The United Nations Involvement in Rwanda during the Genocide Research Paper

The United Nations Involvement in Rwanda during the Genocide - Research Paper Example According to the research paper "The United Nations involvement in Rwanda during the genocide" findings, since the second half of the twentieth century, the bleak nature of precedents in regard to the implementation of the Genocide Convention exposes a grim account of the stance taken by the international community to crack the whip on the perpetration of such heinous acts (Verdeja 37-54). This has left experts at loggerheads concerning whether prominent cases that justify the description â€Å"genocide† passed the legal thresholds. In the current world, the wheels of justice at different levels of jurisdiction such as international tribunals and internal trial courts are slowly elaborating definitional uncertainties and raising their flag, though hesitantly, that perpetrators of genocide may be tried and jailed or executed depending on their level of culpability (Barta, Finzsch, and Stannard 111-133). Yet, the very realities that trial chambers are seeking justice for perpetr ators of genocide-related crimes stand as an apparent proof of a deeper rot, which probably led to the Rwandan genocide (Verdeja 37-54). The key perpetrator of the Rwandan massacres had not seen a serious court that would try the perpetrators of such grave crimes. The United Nations established the United Nations Assistance Mission For Rwanda (UNAMIR) on 5th October 1993 to provide the security within Rwandan capital Kigali. Other responsibilities of the UNAMIR included watching the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

Combating Compassion Fatigue Essay Example for Free

Combating Compassion Fatigue Essay The nursing profession is a complex field that can challenge you mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. People who go into the field of nursing have daily interacts with patients’ and families in need of medical help and guidance. Nurses face numerous challenges on a daily basis and must be able to handle not only their patients’ issues, but remain strong and healthy to avoid compassion fatigue and burnout. Compassion fatigue is defined as emotional, spiritual, and physical exhaustion resulting from â€Å"witnessing and absorbing the problems and suffering of others† (Wisniewski, 2013). Compassion fatigue can lead to burnout with one’s professional career and affect home life. Caregivers can also be affected by compassion fatigue and burnout from the roles that they play with their loved ones. It is vital to be able to identify the warning signs of compassion fatigue and burnout. This is a battle that can be â€Å"fought with a commitment to personal health and well-being† (Chapman, 2007). Health care professionals and caregivers need to be able to find a balance and maintain health in their own spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional lives to assist patient’s to optimal care. Strategies on stress management, healthy lifestyle choices, and resources available will be discussed to help prevent and manage these issues. â€Å"Nurses are the backbone of the medical system and act as the first line of patient medical care† (Chen et al., 2009). Dealing and coping with stress is vital for nurses to maintain to provide adequate care. Compassion fatigue is a feeling of hopelessness and a loss in the sense of meaning in one’s life. Symptoms can be â€Å"strong feelings of anxiety, difficulty concentrating, being jumpy or easily startled, irritability, difficulty sleeping, excessive emotional numbing, and intrusive images of another’s traumatic material† (Portnoy, 2011). These symptoms need to be recognized to receive help or they can progres s to long-term effects and  complications. There are five concepts of compassion fatigue that need to be addressed to help with prevention and burnout. The first concept is cognitive; symptoms can be apathy, disorientation, trouble concentration, and harshness. The second concept is emotional; signs can be anxiety, fear, helplessness, feelings of powerlessness, depression, having bad dreams, and shock. The third concept is behavioral which can be lack of sleep, moody, change in appetite, withdrawn, and repeatedly having bad dreams. The fourth concept is spiritual. This area can lead the individual to question their role in life and their profession, feelings of being lost, and questioning faith and personal beliefs. The last concept is somatic, meaning affecting one’s voluntary nervous system. This can cause rapid heartbeats, trouble breathing, headaches, aches and pains, trouble staying or falling asleep, and sweating (Portnoy, 2011). There are numerous factors that can lead up to and cause compassion fatigue. Triggers can be issues with management such as nursing acuity, patient to nurse ratios, overworked nurses, personal issues, lack of support from coworkers or bosses, and loss of the feeling that the nurse is making a difference. To combat these factors in nurses and other employees in health care, managers and organizations need to be aware of this dynamic issue and offer help (Portnoy, 2011). Creating an open environment along with education and training on how to deal with these complex issues is the first step to addressing compassion fatigue within the workplace. Group meetings within the workplace will offer the nurses a chance to share their thoughts and feelings, realizing that they are not alone. Building bonds with coworkers and sharing patient experiences will help to encourage positive healthy habits. Self-care is vital for nurses to maintain to keep life in balance and to adequately take proper care of our patients. Everybody has stress, learning how to deal with it is the key to happiness and a healthy well-being. Nurses are constantly educating our patient’s on lifestyle changes needed to maintain health such as a proper diet, exercise, and a strong support system. We in turn need to practice what we preach and maintain our health to be at our best to help our patients achieve their best. Burnout and compassion fatigue are sometimes talked about as one, but there are differences. Burnout is â€Å"state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress† (Preventing Burnout, n.d.). Signs of burnout can be depression or  detachment, emotions are rigid, loss of hope and motivation, and a feeling of not worthy of living. Burnout can be caused by lifestyles or work-related issues. Working in an environment that you feel like you have no control or lack of resources can lead to burnout. Self-care is needed to maintain positive outlets to express one’s stress to avoid burnout in one’s personal life. There are physical, emotional, and behavioral signs of burnout. Physical signs are feelings of being tired all the time, being sick a lot, change in sleeping habits, body aches, and frequent headaches. Emotional signs can be loss of motivation, feelings of helplessness, feelings of detachment, sense of doubt, and an increased negative outlook in life. Behavioral signs can be isolation from others, avoidance of responsibilities, drug or alcohol abuse, missing work, and anger directed at others (Preventing Burnout, n.d.). There are several ways to help prevent burnout. Learning how to manage stress and adopting a positive healthy eating, sleeping, and exercising habits are good examples to start with. It is important to know when you need help and that it is available. Burnout can lead to compassion fatigue within your professional career. Nurses who are tired, overworked, and stress out over time without help can suffer from burnout and in turn fall into compassion fatigue. Nurses need compassion to help guide patients in their medical situations, if the nurse is stressed out and needing help herself then how can she guide the patient? Burnout can be healed, addressing the issues and finding â€Å"your balance by reassessing priorities, making time for yourself, and seeking support† (Preventing Burnout, n.d.). There is a three â€Å"R† approach when dealing with burnout; recognize, reverse, and resilience. Recognition of burnout, reversal of the damage caused from stress, and building resilience to deal with the stress by taking care of one’s emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health. Identification is one step into addressing compassion fatigue and burnout. One can recover from burnout. There are three strategies that one should remain mindful of, slow down, get support, and reevaluate your goals and priorities (Preventing Burnout, n.d.). When dealing with job burnout there are a few options that you can do to improve the circumstances. Taking time off, asking for a new assignment, speaking with management about issues, and clarifying your job duties are a few suggestions to start with. Caregiver burnout can happen to anyone at any  given time. The roles of caregivers are equally important like that of nursing. Caregivers are responsible for the direct care of a loved one and can experience compassion fatigue as well as burnout. Being involved with a loved one’s care can cause physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual distress. The health of the caregivers is important for the success of the one who is receiving the care. Promoting policies and interventions that will help the caregivers to avoid emotional exhaustion is the goal. Caregivers need to remain aware of their needs and beliefs and know when to ask for help should they need it. Education is the start to helping patients, families, and caregivers; talking about compassion fatigue and burnout allows people to see that they are not alone and that help is available. There are numerous resources available to assist those seeking help such as The Gift from Within organization that specializes in helping people deal with trauma and stress. There is also a Compassion Fatigue organization that aims at educating people on how important self-care is and how vital it is to know the signs and symptoms (Portnoy, 2011). In conclusion, compassion fatigue is the loss of self and burnout is the emotional exhaustion that one can feel. Nurses and health care professionals are at higher risks of having these issues come up; however caregivers can suffer from these issues just as easily. The goal to combating these topics is to bring awareness to them and to continue educating people on the ways to handle them. Sometimes asking for help is hard, but it is the first step in the right direction to becoming a healthy well-being who can handle stress. Seeking guidance from professionals will benefit the person in distress as well as their families. To be emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually sound one must take care of themselves in all aspects of life. One must have compassionate caring, empathic boundaries, self-awareness, spirituality and hope, and self-forgiveness to succeed in life (Bush, 2009). References Bush, N. (2009). Compassion fatigue: are you at risk? Oncology Nursing Forum, 36(1), 24-28. doi:10.1188/09.ONF.24-28 Chapman, E. (2007). Radical loving care: Building the healing hospital in America. Nashville, TN: Vaughn Printing Chen, C., Lin, C., Wang, S., Hou, T. (2009). A study of job stress, stress coping strategies, and job satisfaction for nurses working in middle-level hospital operating rooms. Journal Of Nursing Research (Taiwan Nurses Association), 17(3), 199-211. doi:10.1097/JNR.0b013e3181b2557b Portnoy, D. (2011). Burnout and Compassion Fatigue Watch for the Signs. Journal of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, 47-51. Retrieved January 20, 2015, from http://www.compassionfatigue.org/pages/healthprogress.pdf Preventing Burnout. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20, 2015, from http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/preventing-burnout.htm Wisniewski, L. (2013, February 5). What is Nursing Stress, Burnout, or Compassion Fatigue? Retrieved January 20, 2015, from http://www.nursetogether.com/what-is-nursing-stress-burnout-or-compassion-fatigue

Instant Messaging the Conversation of Tomorrow :: Computers Communication Essays

Instant Messaging the Conversation of Tomorrow I can remember my first day here at Eastern Michigan University. I moved in all of my belongings, including the new computer my parents bought me to start off the new school year. After setting everything up in my room I hooked up the computer and signed on to my AOL Instant Messenger for the first time. I wanted a screen name that would some how reflect my personality and ended up with butterfly3742. The butterfly referring to my free spirit emerging from the cocoon of my parent’s home, and the 3742 was the last four digits of my brand new very own telephone number. As the school year slowly progressed I added tons of new buddies to my â€Å"cool people† list, also friends from high school and home that went away to other universities started signing on so it became the easiest and most economical way to stay in touch. Instead, of being on the phone till all hours of the night, I was typing away at my computer with whoever was online at the time. My parents were ecstatic because I managed to keep my long distance phone bill at the bare minimum. They rewarded my money saving tactics through other means. Basically, the instant messenger became a standard, resourceful, and economical way of keeping in touch through writing with friends from my past and friends in my present. Instant messenger is an easy tool used for written communication that has taken the world by storm. No longer is it cool as a student to use your phone, or other written materials as a form of interaction among friends. Authors are also beginning to see reading from the screen as becoming the norm of our society. As reading texts on screen is becoming a more accepted practice, using the IM is becoming the standard form of written communication for many adolescents across the globe. Writer James Sosnoski also accepts the custom of reading on screen becoming a norm. â€Å"Though I readily acknowledge that many persons do not like to read from their screens at this time, I assume that over a period of time, the practice will become so habitual that it will seem â€Å"natural†- just as it now seems customary to use a computer rather than a typewriter.

