss but the final say lies in the word of the boss. For the case of the international business, the board of management deliberates the matters affecting the busines s. The management approach here is not like the one of United States business management, but it entails deliberations that are made by the board and are implemented by the representative managers of various countries in the world. The accountability of the international business lies in the board of management where in consultation with the various managers of different countries they account for everything that is done in the business. The managers of American companies have a belief that the overwhelming success in a business brings real rewards. Thus, they tend to disregard the opinions of the other subordinates members (Punnett, 2014). This approach brings a lot of problems when the things go wrong and in meetings there are some incidences of

Cover letter Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Cover letter - Article Example The best paper I wrote for this course, in my opinion, is the one about smartphones. This is a topic that will continue to build interest, as more and more apps become available and people spend more and more time with their heads bent over these small devices. When I wrote my earliest draft of this piece, I did not include enough in the area of detail to make my own points vibrant enough for the reader. As a result, the ideas that made a lot of sense to me did not come through adequately for my peers who reviewed the paper for me. So when I revised the paper, I needed to go back in and help the reader view the topic from the perspective from which I was viewing it. This did not mean that the reader had to agree with my opinion, necessarily; rather, it meant that I needed to be able to make my perspective understandable. If I continued to have more time on that paper, I would have done some more research about smartphone usage statistics. I have been floored by the number of people I see using these devices in ways that just make no sense to me. I don’t know why people would sit and text while they are driving, and I certainly don’t know why someone would sit and Facebook their way through what is supposed to be a romantic evening out, or even through a family meal. My ongoing weakness is an assumption that the reader can see things the way I see them, or that I don’t have to communicate my own viewpoint thoroughly enough for the reader to be able to understand it. This means that I leave out details that seem obvious to me, for the simple reason that I think the reader should be able to â€Å"see† a point that is clear to me. This means that my points end up being confusing, at times, to the reader. To help with the editing of my smartphone paper, I had several of my peers read through the rough draft. Their purpose was not so much to point out

World Bank Anti-Corruption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World Bank Anti-Corruption - Essay Example Across several studies it has been shown that one standard deviation above the mean of corruption lowers investment rates by approximately three points, and lowers the average growth by almost one point per year (Kaufmann & Vicente, 2005). The World Bank (WB) seeks to monitor corruption across aided projects and developing nations (WB, 2006 a, b). To enable this to occur, the WB employs a multi-disciplinary staff with almost half of its employees located in country offices, who actively contribute to international policy formation (WB, 2006b). This paper is a formal application to the WB to demonstrate understanding of corruption issues and commitment to upholding anti-corruption business practices as determined by the WB. Firstly, a clear definition of corruption for this paper will be presented. Secondly, developing countries that currently experiences corruption will be highlighted. Thirdly, WB anti-corruption policies and protocols will be discussed, including a brief about anti-corruption considerations as a WB staff member. Next, the ability of the WB to address corruption will be debated, and best practices from around the globe will be outlined. Then, suggestions as to how the WB could effectively tackle corruption will be proposed. Finally, a conclusion shall synthesize the main points and demonstrate that this application aligns with the WB ethos of anti-corruption. Traditionall Traditionally, corruption has been defined in terms of 'the abuse of public office for private gain' (Kaufmann & Vicente, 2005). In this regard, corruption is viewed illegal, such as in the form of administration bribery, fraud or misappropriation of resources (Kaufmann & Vicente, 2005; WB, 2006a). Recently though, the term corruption has become associated with other less obvious acts, such as complicity between representatives of both the public and the private sectors. Further, collusion between parties may be considered a legal activity in some countries, such as lobbying contributions that allow legislations to be passed.Kaufmann and Vicente suggest an alternate definition to clarify corporate corruption, which in turn affects public corruption. Corruption can thus be described as "a collusive agreement between a part of the agents of the economy who, as a consequence, are able to swap [over time] in terms of positions of power (i.e. are able to capture, together, t he allocation process of the economy) (2). In this form, corruption represents high-level 'influence,' extending on the act of bribery and reflects "a particular sharing pattern of the joint payoff from the referred relationship" (3). They provide the example of a politician with strong business relationships within the private sector that are exploited for the benefit of each party, also known colloquially as "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours". Kaufmann and Vicente's comprehensive and salient definition will be used for this paper.With regard to nations that are acknowledged to have experienced widespread corruption, they include Bangladesh, Indonesia, Chile, Paraguay, Lithuania and Russia, as just a few of the countries noted by the WB to have had extensive corruption practices (WB, 2006e). These nations have firms and individuals listed as ineligible for future WB aid for a proscribed period as they were identified as having broken anti-corruption standards as determined b y the Procurement Guidelines or the Consultants Guidelines,