The Gravity Model of Trade

THE GRAVITY MODEL OF TRADE 1 Assignment 1: The Gravity Model Of Trade: Do Size And Distance Matter For The Exports Of Japan? THE GRAVITY MODEL OF TRADE 2 Abstract In the field of international economics, the gravity model for trade reveals that bilateral trade is directly proportional with the extent of the economy (usually expressed in GDP) and inversely proportional with the geographical distance between the analysed entities. The present report illustrates the model for the case of Japan, elaborating the trade patterns created among it and its 9 main trade partners.The parameters for the gravity equation are estimated and the relation between GDP and exports for the countries in question are depicted through a scattered plot, for a more in-depth view on the connections. By testing the model it can be observed that the trade relations of Japan are being influenced by the size of the economy and the distance to the trade partners. (JEL F100, F170) THE GRAVITY MODEL OF TRADE 3 The la w of universal gravitation was published by Isaac Newton as a general physical law.Its application was later on spread into various fields of research, succeeding to explain a series of scientific phenomena. In international economics, the gravity model of trade is used in order to predict bilateral trade flows in respect to the economic performance (measured in GDP) and distance between the two states taken into consideration. The present report aims to illustrate the gravity model of trade for the particular case of Japan, revealing how size and distance influence the country’s exports, centering the study on the relation among Japan and its 9 top trade partner countries.The model will be tested by estimating the parameters of the gravity equation, namely the elasticities for GDP and distance. In order to estimate the gravity equation, the R statistical software has been used. The data set contains information regarding exports, GDP and distance to destination country, retr ieved from the 2011 International Trade Statistics Yearbook of the United Nations. All data has 2011 as the year of reference. The GDP value for each country has been converted into billions of USD, in order to maintain the same unit of measure.Example: China’s GDP 2011 = 47. 16 trillion CN? ;exchange rate: 1$ = 6. 4588 CN? ;therefore, China’s GDP for 2011 amounts to 7,298,147 millions USD. Figure 1 shows Japan’s trade as percentage of the exports of the top-9 export destinations in 2011, versus the GDP as percentage of the total GDP reported by the top-9 export destinations. As it can be seen, China does a lot more trade with Japan than even with the U. S. A, the main reason being the small distance between the two states, which THE GRAVITY MODEL OF TRADE reduces transportation costs.In addition to this, the cultural factor has also to be taken 4 into consideration, as both Japan and China are Asian cultures sharing similar values and tastes; therefore they hav e a look-alike pattern of trade. The linear equation appears as it follows: z = 12. 03 + 0. 05 x1 – (-0. 15) x2 The coefficients of correlation in respect to GDP are b = 0. 05, therefore there is a weak relationship between trade and one country’s GDP. The coefficient of correlation in respect to distance is c=-0. 5, therefore there is also a weak relationship between trade and the distance between Japan and the trade partner country. The direct effect is that trade increases by 0. 05% when the partner country’s GDP increases by 1%, while it decreases by 0. 15% when the distance to the partner countries increases by 1%. The mean and the standard deviation (descripted variables) have been computed for the variables: GDP, exports, distance. GDP: mean= 1556897. 3, standard deviation= 2417090. 79 Exports: mean= 58211. 7, standard deviation= 52047. 57 Distance: mean=4319060. , standard deviation= 3462913. 81 The results obtained depict that the model it is indeed ver ified, but the correlations are not strong enough in order to fully explain the patterns of trade between Japan and its 9 main trade-partners. Nevertheless, we can observe that both distance between countries and the size of one country’s economy are factors that influence the trade between two states. THE GRAVITY MODEL OF TRADE 5 References: American Economic Association, JEL Classification Codes Guide. Retrieved October 6, 2012 from: http://www. aeaweb. org/jel/guide/jel. hp Centre d'Etudes Prospectives et d’Informations Internationales (CEPII) (2011). Geodesic Distances. Retrieved on October 6, 2012 from: http://www. cepii. fr/anglaisgraph/bdd/distances. htm International Monetary Fund. (2012). International Financial Statistics Yearbook 2012. Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund Krugman, Obstfeld, and Melitz (2012), International Economics Theory & Policy, (9th edition), Pearson Education United Nations. (2011). 2011 International Trade Statistics Yearbook. New York: United Nations. Retrieved on October 14, 2012 from: http://comtrade. n. org/pb/CountryPagesNew. aspx? y=2011 United Nations Statistics Division, Countries or areas, codes and abbreviations. Retrieved October 15, 2012 from: http://unstats. un. org/unsd/methods/m49/m49alpha. htm THE GRAVITY MODEL OF TRADE 6 Table 1 Japan’s Trade Partners Country Exports (millions USD) China USA Republic of Korea China, Hong Kong SAR Thailand Singapore Germany Malaysia Netherlands 162062. 1 127679. 0 66167. 5 42954. 4 37530. 60 27264. 60 23505. 50 18796. 00 17945. 80 GDP (millions USD) 7298147. 00 14660400. 00 1116247. 00 243666. 00 345672. 00 259849. 0 3607364. 00 287943. 00 838112. 00 2098111. 00 10855. 59 1156. 67 2891225. 00 4612997. 00 5326388. 00 9298341. 00 5329095. 00 9303377. 00 Distance (km) Source: Data retrieved from the 2011 International Trade Statistics Yearbook of the United Nations (2011 – year of reference) Table 1 THE GRAVITY MODEL OF TRADE 7 Figure 1. Which a re the closest trade partners for Japan? This figure illustrates Japan’s trade as percentage of the exports of the top-9 export destinations in 2011, versus the GDP as percentage of the total GDP reported by the top-9 export destinations.

Promotion Strategy

Table of Contents Sr No. | Title| P No. | 1. | Introduction| 2-5| 2. | Promotional Mix| 5| 3. | Sales process| 7-8| 4. | Advertising| 9-13| 5. | Other Methods| 14-15| 6. | Public Relations| 15| 7. | References| 18| Introduction What is promotional strategy ? Promotional strategy is the function of informing, persuading, and influencing a consumer decision. It is as important to non profit organizations as it is to a profit oriented company like Colgate-Palmolive. Some promotional strategies are aimed at developing primary demand, the desire for a general product category.For example, the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board promotes natural cheese through advertisements without referring to any particular cheese maker. But most promotional strategies are aimed at creating selective demand, the desire for a particular product. Land O' Lakes campaign—†The taste that stands above. Land O' Lakes 4-Quart Cheese†Ã¢â‚¬â€is an example. The objectives of promotion, the component s of the promotional mix—personal selling, advertising, sales promotion, and public relations are discussed, and finally, the factors that influence marketers' decisions in selecting a promotional mix are explained.Objectives of Promotional Strategy Promotional strategy objectives vary among organizations. Some use promotion to expand their markets, others to hold their current positions, still others to present a corporate viewpoint on a public issue. Promotional strategies can also be used to reach selected markets. Most sources identify the specific promotional objectives or goals of providing information, differentiating the product, increasing sales, stabilizing sales, and accentuating the product's value. An organization can have multiple promotional objectives.The National Pork Producers Council has developed â€Å"The Other White Meat† promotional campaign primarily to position pork as a white meat rather than a red meat. Other goals of the campaign include inc reasing the sale of pork and informing consumers that pork is low in calories and cholesterol, high in nutrition, easy to prepare, and versatile. To illustrate the versatility of pork, one advertisement in the campaign features 21 different pork dishes and offers consumers a free booklet for those and other pork recipes. Providing InformationIn the early days of promotional campaigns, when there was often a short supply of many items, most advertisements were designed to inform the public of a product's availability. Today, a major portion of advertising in the United States is still informational. A large section of the daily newspapers on Wednesdays and Thursdays consists of advertising that tells shoppers which products are featured by stores and at what price. Health insurance advertisements in Sunday newspaper supplements emphasize information about rising hospital costs.Industrial salespeople keep buyers aware of the latest technological advances in a particular field. Fashion retailers advertise to keep consumers abreast of current styles. Promotional campaigns designed to inform are often aimed at specific market segments. Warner Bros. Records, for example, created a compact disc advertisement targeted at the baby-boom generation. In explaining the purpose of the ad, a Warner executive said, â€Å"We believe that most boomers are unaware that our classic recordings of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s are on CD along with the current releases. The ad informs baby boomers that Warner releases not only contemporary recordings but also some of its best albums from previous years, including those by Fleetwood Mac, Van Morrison, and ZZ Top, on compact discs. Included in the ad is a list of classic recordings now available on compact discs. Differentiating the Product Marketers often develop a promotional strategy to differentiate their goods or services from those of competitors. To accomplish this, they attempt to occupy a â€Å"position† in the market t hat appeals to their target customers.Promotions that apply the concept of positioning communicate to consumers meaningful distinctions about the attributes, price, quality, or usage of a good or service. Positioning is often used for goods or services that are not leaders in their field. The advertisement for Murphy's Oil Soap in Figure 13. 2 is part of a promotional campaign The Murphy-Phoenix Company uses to differentiate its household cleaner from its much larger competition. While market leader Mr. Clean and other large competitors such as Top Job are promoted as â€Å"tough on dirt† cleaners, Murphy's Oil Soap is positioned as a gentle household cleaner.The positioning strategy is carried through in other ads in the campaign, in which caretakers of churches and opera houses emphasize the soap's gentle cleaning attribute. Increasing Sales Increasing sales volume is the most common objective of a promotional strategy. Some strategies concentrate on primary demand, others on selective demand. Sometimes specific audiences are targeted. In an effort to build the sales volume of its bodywear, Danskin developed an advertising campaign targeted at women age 18 to 44. Advertisements in the $3 million campaign, helped boost the sales of Danskin's adult garments by 30 percent in one year.The campaign theme—†All the World's a Stage†Ã¢â‚¬â€communicates the message that Danskin garments can be purchased not only for exercise and dance but also as everyday apparel. Stabilizing Sales Sales stabilization is another goal of promotional strategy. Sales contests are often held during slack periods. Such contests offer prizes (such as vacation trips, color televisions, and scholarships) to sales personnel who meet certain goals. Sales promotion materials—calendars, pens, and the like—are sometimes distributed to stimulate sales during off-periods.Advertising is also often used to stabilize sales. Hotels are crowded on weekdays with bu siness travelers, but these people go home on Friday. So many hotels promote â€Å"weekend packages† at lower rates to attract tourists and vacationers. A stable sales pattern allows the firm to improve financial, purchasing, and market planning; to even out the production cycle; and to reduce some management and production costs. The correct use of promotional strategy can be a valuable tool in accomplishing these objectives. Accentuating the Product's ValueSome promotional strategies are based on factors, such as warranty programs and repair services, that add to the product's value. Many Ford Motor Company advertisements promote specific car and light truck models. Some ads, however, are designed to promote Ford's 6-year, 60,000-mile powertrain warranty, while others concentrate on the Lifetime Service Guarantee offered by Ford dealers. These promotions point out greater ownership utility to buyers, thus enhancing the product's value. The Promotional Mix Firms use various elements to achieve their promotional objectives.Promotion consists of two components: personal selling and nonpersonal selling. Personal selling is a promotional presentation made on a person-to-person basis with a potential buyer. Nonpersonal selling consists of advertising, sales promotion, and public relations. The promotional mix is a combination of personal selling and nonpersonal selling. Marketers attempt to develop a promotional mix that effectively and efficiently communicates their message to target customers. Personal Selling For many companies, personal selling—a promotional presentation made on a person-to-person basis to a potential buyer—is the key to marketing ffectiveness. The promotional strategy of Merrill Lynch, a financial services firm, focuses on its 12,000-person sales force. Selling was the original method of promotion. Today, selling employs over 6 million Americans. The sales function of most companies is changing rapidly. In some cases, the change has been only cosmetic, such as when the title salesclerk is changed to account representative but the job function remains the same. Yet, many firms are making significant changes in their sales force. Sales duties have been expanded, and in some instances, the function itself has changed.The primary trend is toward increased professionalism on the part of sales personnel. Today's sales people act as advisors to their customers, helping them utilize more efficiently the items they buy. Sales Tasks Sales tasks vary significantly from one company or situation to another, but it usually includes three basic tasks: order processing, creative selling, and missionary selling. Order Processing: The task of order processing involves the receipt and handling of an order. Needs are identified and pointed out to the customer, and the order is processed.The handling of orders is especially important in satisfying customer needs. The Willamette Industries advertisement points out that t he firm's salespeople take a customer-oriented approach to order processing. They check the quality of the products their retail customers receive, know their customers' market, and ensure that products are available when customers need them. Route sales personnel for such consumer products as bread, milk, and soft drinks are examples of order processors. They check a store's stock, report the inventory level to the store manager, and complete the sale.Most sales jobs have at least a minor order-processing function. It becomes the primary duty in cases where needs are readily identified and acknowledged by the customer. Creative Selling: Sales representatives for most industrial goods and some consumer goods are involved in creative selling, a persuasive type of promotional presentation. Creative selling is used when the benefits of a good or service are not readily apparent and its purchase is being based on a careful analysis of alternatives. In new-product selling, sales people n eed to be very creative if initial orders are to be secured.Missionary Selling: An indirect form of selling in which the representative markets the goodwill of a company or provides technical or operational assistance to the customer is called missionary selling. For example, many technically based organizations, such as IBM and Xerox, provide systems specialists who consult with their customers. These people are problem solvers and sometimes work on problems not directly involving their employer's product. A person who sells a highly technical product may do 55 percent missionary selling, 40 percent creative selling, and 5 percent order processing.By contrast, the job of retail salespeople may be 70 percent order processing, 15 percent creative selling, and 15 classifying a particular sales job. The Sales Process Years ago, sales personnel memorized a sales talk provided by their employers. Such a canned sales presentation was intended to provide all the information the customer ne eded to make a purchase decision. The entire sales process was viewed as a situation in which the prospective customer was passive and ready to buy if the appropriate information could be identified and presented by the representative.Contemporary selling recognizes that the interaction between buyers and sellers usually rules out canned presentations in all but the simplest of sales situations. Today's professional sales personnel typically follow a sequential pattern, but the actual presentation varies according to the circumstances. Figure 13. 5 shows that seven steps can be identified in the sales process: prospecting and qualifying, the approach, the presentation, the demonstration, handling objections, the closing, and the follow-up. Prospecting and Qualifying: In prospecting, salespeople identify potential customers.They may come from many sources, such as previous customers, friends, business associates, neighbors, other sales personnel, and other employees in the firm. A re cent study indicated increased advertising in business publications results in more prospects for salespeople promoting industrial goods and services. In the qualifying process, potential customers are identified in terms of their financial ability and authority to buy. Those who lack the necessary financial resources or who are not in a position to make the purchase decision are given no further attention.The Approach: Salespeople should carefully prepare their approach to potential customers. All available information about prospects should be collected and analyzed. Sales representatives should remember that the initial impression they give prospects often affects the prospects' future attitudes. The Presentation: The presentation is the stage at which the salesperson transmits the promotional message. The usual method is to describe the good's or service's major features, highlight its advantages, and cite examples of consumer satisfaction. The Demonstration: A demonstration all ows the prospect to become involved in the presentation.Demonstrations reinforce the message communicated to the prospective buyer. In promoting some goods and services, the demonstration is a critical step in the sales process. Paper manufacturers, for example, produce elaborate booklets that their salespeople use to demonstrate different types of paper, paper finishes, and graphic techniques. The demonstration allows salespeople to show art directors, designers, printers, and other potential customers what different paper specimens look like when they are printed. Handling Objections: Many salespeople fear objections from the prospect because they view them as a rebuke.Actually, such objections should be welcomed, because they allow additional points in support of the sale and to answer questions the consumer has about the good or service to be presented by the sales representative. The Closing: The closing is the critical point in selling—the time at which the seller actua lly asks the prospect to buy the product. The seller should watch for signals that the prospect is ready to buy. For example, if a prospect starts discussing where the new equipment would fit in the plant system they are inspecting, it should give the sales agent a signal to attempt to close the sale.Effective closing techniques might be that the salesclerk can ask the prospect directly or propose alternative purchases. Or the salesperson may do something that implies the sale has been completed, such as walking toward a cash register. This forces the prospect to say no if they do not want to complete the sale. The Follow-Up: After-sale activities are very important in determining whether a customer will buy again later. After the prospect agrees to buy, the salesperson should complete the order processing quickly and efficiently and reassure the customer about the purchase decision.Later, the salesperson should check with the customer to determine whether the good or service is sat isfactory. Many firms employ telemarketers to conduct post-sale activities. Telemarketing: is a personal selling approach conducted entirely by telephone. Telemarketers employed by the Apple Bank for Savings in New York make follow up calls to customers to measure their reaction to the bank's services. Telemarketers also perform other functions in the sales process. At Apple Bank, they handle customer inquiries and help market the bank's financial services.For example, telemarketers call customers when their certificates of deposit are about to mature and suggest other savings alternatives. Advertising For many firms, advertising is the most effective type of nonpersonal promotion. Advertising is a paid, non personal sales communication usually directed at a large number of potential buyers. Firms in the United States account for about half of worldwide advertising expenditures. U. S. marketers spend more than $100 billion each year, or about $420 for each man, woman, and child.The nation's leading advertisers are Philip Morris; Procter & Gamble; General Motors; Sears, Roebuck; and Ford Motor Company, each of which spends more than $1 billion on advertising annually. Advertising expenditures can vary considerably from industry to industry and company to company. In the nonresidential general building contracting industry, for instance, advertising spending amounts to only two-tenths of 1 percent of sales. At the other extreme is the retail mail-order house industry, which spends 14 percent of sales on advertising. Types of AdvertisingThe two basic types of advertising are product and institutional. Product advertising involves the selling of a good or service. Advertisements for Nike Air shoes, Marriott hotels, and Packard Bell computers would be classified as product advertising. Institutional advertising: involves the promotion of a concept, idea, or philosophy, or the goodwill of an industry, company, organization, or government entity. For example, Texas p romoted tourism with the theme: â€Å"Visit a country where the natives are friendly and the language barrier is easily overcome. Institutional advertising by profit-seeking firms is called corporate advertising. A form of institutional advertising that is growing in importance, advocacy advertising supports a specific viewpoint on a public issue. Its purpose is to influence public opinion and/or the legislative process. Advocacy advertising is used by many nonprofit organizations. For example, advertisements by the National Rifle Association support Americans' constitutional right to keep and bear arms and speak out against the passage of gun-control laws.The Chemical Bank advertisement an example of a corporate advocacy advertisement. The ad expresses Chemical Bank's viewpoint concerning a current law that prohibits commercial banks from competing in the securities underwriting market. Advocacy advertising is sometimes referred to as cause advertising. Advertising and the Product Life Cycle Product and institutional advertising can be subdivided by its purposes: to inform, persuade, or remind. Informative advertising, intended to build initial demand for a product, is used in the introductory phase of the product life cycle.When Johnson ; Johnson introduced its Acuvue disposable contact lens—the nation's first disposable lens—it launched a massive advertising campaign directed at consumers and eye-care professionals to explain the health benefits of using the new product. Persuasive advertising attempts to improve the competitive status of a product, institution, or concept. It is used in the growth and maturity stages of the product life cycle. The Kinder-Care advertisement in Figure 13. 7 is an example of persuasive advertising. Since it was established in 1969, Kinder-Care used informational ads that promoted the centers' hours and programs.But now that the company has grown to almost 1,400 centers and competitors such as La Petite Academy, Children's World, and Gerber Children's Center have entered the market, Kinder-Care has shifted to a persuasive advertising approach. The theme of the campaign—†The Joys of Kinder-Care†Ã¢â‚¬â€promotes the idea of trust, which the firm's marketing research indicated was parents' major child-care concern. One of the most popular approaches to persuasive product advertising is comparative advertising, which makes direct comparisons with competitive products. Numerous companies have used comparative advertising in recent years.The Pepsi Challenge is an example of comparative advertising. Pepsi-Cola ads have used blind taste tests in which a majority of consumers choose Pepsi over Coca- Cola. Although Coca-Cola still leads the soft-drink market, the Pepsi Challenge helped increase Pepsi sales considerably. Reminder-oriented advertising, used in the late-maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle, attempts to keep a product's name in front of the consumer o r to remind people of the importance of a concept or an institution. Soft drinks, beer, toothpaste, and cigarettes are products for which reminder-oriented advertising is used.The Association of Railroads used an advertisement that began: â€Å"Today's railroads, America's great untapped resource. † Even police cars in some areas of the United States carry reminder-oriented themes such as â€Å"We protect and serve. † E. D. Bullard Company designed the poster shown in Figure 13. 8 to remind workers of the importance of wearing hard hats. Advertising Media All marketers face the question of how to best allocate their advertising expenditures. Cost is an important consideration, but it is equally important to choose the media best suited for the job. All media have dvantages and disadvantages; these are discussed in the sections that follow. Newspapers: Newspapers, with 26 percent of total advertising volume, are the largest of the advertising media. 9 Because newspaper advertising can be tailored for individual communities, local advertising is common. Newspapers also reach nearly everyone in the community. Other advantages are that readers can refer back to them, and they can be coordinated with other advertising and merchandising efforts. In fact, advertising is considered the third most useful feature in newspapers, after national and local news. A disadvantage is the relatively short life span.Television: Television ranks second overall to newspapers with 22 percent of all advertising volume, but it is the leader in national advertising. Television advertising can be classified as network, national, local, and cable. Television has a significant impact on potential customers despite its high cost. Mass coverage, repetition, flexibility, and prestige are other advantages. The medium's ability to reach huge audiences was demonstrated vividly by the 1989 Pepsi commercial featuring pop singer Micahael Jackson. The firm spent $5 million to beam the commercial to 250 million viewers in 40 nations, from Finland to the Philippines. The ad was pulled because of Michael Jackson’s image and legal problems. ) In addition to high cost, its disadvantages include the temporary nature of the message, some public distrust, and lack of selectivity in the ability to reach specific target market segments without considerable wasted coverage. Direct Mail: Direct mail is the third-leading advertising medium, with about 17 percent of total advertising expenditures. Its advantages include selectivity, intense coverage, speed, flexibility, complete information, and personalization. On the other hand, direct mail is extremely costly.It is also dependent on effective mailing lists, and it sometimes meets with consumer resistance. Radio: With 99 percent of all U. S. households owning on average five radio sets, radio is another important broadcast advertising medium. Radio, which accounts for 7 percent of total advertising volume, can be cla ssified as network, spot, and local advertising. Advantages of radio are immediacy, low cost, targeted audience selection, flexibility, and mobility. Disadvantages include the short life span of a radio message and a highly fragmented audience.Magazines: Magazines account for about 5 percent of advertising volume. Modern Maturity, with almost 20 million subscribers, is the nation's largest magazine in terms of paid subscriptions. It is followed by Reader's Digest and TV Guide, each with about 17 million subscribers. Advantages of magazines include selectivity, quality reproduction, long life, and prestige. The main disadvantage of magazines is that they lack the flexibility of newspapers and broadcast media, but the appearance of local advertising in various regional editions of national news magazines suggests that this problem is being overcome.Outdoor Advertising: One percent of total advertising expenditures are on outdoor advertising such as billboards. Its strength is in commu nicating simple ideas quickly. Other advantages are repetition and the ability to promote goods and services available for sale nearby. However, the message must be brief, and there are aesthetic considerations. Other Media Options: Other media include advertising in movie theaters and on airline movie screens. Recently, several firms such as Coca Cola, PepsiCo, Chrysler, and Hershey placed ads on videocassette movies.Many firms display their advertising message on trucks, while others use transit advertising. An advertising vehicle gaining in popularity is the hot-air balloon, used by organizations such as Maxwell House, Coors, Eastman Kodak, and the states of Maryland and Connecticut. These alternative media can be employed separately or in conjunction with advertising campaigns using more traditional media. Can you name the candy the space creature picked up in the film â€Å"E. T. â€Å"? Reeses Candy company's sales of Reeses Pieces went through the profit ceiling for this ex posure.As such, many other companies now pay thousands of dollars for this type of theatrical exposure and advertising. Sales Promotion Sales promotion consists of the forms of promotion other than advertising, personal selling, and public relations that increase sales through one-time selling efforts. Sales promotion was traditionally viewed as a supplement to a firm's sales or advertising efforts, but now it has become an integral part of the promotional mix. Expenditures for sales promotion total more than $100 billion each year. Point-of-Purchase Advertising (POP)Point-of-purchase advertising (POP) consists of displays and demonstrations promoting an item at a time and place near the location of the actual purchase decision, such as in a retail store. Video advertising on supermarket shopping carts is an example. POP can be very effective in continuing a theme developed by some other aspect of the firm's promotional strategy. Specialty Advertising Specialty advertising is the gi ving away of useful merchandise such as pens, calendars, T-shirts, glassware, and pocket calculators that are imprinted with the donor's name, logo, or message.Because the items are useful and are often personalized with the recipient's name, they tend to be kept and used by the targeted audience, giving the advertiser repeated exposure. Originally designed to identify and create goodwill for advertisers, specialty advertising is now used to generate sales leads and develop traffic for stores and trade show exhibitors. Trade Shows A trade show is often used to promote goods or services to resellers in the distribution channel. Retailers and wholesalers attend trade conventions and shows where manufacturers exhibit their lines. Such shows are very important n the toy, furniture, and fashion industries. They have also been used to promote the products of one nation to buyers from another. L. A. Gear used a trade show extravaganza to let retailers know about its diversified product lin e. The company, which originally produced a line of teenage fashion athletic footwear, expanded its offerings to include 80 women's shoe styles, a men's and a children's line, and an apparel collection. But most retailers carry a limited number of L. A. Gear styles compared to those of nationally recognized brand names such as Nike and Reebok.To build its brand recognition among retailers, L. A. Gear designed a trade show display replicating the city of Los Angeles, complete with a Beverly Hills Hotel and a 25-foot City Hall. The display includes a stage where dancers, gymnasts, and other performers entertained retailers attending the National Shoe Fair in New York and the Super Show, the trade show of the sporting goods industry. Don Wasley, L. A. Gear's vice-president of promotion, said, â€Å"When we created this trade show booth, it was to let the retailers know we'd arrived.We wanted them to take us seriously. Other Sales Promotion Methods Other sales promotion techniques incl ude samples, coupons, premiums, contests, and trading stamps. Most of these methods are used to introduce new products or encourage consumers to try a new brand. A sample is a free gift of a product distributed by mail, door to door, in a demonstration, or inside packages containing other products. Samples are particularly useful in promoting new products. PepsiCo used a novel sampling promotion to boost the market share of Pepsi Cola in Brazil.Young male students wearing T-shirts with the Pepsi logo dispensed Pepsi samples from refrigerated backpacks to beachgoers sunning themselves on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. The promotion supported PepsiCo's â€Å"Taste of a new generation† advertising campaign in Brazil, where 50 percent of the population is younger than 20. A coupon is an advertising clipping or package inclusion stamps are similar to premiums in that they are redeemable for additional merchandise. Historically, they have been used to build loyalty to a certain ret ailer or supplier. Contests, sweepstakes, and games offer cash or merchandise redeemable by the customer.Offering what amounts to a small price discount, it can help get a customer to try a new or different product. Many retailers, including southern supermarket giant Winn Dixie, double the face value of manufacturers' coupons. In a recent survey comparing various methods of consumer promotion, 83 percent of respondents said coupons increased the value of their shopping dollar. The respondents gave sweepstakes and other sales promotion techniques much lower ratings. A premium is an item given free or at a reduced cost with the purchase of another product. Premiums are most effective when they relate in some way to the purchased item.To promote its new cinnamon-and-raisin biscuits and increase overall breakfast traffic, Hardee's fast-food restaurants offered the premium of a California Raisin figurine for 99 cents with the purchase of two biscuits. Sales during the four-week promotio n increased 18 percent, well above Hardee's goal of increasing sales 4. 5 percent. McDonals and Burger King promote theatrical releases through their â€Å"Kids Meals. † Trading as prizes to participating winners. The transit poster advertises an American Natural Beverage Corporation sweepstakes in which the grand prize is a 1957 Thunderbird Classic.The first person to spell â€Å"Cruisin†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ by collecting specially marked bottle caps from Soho Natural Soda wins the car. Public Relations Public relations is an organization's communications with its various publics, such as customers, vendors, news media, employees, stockholders, government, and the general public. Many of these communication efforts have a marketing purpose. Johnson ; Johnson Health Care Company launched a five-year public relations campaign to educate the public on reducing childhood injuries.The Safe Kids program includes a free safety kit for children that contains Band-Aids and other J;J produc ts. The firm hopes the goodwill generated by the program will not only enhance its image as a caring and concerned company but also translate into more sales. â€Å"Building our image builds our business,† said a J;J executive. 14 Public relations is often used to supplement advertising and personal selling efforts. In some cases, however, public relations is used as a dominant element in a firm's promotional campaign. For example, in ddition to advertising, Paramount Pictures developed a public relations program to promote the Eddie Murphy movie â€Å"Coming to America. † The program was designed to change Murphy's image and broaden his appeal beyond his hard-core, young male fans. In the movie, Murphy plays a romantic and humorous leading man, a departure from his familiar tough-guy role in previous films such as â€Å"Beverly Hills Cop† and â€Å"Trading Places. † To stress the versatility of Murphy's talent, Paramount prepared publicity releases for n ewspapers and magazines and sent electronic press kits to television stations.These efforts resulted in extensive media coverage for the movie. For example, several magazines featured Murphy in cover stories, and radio stations gave the movie's soundtrack additional playing time. Selecting a Promotional Mix Selecting the appropriate promotional mix is one of the toughest tasks confronting marketers, but there are some general guidelines to assist in determining the relative allocations of promotional efforts and expenditures among personal selling, advertising, sales promotion, and public relations. These guidelines might be stated as a series of four rules.The first guideline is the decision whether to spend promotional monies on advertising or personal selling. Once this decision is made, the marketer needs to determine the level of sales promotion and public relations efforts. A second consideration is the market served by the good or service. For instance, a drill press is sold to the industrial market, so the manufacturer's strategy must emphasize the sales force. By contrast, California Raisins are sold to consumers; an effective advertising campaign is important to consumer products like raisins.The third rule deals with the value of the product. Most companies cannot afford to emphasize personal selling in marketing a low-priced item and instead choose advertising for the promotional strategy of goods like toothpaste, cosmetics, soft drinks, and candy. Higher-priced items in both industrial and consumer markets rely more on personal selling. Examples include time-share vacation condominiums and Boeing aircraft. Finally, the marketer needs to consider the time frame involved. Advertising is usually used to precondition a person for a sales resentation. An effective and consistent advertising theme may favorably influence individuals when they are approached by a salesclerk in a store. But except for self-service situations, a salesperson is typically in volved in completing the actual transaction. Advertising is often used again after the sale to assure consumers of the correctness of their selection and to precondition them for repeat purchases. Alternative Promotional Strategies The selection of a promotional mix is directly related to the promotional strategy the firm will employ.The marketer has two alternative strategies available to meet these goals: pushing strategy or pulling strategy. A pushing strategy is a sales-oriented approach. The product, product line, or service is marketed to wholesalers and retailers in the marketing channels. Sales personnel explain to them why they should carry this particular item or service. The marketing intermediaries are usually offered special discounts, promotional materials, and cooperative advertising allowances. In the last case, the manufacturer shares the cost of local advertising of the product or line.All these strategies are designed to motivate wholesalers and retailers to †Å"push† the product or service to their customers. The kiwifruit advertisement is an example of a pushing strategy. In it, the New Zealand Kiwifruit Authority suggests ways retailers can merchandise the fruit so consumers will buy it. A pulling strategy attempts to generate consumer demand for the product, product line, or service, primarily through advertising and sales promotion appeals. Most advertising is aimed at the ultimate consumer, who then asks the retailer for the product or service; the retailer in turn requests the item or service from the supplier.The marketer hopes that strong consumer demand will â€Å"pull† the product or service through the marketing channel by forcing marketing intermediaries to carry it. The General Foods advertisement for Maxwell House coffee in illustrates a pulling strategy. The ad announced a sales promotion that tied in with the Taste of Chicago outdoor food festival. Consumers who brought two empty coffee cans to the Maxwell Ho use cafe at the festival received $6 worth of free food tickets. The consumer pull influenced Chicago-area retailers to prominently feature the brand at their stores. With consumers edeeming about 49,000 empty cans, the promotion was so successful it produced record sales and moved the Maxwell House brand from third place to first in the Chicago market. Most marketing situations require the use of both strategies, although the emphasis can vary. Consumer products are often heavily dependent on a pulling strategy, while most industrial products are sold through a pushing strategy. References 1. Colton. M. Jo Ann (2000). The Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Basics 101; Advanced Marketing Technologie 2. http://www. smallbusiness. wa. gov. au/marketing-promotion-strategy/#selling

Nazi War Criminals Still Out There essays

Nazi War Criminals Still Out There essays Nazi War Criminals Still Out There As you walk by and look at hundreds of people everyday, just think, one of these people could have helped Hitler's Nazi Party. One of them could have been in charge of sentencing thousands of Jew's to death each day. These heartless terrible people could be walking around in disguise. They could even be living next door. These people are the thousands of Nazi war criminals that escaped from Germany, dodging being prosecuted for their crimes. Lot's have been caught, but there still many remain. Hermine Braunsteiner, one of the most cruel woman guards, was known for her terrible torturing of women at Ravensbruck and Maidenek concentration camps. She dodged the, and escaped to Canada where she found a husband. Then she moved to the U.S., and even got American citizenship. It was that easy for her to do so. She lied when a question on the citizenship form asked her about past experiences, and just like that she was a true American citizen. It was so eas y for these criminals to do exactly what Hermine Braunsteiner did. Most of them just lied about there past and the country didn't take the time to check out there past. The criminals that had the easiest time escaping were the ones that weren't known of. Hitler had many organizations working for him secretly. These organizations had no trouble escaping. You would think that these people could live without fear, but there's one person they had to fear. Simon Wiesenthal the great "Nazi Hunter", is always on their trail. Simon Wiesenthal has no respect for these criminals, and hunts them for pure revenge. No one really knows exactly what part he played during World War II, and the age of the Nazi's, but he holds quite a grudge against Nazi's. Men and women fear him all over the world thinking that someday they may be the one he's after. They have a good reason to be since he is responsible for the capture of over 1,000 former SS men. He's been searching from ...

Comparing and Contrasting the Two Major American Political Parties Essays

Comparing and Contrasting the Two Major American Political Parties Essays Comparing and Contrasting the Two Major American Political Parties Essay Comparing and Contrasting the Two Major American Political Parties Essay In the United States there exists largely a dichotomy with respect to parties of political affiliation, and while other parties can and do exist, most people refer to the US as it is now as a â€Å"two-party state. † The two parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, have existed in our country for over one hundred fifty-three years each, and the struggle for power in which they both partake has been no small matter, becoming more and more hotly contested as time goes on. While both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party (GOP herein) seem starkly opposite at surface level, the two often have similar goals, aspirations and plans for our country, with the main point of contention being the methods by which such things are brought about. Fiscally, the Democrats and GOP both want a free economy with as little national debt as sustainably possible, but, for the most part, the Democrats favor government action, and the GOP favors private action. With respect to social policy, the Democrats favor more progressive legislation, and the GOP favors more traditional legislation. As the US stands currently, in a recession, no American could disagree that everyone’s goal for the economy is to get out of the recession. The real question is â€Å"How do we do it? † Republicans say that we should cut spending, cut taxes and allow those cuts in taxes to promote job creation in the private sector: jobs come from businesses, and when the people who own the businesses have more money, they can hire more people to do more work, which would raise GDP and reduce the national debt. Democrats say that we should raise taxes to increase revenue, and use the increased revenue to sponsor various economic stimuli to promote greater productivity and job creation. This sort of top-down/bottom-up perspective has led many Americans to believe the motivations of the two parties to be a conflict of social classes, with Republicans representing largely the rich, and Democrats representing largely the poor. Undoubtedly, the largest differences between the two major parties exist in the social platforms of each. The GOP is composed mostly of those who are socially conservative, the Democratic Party, of those who are socially liberal, but there are certainly those within each party whose beliefs vary. The Democratic Party generally supports legislation promoting social tolerance, i. e. policies which limit the government’s ability to tell any person what to do, provided that they not infringe upon the rights of others. This amounts to policies in favor of things gay marriage and marijuana legalization and policies opposed to abortion restrictions, welfare drugs tests and public funding of religious institutions and schools. The GOP generally supports social legislation which maintains the status quo, protecting the foundation of America which those before us have provided. In this manner, the GOP usually favors legislation that protects the sanctity of marriage (i. e. ne man, one woman), prevents drug addicts from receiving welfare and prevents people from harming themselves with drug use, and the GOP generally opposes legislation that would allow any of the previous things to occur. Interestingly, however, the GOP strongly supports the exercise of the Second Amendment to its fullest capacity, opposing almost any gun control law, while the Democrats generally favor gun control with respect to some of the more dangerously liable guns such as assault rifles or even some semi-automatic rifles. In terms of demographics and geography, the Democrats and Republicans are quite contrasting. By and large, the Republican Party is most powerful in the South and Midwest, while the Democratic Party gains its power mostly from the North and the West coast. Republicans are more likely to be older, more wealthy, more religious and white (though this obviously does not mean all Republicans are white). Democrats are more likely to be younger, more educated and more ethnically varied than the Republican Party. These snapshots into the average Democrat or the average Republican must be taken with a grain of salt, however, as demographics and geographic are not causes of the party composition, but merely correlations which have been concluded. While the Democrats and Republicans have long been considered bitter rivals, and for the most part it is true, the two major parties in America are not quite as disparate and incongruous as many would think. They both have the same major goals for the economy, but only the methodology differs. They have different ideas for social policy, stemming from the more religious and more secular worldviews which most Republicans and most Democrats respectively hold. With the differences aside from both, the Democrats and Republicans in political offices do come together to prevent the one which they fear most: the success of any third party. Both parties will stop at nothing to maintain whatever power they each have.

Leedsichthys - Facts and Figures

Leedsichthys - Facts and Figures Name: Leedsichthys (Greek for Leeds fish); pronounced leeds-ICK-thissHabitat: Oceans worldwideHistorical Period: Middle-Late Jurassic (189-144 million years ago)Size and Weight: 30 to 70 feet long and five to 50 tonsDiet: PlanktonDistinguishing Characteristics: Large size; semi-cartilaginous skeleton; thousands of teeth About Leedsichthys The last (i.e., species) name of Leedsichthys is problematicus, which should give you some clue about the controversy occasioned by this gigantic prehistoric fish. The problem is that, although Leedsichthys is known from dozens of fossil remains from around the world, these specimens dont consistently add up to a convincing snapshot, leading to grossly divergent size estimates: more conservative paleontologists venture guesses of about 30 feet long and 5 to 10 tons, while others maintain that superannuated Leedsichthys adults could attain lengths of over 70 feet and weights of over 50 tons. Were on much firmer ground when it comes to Leedsichthys feeding habits. This Jurassic fish was equipped with a whopping 40,000 teeth, which it used not to prey on the larger fish and marine reptiles of its day, but to filter-feed plankton (much like a modern Blue Whale). By opening its mouth extra-wide, Leedsichthys could gulp in hundreds of gallons of water every second, more than enough to cover its outsized dietary needs. As with many prehistoric animals discovered in the 19th century, the fossils of Leedsichthys were an ongoing source of confusion (and competition). When the farmer Alfred Nicholson Leeds discovered the bones in a loam pit near Peterborough, England, in 1886, he forwarded them to a fellow fossil hunter, who misidentified them as the back plates of a stegosaur dinosaur. The next year, during a trip overseas, the eminent American paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh correctly diagnosed the remains as belonging to a giant prehistoric fish, at which point Leeds made a brief career of excavating additional fossils and selling them to natural history museums. One little-appreciated fact about Leedsichthys is that its the earliest identified filter-feeding marine animal, a category that also includes prehistoric whales, to attain giant sizes. Clearly, there was an explosion in plankton populations during the early Jurassic period, which fueled the evolution of fish like Leedsichthys, and just as clearly this giant filter-feeder went extinct when krill populations mysteriously plunged at the cusp of the ensuing Cretaceous period.

The concept of Gods redemptive plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The concept of Gods redemptive plan - Essay Example The Exodus narrative refers to the journey undertaken by Israelites from Egypt to their motherland. Similarly, the gospel narratives refer to the Christian teachings wherein Jesus’ elects twelve men, known as the apostles, to reach the nations and act as agents for providing salvation to others. The Pauline narrative herewith refers to Paul’s teachings in the Bible and helps to develop an understanding of Paul’s own redemptive, and the manner in which Jesus selects and calls him for his fissional agenda. Again, God elected Israel in order to ensure that Israel acts as the agent of redemptive for missio Dei to all other nations. The story of Israel, as outlined in the Bible, from Abraham’s redemptive to the Exodus event, and later in the New Testament, is written in such a manner that requires one to remember the past about the journey of appointment that Israel had made. Moreover, the same acted as a reminder regarding the manner in which God, in his grace , rescued and re-established Israel, such that all nations would ultimately enjoy the same redemptive grace. The Exodus narrative depicts the journey of Israelites from Egypt to Canaan. It unravels the painful story of the Israelites, who were then attributed as slaves. The Exodus narrative comprises of two main genres, namely, laws, along with the narrative history. Its main personalities encompassed Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Miriam. These personalities acted as leaders for the Israelites in their path of relocating from Egypt to Canaan.

Week 5 Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 5 Discussion - Assignment Example Changes can be made to the physical appearance of the product to appeal to the customers. Product’s design and styling are changed in order to make it more attractive. Packaging of the products in a new and innovative way also contributes in extending the lifecycle of the product (Pride and Ferrel). New innovations can be added to the product to meet the increased expectation of the customers. New and improved features will make the product more attractive and assists in ensuring that the product remains or goes back to the growth stage. Pricing is also another effective tool that can be used by the marketers. The product can be priced lower than the earlier prices to increase the sale. Even though this will reduce the profit margins but will increase the life cycle of the product. Increasing the promotional spend on the product will help to reach wider audience and lead to extending the life cycle (Pride and Ferrel). An example of this is Apple’s iPhone 4S. iPhone 4S is an extension of iPhone 4 with added features. Even though the design of the 2 are very similar, iPhone 4S has come with better features to attract the customers. iPhone 4S was released when the customers were expecting an entirely new product – iPhone 5. But iPhone 4S came out as a extended and better version of iPhone

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 12

Essay Example The first article under focus refers to an article presented by Judith and Rebecca in the form of a discussion that discusses women conditions as well as the feminist movement. The presentation of the article between the two senior editors takes the form a discussion with the parties offering partially contrasting views. The topics discussed relates to connotation of negative or positive trends of the word feminist, women issues as well as the relationship between social media and feminists. The women issues discussed relate to employment discrimination, sexual violence, and caregivers conditions. On the onset Rebecca discusses her position on seeing public modern feminist disclosure in the current days. Through her discussion, it is clear that during the 90’s, individuals feared to present themselves as feminists but that is no more. These days, the trend has changed where even young teenagers wear clothes with writings that support feminism. Much of that credit goes to the i nternet for facilitating these discussions that in the past were hard (Judith and Rebecca 14). The debate is hot among the young throughout the world as they follow links and engage in conversations due to the participatory nature the internet provides. Through the media and entertainment, a number of individuals both female and male have taken the advantage of feminism discussion making it a selling point for their products. There are women working in outstanding positions who remain eager to fight for female empowerment that includes reproductive rights. Life in the U.S indicates a system of ever-tightening constriction that the whole world follows (Judith and Rebecca 16). To Rebecca development of feminism remains too small but is achievable through engagement of influential women within the society. She acknowledges the role of middle-class white women within the society in achieving that objective. In her response, Judith presents a partially contrasting

Health organization case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health organization case study - Essay Example Currently, Banner health organization has come up with a strategic plan aimed at addressing issues of network growth, resource management, nurse staffing, and patient satisfaction (â€Å"Global Markets Direct,† 2008). Following the appearance of global environmental problems due to climate change, increased natural catastrophe and globalization, various diseases have emerged resulting to increased motility rate (Bui, 2010). This contributed to establishment of a health care organization called Banner Health system in United State, with the aim of addressing the health care needs of citizens even in decades to come. The organization provided hospital care, long-term care, emergency care, outpatient surgery centers, hospice, rehab services, labs, and pharmacies. Today, health issues for many American citizens have become more complex hence calling in for new and complex tactics as well. Banner health organization has therefore come up with a strategic plan, known as Medicare Advantage plan, which is meant for addressing the complexity of health care issues. Medicare Advantage plan has proposed establishment of several health clinic centers in the country in attempt to minimize health care problems and address patient satisfaction issue as well. Establishment of four Health-care clinics centers in East valley, have been proposed. Each of the clinic centers is expected to serve a whole family after suggesting that there will be plenty of laboratories and onsite imaging services as well as primary care doctors. According to the plan, families will be given extra options where these centers will offer extended evening and morning hour services, including Saturday mornings. The four clinic centers are expected to cost the organization approximately 45.2 million and be operational for both spring and summer of 2013. Taking into consideration of the economic perspective, the four centers will offer the most cost-effective care. These

Thinking and decision making paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Thinking and decision making - Research Paper Example Such isolation, if made part of everyday thinking, proves harmful. Lower abstraction is a kind of thinking that occurs when an individual is involved in a task and knows about all potential aspects in which the task functions. The lady may appreciate the exotic look of the variety of meals on the dining table when the guest arrives, yet this appreciation occurs within the context. People make use of lower abstraction when they need to perceive a situation. The lady may think that it might not be good for the guest to have the sweet dish with the meal, but then might think, â€Å"If I don’t make a sweet dish, my meal would be incomplete. Let the guest enjoy the sweet dish once in a blue moon† (this perception is based on the visualization of the meal from the aesthetic point of view). In complicated situations, lower abstraction is used in order to perceive and analyze a situation. The individual thinking this way analyzes the particular aspects that control a given situation and the working of several entities that make part of the si tuation. In everyday thinking, we work in an integrated manner in every aspect whether or not we are aware of that. We employ the knowledge of aspects tacitly. We may make one thing the focus of our attention, yet we know about the thing’s context. For example, the lady wanting to cook the meal for the guests may go to the market and purchase the ingredients and buy the cooking book to learn the cooking techniques, but she also remains aware of what the guests’ satisfaction means to her and that she wants to avoid unnecessary criticism by the guests. Of the three types of thinking, everyday thinking is the most rational while lower abstraction is better than higher abstraction. Steps involved in the critical thinking process include acquiring knowledge, comprehending things,

Health organization case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health organization case study - Essay Example Currently, Banner health organization has come up with a strategic plan aimed at addressing issues of network growth, resource management, nurse staffing, and patient satisfaction (â€Å"Global Markets Direct,† 2008). Following the appearance of global environmental problems due to climate change, increased natural catastrophe and globalization, various diseases have emerged resulting to increased motility rate (Bui, 2010). This contributed to establishment of a health care organization called Banner Health system in United State, with the aim of addressing the health care needs of citizens even in decades to come. The organization provided hospital care, long-term care, emergency care, outpatient surgery centers, hospice, rehab services, labs, and pharmacies. Today, health issues for many American citizens have become more complex hence calling in for new and complex tactics as well. Banner health organization has therefore come up with a strategic plan, known as Medicare Advantage plan, which is meant for addressing the complexity of health care issues. Medicare Advantage plan has proposed establishment of several health clinic centers in the country in attempt to minimize health care problems and address patient satisfaction issue as well. Establishment of four Health-care clinics centers in East valley, have been proposed. Each of the clinic centers is expected to serve a whole family after suggesting that there will be plenty of laboratories and onsite imaging services as well as primary care doctors. According to the plan, families will be given extra options where these centers will offer extended evening and morning hour services, including Saturday mornings. The four clinic centers are expected to cost the organization approximately 45.2 million and be operational for both spring and summer of 2013. Taking into consideration of the economic perspective, the four centers will offer the most cost-effective care. These

Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 18

Analysis - Essay Example This book is about these changes and what effective managers can do to understand and anticipate such changes and respond accordingly (Henry and Kenneth 34). The organization should also include qualities such as reliability, availability, and the background of the persons they hire. The DIY projects that they greatly encourage have to be limited and monitored in order to ensure that the hired personnel provide top quality projects instead of just a creative but shoddy piece of work (Henry and Kenneth 24). The leadership presented is the transformational style of leadership (Robbins 10) whereby the workers are not strictly monitored thereby they depend on themselves to be their own leaders, this is very effective as the workers are not bossed around and they set their own milestones with each employee trying to perform his best leading to a very productive organization (Robbins 12). The communication method presents itself as a reliable means since majority of the people are connected to the Internet due to the rise of social websites and the development of technology over the years. Distinguished by its incorporation of theory, examination, practice and a wide managerial perception, this text has a universal edge (Richard 93). It scrutinizes in detail on how people behave at work, discussing each person’s individual characteristics, their work environment, group dynamics as well as individual and combined behavior. This edition incorporates international and moral issues throughout, and discovers many interesting subjects, including Total Quality Management, managing diversity and virtual corporations (Richard

Reflection on Placebo Effect Essay Example for Free

Reflection on Placebo Effect Essay Does a Supportive Patient-Therapist Relationship Enhance Clinical Improvement? Kaptchuk (2008), Components of Placebo Effect: Randomised Controlled Trial in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. (PRO) Argument 1: Kaptchuk (2008) suggested that placebo effects (non-specific effects) include three components: a patient’s response to observation and assessment, the patient’s response to the administration of placebo treatment, and the patient’s response to the patient-practitioner interaction. Kaptchuk (2008) found that the symptoms of IBS patients in the condition with placebo treatment and supportive patient-therapist relationship ameliorated the most across all measures compared to patients with having only observation and the patients with only placebo treatment. Thus he claimed that a supportive patient-therapist relationship is the most potent component of placebo effects. Argument 2: After three and six weeks, only in the condition with placebo treatment and supportive patient-therapist relationship, the symptom severity score of 60% patients decreased 50. Also Kaptchuk (2008) found that after six weeks, the change in life quality of patient in condition with only observation and the life quality of patient in condition with placebo treatment was similar, but the life quality change of patient with placebo treatment and supportive patient-therapist relationship was observable. So Kaptchuk (2008) suggested that a supportive patient-therapist relationship can enhance clinical improvement. Argument 3: Kaptchuk (2008) also compared these IBS patients to the patients who received IBS drug treatment. He found that the patients with placebo treatment and supportive relationship had comparable symptom relief as those who with drug treatment. His finding was only applied to IBS patients with supportive patient-therapist relationship, thus he indicated that a supportive patient-therapist relationship could enhance the efficiency of clinical treatment. Critique (or Strength): The result of the study done by Kaptchuk (2008) clearly demonstrated the importance of supportive patient-therapist relationship in medical treatment. However, Kaptchuk conducted the study on IBS patients, because he believed that placebo effects are most likely to be demonstrable in disorders defined by subjective symptoms. As Kaptchuk (2008) stated in limitation that he did not know if his finding could be applied to other illnesses, I also think that if Kaptchuk conducted his study on patients with the disease that has external causes, the results will be more convincing. One of important causes of IBS is stress, a subjective etiology. Thus a supportive patient-therapist relationship may have greater influence on IBS patient than the patient with other diseases, like flu.

Cultural Competency of Nurses

Cultural Competency of Nurses 1.1 Cultural competency The commitment to equality in health care provision is ingrained within the core values of the health care profession and nurses are expected to fulfill these requirements. The Nursing and Midwifery Councils (NMC) Code of Professional Conduct clearly states that nurses must treat every patient as individual, respect their dignity and not to discriminate irrespective of age, ethnicity or cultural background (Husband and Torry 2004a). The NMC (2004) emphasises that culturally competent care is moral and legal requirement for nurses. Thus the requirement for the development of cultural competence is to be found within the NMC code of conduct. Josipovic (2000) points out that the delivery of individualised care, in consideration of religious and cultural requirements of Black and Ethnic Minorities (BME) patients can assist nurses to fulfill their obligations. However, there is no universal definition of cultural competence; Campinha-Bacote (2002) defines cultural competence as a process, which requires the health care professional to continuously attempt to gain the ability to work competently with the cultural context of the patient. Nevertheless Papadopoulas et. al. (1998) defines cultural competence as the ability to give effective care while taking into account patients specific cultural needs, behaviors and beliefs. Narayata definition Nonetheless, there has been significant discussion of different models of cultural competence in nursing literature (Gunaratnam, 2007). Campinha-Bacote (1998) model of cultural competence: the process of cultural competence in the delivery of health care service, identifies five essential constructor of cultural competence: Cultural awareness Cultural knowledge Cultural skill Culturally encounter Culturally desire Conversely the Papadopoulas et. al. (1998) model of developing cultural competence consists of four stages: Cultural awareness, Cultural knowledge, Cultural sensitivity and Cultural competent. Rosenjack Burchum (2002) identified the attributes of cultural competence as same as those of Papadopolos et al (1998) but adds cultural understanding, and cultural skill as essential attributes. Cultural competence is, according to Rosenjack Burchum (2002), the development of knowledge and skill manifested by the synthesis of the above attributes and their respective dimensions in human interaction. Although there is distinction in the models of cultural competence they all express common concern of three main components: cultural sensitivity, cultural knowledge and cultural skills (Gogwin et al. 2001). According to Garity (2000) cultural competence involves having understanding and sensitivity toward different cultural groups and factors that affect their lives such as immigration, discrimination and the possibility for these factors to improve or inhibit professional practice. Hence, for a nurse to become cultural competent s/he needs to develop an understanding of ones own cultural needs, views, beliefs, behavior and those of the patient while avoiding stereotyping and generalisation (http://www.culturediversity.org/cultcomp.htm). The aim is to ensure that the health care services and professionals are respectful and responsive to the health beliefs, practices, cultural and linguistic needs of diverse patients, which can help bring about positive health outcome (http://minori tyhealth.hhs.gov/templates/browse.aspx?lvl=2lvl). Cultural competency is a process that needs to be continuously developed in order to enhance ones ability to give affective health care (Papadopoulos 2006). All registered nurses have the responsibility to competently maintain professional knowledge and practice by ensuring up to date knowledge, skill and ability as well as safe and effective practice (NMC2008). Although the NMC clearly places the individual with the responsibility of developing cultural competence, it should be acknowledged that individuals alone cannot be held responsible for the delivery of culturally safe and competent health care service if insufficient resources are not made available (Husband and Torry, 2004a). Nonetheless, Dreher and MacNaughton (2002) described cultural competence as the same as nursing competence; the ability to deliver care individualised and therapeutic to each patient despite social context or cultural background, this being the signature of contemporary nursing. However, the basic principle of providing nursing care to culturally diverse populations is not an entirely new idea, as the need for such was recognised in the United States in the late 1800s (Davis, 1996) and was also recognized by Florence Nightingale when advising British nurses working in India (Wilkins, 1993). In the last century, most western countries saw significant changes in the make up of their populations due to increased trends in global migration that resulted in multiethnic and multi-religious societies. In the UK BME groups make up 7.9 % of the total population (Office for National Statistics, 2001). As the population becomes more diverse so does the complexity of the patients needs that the nurse must address (Black, 2008). Thus far, the need for the nurses to become culturally competent has become import (Black, 2008, Gunaratnam, 2007).The pertinent literature highlights that, in the last few decades, scholars and researchers have debated the issue relating to the delivery of appropriate nursing care to meet the needs of BME groups (refs). There is a growing body of evidence that show there are inadequacies in the nursing care provided to these groups (Vydelingum, 2006, Cortis, 2004) and concerns about ethnic disparities in health in the UK (Aspinall and Jacboson, 2004). Studi es on utilisation of hospital services by BME patients, in particular the elderly have consistently demonstrated level of dissatisfaction with the care provided from cultural and/or religious viewpoints (DoH, 2009; Clegg, 2003; Patel, 2001; Cortis, 2000, Vydelingum 2000) 1.2 BME Elders Nevertheless, the concept of the ageing population is one that has generated much discussion in the UK (Caldwell et al, 2008) as this age group is the main users of both health and social care services (Department of Health, 2001). While all older people have common needs and experiences of hospitals, the needs and experiences of the BME older people are shaped by their race and ethnicity (Ahmad, 1993; Blakemore and Boneham, 1994). Majority of todays BME elders are yesterdays young migrants from the commonwealth countries (Patel, 2001), who came to the UK during the 20th century as a result of government policy to fill labour shortage (Houston and Cowley, 2002). According to Evandrou, (2006) in 2001 4% of the BME population were over 65 and this number is rapidly rising, from approximately 60 000 in 1981 to about 360 000 in 2001-2002 (Butt and ONeil, 2004, Beaven, 2006) and is expected to increase in the next 15 years (Evandrou, 2000). These elderly groups have particularly been disadvantaged by the cumulative effect of age, race and inaccessibility to services (Norman, 1985). However, newly arrived migrants are likely to share similar concerns and experience in hospital care (Patel, 2001). The 2001 and earlier censuses show that health disparities exist in the UK and that levels of long term illness are higher in older BME groups than in the general population (From A Szczepura 2005).Older people from BME are report more chronic illnesses such as cardio-vascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and stroke when compared to the majority (Tilke, 1998; Ebrahim, 1999; Evandrou, 2000b). An appreciation of the health care needs of this group is vital in understanding the difficulties they face in accessing health care services (Toofany, 2007). One occurring theme connected with old age and ethnicity that has been repeatedly identified from the1980s until today is the lack of urgency over government action for the group (Norman, 1985, Patel, 1990, Lindesay, 1997, Patel, 2001). The Policy Research Institution on Aging and Ethnicity (PRIAE) highlights that these groups are not normally considered in old age research (Patel, 2003). Hoong Sin, (2003) points out that BME older people in the UK are disadvantaged by the lack of a reliable sampling frame. Although there are few national studies, most research projects are small and involve localised samples (Hoong Sin 2003). Therefore the infrastructure for doing research with such population groups is inadequately set up (Hoon Sin, 2003). In PRIAEs view we have had too much discussion, action is overdue (Patel, 2001). This information suggests that BME elderly groups have never been a priority on the agenda for research or policy makers in the health care services. Saleh (2009) su ggests that the introduction of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 increased pressure on health care organisations to adapt services to ensure equitable access for local all BME groups. On the other hand, Department of Health (DoH) ensures that reducing health disadvantage and social exclusion for BME elders is central to UK health and social policy (DoH, 2001b). The DoH made specific commitments, in the National Standards, Local Action, to improve quality of service for BME where they are disadvantaged in terms of health (refs). This approach according to Papadopoulos et al. (2006) is a sign that the NHS is undergoing modernization. Unfortunately, the last two National Patient Survey Programme reports (2008 2009) show the experiences of all BME groups (with the exception of those from the Irish community) are significantly less likely to be positive than those of the indigenous populations. From a nursing aspect this outcome questions the nurses competence in delivering culturally appropriate care. The literature available identifies cultural competency as one of the main factor that can help cease the inequalities in health care system (refs). According to Papadopoulos et al. (1999) although mention of the term cultural competence in DoH and National Health Services (NHS) documents has increased, there is no attention to what this actually means for patients or nurses and how it could be measured. Having and implementing clear, strong policies on race and equality is essential for health and social care organisations but this has to be supported with training and education (PRIAE, 2005). Consequently, Dreher and MacNaughton (2002) doubted whether cultural knowledge translated into culturally specific care would necessarily result in improved clinical outcomes or the reduction of health disparities. 2. The review Aim and Research Strategies 2.1 Aim Nurses are at the front line of care for BME older people in hospital therefore it is important that the care delivered is in line with what is viewed as appropriate by the patients to their needs. The Department of Health openly acknowledges that much remains to be done in terms of measuring older patients experiences of the process of care, respect, dignity, information and education (Shaw and Wilson, 2008). This review, therefore, intends to bring together the literature concerning nurses views of what is essential in delivering culturally appropriate care to BME older patients as well as this groups expectations and experiences of nursing care. The aim is to explore the cultural competency of nurses in caring for BME elderly patients in Hospital setting. 2.2 Search Strategy (Include: inclusion/exclusion criteria, databases searched, keywords, languages and inclusive dates of the literature searched.) Search Term Search was carried out using combination of keywords such as Nurses, Cultural Competence/Awareness/Sensitivity, Geriatric, Elderly/Older, Black and Minority Ethnic and Experiences/Views. Furthermore, concepts relevant to hospital care such as Dignity, Respect and Appropriate Care were searched in combination with the above key terms. Databases The electronic databases British Nursing Index, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Assia and Cochrane Library were searched to identify peer-reviewed literature published in the English language between 1990 and 2010 that are UK based. The databases yielded XXX potential studies relevant to the topic under review. Further search was conducted in the World Wide Web using the same key words and it produced xxx studies. The websites of the Department of Health, Transcultural Nursing Society, Royal Collage of Nursing and relevant Third Sector Organisations such as Age Concern, and PRIAE were also accessed which yielded XXX literature. Further literature was gained from the reference and the bibliography of the gathered data as well as the library of the University. The titles and abstracts of the obtained literature were examined and studies focusing on care provided by nurses to BME elderly patients as well as studies examining the views/experiences of hospital care by this particular geriatric group were selected. For the purpose of the literature review an older person is defined as person older than 50 years. NSF considers an older person as a person who is over the age of 50 years. Yet, a limited numbers of studies (how many) about BME elders in hospital setting were identified. For this reason studies focusing on the topic that had a wide range of age sample group i.e. 30-80 were included as it would assist in identifying additional pertinent literature. In total, XX studies were identified to meet the inclusion criteria for the literature review. The literature selected were mainly primary empirical studies using qualitative approach. A qualitative research aims to understand the feelings, values, and perceptions that under lie and influence behavior (xxxx). Therefore the use of a qualitative methodology is seen to be appropriate as all the studies examine the experiences of the BME patients through their own eyes and those of the nurses (from internet). 2.3 Critical Appraisal of Three Qualitative Studies on the Experiences of Nurses in Caring for BME Patients and BME patients Experiences of Nursing Care Cortis (2004) Meeting the Needs of Minority Ethnic Patients Clegg (2003) Older South Asian patients and Care Perceptions of Culturally Sensitive Care In a Community Hospital Setting Hamilton and Essat (2008) Minority Ethnic Users Experiences and Expectations of Nursing Using Caldwells frameworks for critiquing health research, the three above stated studies will be analyzed systematically and supporting/contradicting evidence from other studies will be offered. WHY USE THIS FRAME WORK? Following the discussion of the review themes will be identified. Title Although the title of the study of Cortis is brief and conveys the nature of the study (Polit and Beck, 2010), it could be viewed as misleading as it gave the impression that the sample group was representative of different communities of BME groups. However, the study specifically focuses on the Pakistani ethnic community. Conversely, the titles of the researches by Clegg (2003) and Hamilton and Essat (2008) are short, accurate and clearly specifies what and who is being studied while reflecting the study content (Burns, 2000). The Researchers Academic and Professional Qualification The authors of the three researches have particular interest about the topic in question, which gives the assumption that they are familiar or have professional insights. The qualification (PhD, MsC) of the researchers is relevant as it indicates that they are competent and have creditability to carry out researches. Further evidence to support researchers knowledge and interest of the topic was demonstrated as they are all nurses with extensive experience; Cortis is a senior lecturer at the University of Leeds with Qualitative Research interest in ethnicity and BME issues. Clegg is a consultant in older peoples services and intermediate care at Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust. Hamilton was a principal lecturer at De Montfort University with research interests in multi-ethnic care and Essat was research assistant at the same university working on a project exploring the educational preparation of student nurses to work in a culturally diverse way. Abstract and Rationale A qualitative study must offer an abstract containing summary of study aim/objectives, research approach, methods adapted and the result of the study including the clinical applications (Cormack, 1996). Bellow the abstract there should be key words related to the study offering the reader an overview of the research question. All studies have offered a comprehensive abstract with key words relevant to their topics. Clear rationale for undertaking the study was given by all researchers; Cortis rationale was the fact that there is little exploration of nurses experiences of caring for specific BME community while Cleggs rationale was that there is a lack of research defining the concept of cultural sensitive care from patient/care perspective. Lastly, the rationale provided by Hamilton and Asset is that, nationally, there is an evidence to suggest that care provided doesnt always meet the needs of BME patients. LR All three researchers did review pertinent literature (classics up to date), which was evident in the studies as well as the reference list. According to Doordan (1999) the literature offered should have discussed and critically reviewed related literature to find out what questions remains to be answered. Nevertheless, only Clegg (2003) provided a separate section for LR, which she must be praised for (Morse, 1994). In grounded theory studies, researchers start with data collection first and as the data is analysed and as the theory takes shape researchers then begin to search the literature in order to link it to the emerging theory (Polit and Beck, 2010), which was evident in Cleggs study. Aim The three studies clearly identify and justify their aims. Cortiss (2004) argues that in a number of studies BME are seen as homogeneous therefore the aim of his study is to investigate a specific communitys uniqueness: the experiences of nurses caring for Pakistani patients in north England. However, this aim is inconsistence with the title of study, which clearly treats BME as a homogeneously. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? While the aim of the Clegg (2003), was to identify older south Asian patients and carers perception of culturally sensitive care. Lastly, the aim of the research by Hamilton and Asset (2008) was to give the minority ethnic groups the opportunity to voice their opinions on nursing care and to inform future nursing education. Ethical Issues Both Cortis and Clegg clearly highlight that permission to do the study was sought from the Local Research Ethics Committee (LREC), which is an imperative step before conducting any research. However, Hamilton and Essat (2008) omit to mention whether appropriate approval was gained from LRECs; who exist to examine proposed research projects in order to guard peoples rights and interests (Cormack, 2000). All the researchers have to be praised for specifying the process and purpose of the study was explained to the participants before the study in order to obtain informed consent. Cortis (2004) clearly specifies that assurance was given to maintain confidentiality and anonymity of the sample group, which is something Hamilton and Essat (2008) fail to address in their study. Both Cortis and Hamilton Asset dont comment on the associated ethical issues of autonomy, non-maleficience and beneficence, (Cormack, 20000). Nevertheless, Clegg considered the vulnerability of the participants (Gerrish and Lacey 2006, Speziale and Carpenter 2007) and therefore committed to the ethical principles of autonomy, non-maleficience and beneficence (RCN, 2004), but fails to mention how confidentiality and anonymity was maintained. Clegg showed sensitivity towards the participants by informing them the voluntary nature of the research with the option of being able to withdraw at any time. This implies a non-coerciveness approach which was important in this study as this was vulnerable group. Conversely, The three studies inform that permission was sought from the participant to audio-tape the interviews but omit to identify where data was stored and the disposal procedure used (Polit and Beck, 2008). This supports the premise that data used for a particular project should not be used for another without consent (Gerrish and Lacey, 2006). Methodological Both Cortis and Hamilton Essat (2008) fail to specify that the method used was phenomenological-exploratory, which is useful when studying individuals lived experiences (Crookes and Davies, 1998). The main methodological strength of using phenomenological in these studies is that it is an inductive and holistic approach that looks at what occurs within (Crookes and Davies, 1998). Both of the studies focus was on the unique experiences of providing care by nurses to BME patients and perception of BME older patient views/expectations of nursing care. The biggest methodological limitation for using phenomenological in these studies is that it is labour intensive and time consuming for the researchers in terms of data collection and analysis (Crookes and Davies, 1998). Clegg, on the other hand, identifies the methodology utilized as grounded theory, which is useful when studying individuals XXXX (GG). Methodological strength associated with the use of this approach in this study is xxxx x. Methodological weakness associated with the use of this approach in this study is The three studies clearly identify the major concepts of the design used and their concepts, which are what? Sampling Technique and method According to Polit and Beck, (2010) in qualitative research there is no rule for sample size as long as data saturation achieved. The sample number (n=30) used by Cortis was considered to be suitable for qualitative research (Cormack 1999) why? However, the sample number by Clegg was four patients and three relatives. Clegg states in her study that she is not sure if data saturation has been achieved. Morse (2000 in polit and beck book) suggests that number of participants required to reach saturation is a firmed by number of factors, such as the wider the research question the more participants necessary. This gives the impression that the sample size could have been too small for the scope of the research question hence why saturation was not reached (Morse 2000) possibly due to time or budget constraints (ref). Sampling number for Hamilton and Essat: six focus groups, member of which range from 8 to 15 (? large sample number for qualitative). All three researches state how many participants were recruited and from where; areas with high population of BME. Cortis participants were recruited from a large acute hospital in north England and Clegg recruited this sample from a two community Hospital inner city and Hamilton and Essat recruited their sample of 6 diverse BME communities groups. The researchers must be praised for providing a clear indication of inclusive/exclusive criteria, in the process of recruiting participants. In contrast the three studies fail to identify the sampling methods and techniques used but inferred from the research studies is that non-probability method of purposive sampling was employed (Cormack, 1996). The method of purposive/judgmental sampling relies on the belief that researcher have enough knowledge about the population to be able to pick sample members (Polit and Bechk, 2010). The main strength associated with the use of purposive sampling in these studies is that the researchers purposively choose the participants knowing they would give relevant information about the topic in question (Polit and Beck, 2008). However, one main limitation is that this technique relies upon the researchers knowledge of cultural competence of nurses (Polit and Beck, 2008). Method of Data Collection All researchers collected data by audio taping interview and transcription. Cortis, Clegg and Hamilton Assset adapted different types qualitative self-reporting technique, which is flexible in gathering self-reported information as it allows the participants to express their views in a naturalistic way (Polit and Beck, 2008). Data collection is described by Cortis as semi-structured interviews and supplementary questions to follow-up for clarification. Cortis informs that most interviews were done in the clinical area; implying that participant had choice of venue, which he must be commend for. However, he omits to state where the rest of the interviews were done. WHY IS VITAL TO GIVE PARTICIPANTS CHOICE OF VENUE? Nevertheless, Cleggs choice of data collection was unstructured interview that were done in the first language of the interviewee. Cross validation of the taped interviews was under taken by a second linguist. Both Cortis and Clegg fail to point out who/how many people performed the interview. Interview performed by one person provides uniformity and consistency (Denscombe, 2003). On the contrary, method of data collection used by Hamilton and Essat was focus group, which was sub-divided into 6 groups where each group had facilitator. The advantage with use of this method in this study is it can generate a lot of dialogue but the disadvantage is that not everyone is comfortable experiences their experiences/view in front of others (Polit and Beck, 2010). Overall, an advantage associated with the use of all interview technique utilized is that the interviewer can observe the participants non-verbal responses, which can provide valuable information (Burns 2000). Some of the main methodological limitation with the use of this method in these studies is that it was done in face to face, which could jeopardize the participants anonymity since they were identifiable for the interviewer (Cormack, 1996). Method of Data Analysis All the researches used thematic content analysis, which is creditable method of data collection (xxxx). Only Hamilton and Asset clearly stated the method used and who analysed the data: two members of the team. What does this mean for the research? Cortis transcribed the interviews himself to became personally immersed in the information. What does this mean for the research? Clegg points out that Micro-analysis of the data were used to identify categories but fail to say who analysed data. Having different people conducting the interview and the analysis of the texts can have an impact on the richness of the analysis performed (Strauss and Corbin, 1998). Nonetheless, steps were taken by all researchers to uphold the rigour of the interpretation by checking the transcript with the participants to ensure correctness, which gave the data conformability and credibility (Forchuk and Roberts, 1993). They also must be praised for indicating that the data was analysed systematically in several steps. However, they all fail to state the type of qualitative software used to categorise the information i.e. Ethnograph and if it was positive or negative to the analysis (Barnard, 1991). (Clegg: Triangulation was introduced into the process of data analysis, which was carried out by a colleague from India). The methodological strength linked to the utilisation of this thematic content analysis in these studies is that it is commonly used in qualitative research and is suitable the three study aims. Limitation would be this analysis includes gathering statements on the bases of similarity and frequency with the aim of making them to themes (Barnard, 1991). It could be argued that by doing so the researchers are using a quantities method of analysis for qualitative data as each data is not being treated uniquely (Barnard, 1991). Study Results The three studies identified themes based on the participants experience which implies themes were not based on presumption authors (Cormack, 1996). Each studies result relate to its aim, which they must be praised for. The finding of each study uses the participants precise statement from the interview, which demonstrates analytical points and allows the reader to hear the voices of the participants. This demonstrates conformability and credibility (Burns, 2000) and lets the reader to get in-depth understanding of topics in discussion (Morse1196). Hamilton and Essats results highlight the view held by BME groups regarding nursing communitys lack of knowledge of cultural and religious beliefs. Cortiss findings agree with this as majority of the nurse participants did not deem that the provision of care was affected by culture and spirituality/religion was viewed narrowly by identifying the need for patients to perform prayers with no lack of recognition of other religious requirements. Participants in Cleggs study described the fundamental importance of religion and its effect on health and hospitalization. Other references re culture and religion to be added. All three studies highlighted communicational problem between patients and nurses, which as an issue hinders the development of relationship. However, problems in this area have been covered in many other studies such as (add referennces)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. And proposals and provisions to address them have been made by the DoH in order to reduce health inequalities (reference). Study Discussion All researchers offer a comprehensive discussion of their topics while comparing and contrasting their results relating to themes with other similar literature, which puts their finding in context making it more objective (Meltzoff, 1998). However, only Clegg specifies the study limitation which was the sample size- a larger sample size would have enhanced the probability of reaching saturation and increase the importance of the finding. Conclusion The three studies offer comprehensive conclusions which summarises the main results while suggesting area of further research or implementation. Cortis suggests that holism needs further conceptualization as his study highlighted nurses understanding of culture as part of holistic care was superficial, which presents a challenge for educators, nursing management, researchers and nursing practice in general. Clegg suggested further research needs to be carried out in order to define the nature of culturally sensitive services. She also points out that nurses understanding of culture and cultural sensitivity needs clarification. Hamilton and Asset suggests that nursing education must ensure that nurses initial training and post training education prepares them to become culturally understanding and sensitive. It could be argued that these three studies make useful recommendation for practice for nurses working with BME patients, which are based on education and research on cultural sensitivity. The three studies suggests that nurses are not culturally competent as required by professional bodies and the Government (English National Board for Nursing and Midwifery and Health Visiting 1997, DoH, 1997, United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting 1999, Quality Assurence Agency 2001). Cortis (2004) conducted a phenomenological study investigating the experiences of 30 registered nurses who had nursed Pakistani patients in a large acute hospital in north England within the last three months. Semi-structure interviews and supplementary questions to follow up were the main method of da