Improve end-of-life care Essay

Advocacy to improve end-of-life care and decision-making for patients over the past twenty-five years has frequently turned to the law as a source of protection and procedural innovation. There has been a deliberate strategy to use the legal system to improve the outcome for patients at the end of life by means of courts of law and congressional hearings. Such efforts have resulted in the formation of legislation and regulation but have produced varying measures of gain as well as some serious limitations. As a result of these efforts a wide array of patients’ rights respecting end-of- life care have been established. These include the right to self-determination and to refuse unwanted life-prolonging interventions. Additionally there are regulations which have established decision-making processes and protocols should patients lose the ability to make decisions for themselves. The right to die is understood as the freedom to make a decision to end one’s life, on one’s own terms, as a result of the desire to allay painful effects of an incurable illness (Angus, 2004). The act of ending one’s life can take various forms, depending on the role the patient, their family and the physician plays in this process (Rosen, 1998). Euthanasia refers to the family member or physician intentionally ending the patient’s life by direct request from the patient. Euthanasia can be active or passive, voluntary or involuntary. In active euthanasia either a physician, a family member or another prescribed person, at the directive of the patient or an authorized representative, administers or withholds some form of procedure that leads to the eventual or immediate death of the patient. Passive euthanasia involves these agents withholding a procedure necessary for the patient’s continued survival. Active euthanasia involves administering either drugs or another treatment that will directly lead to death. Voluntary euthanasia is where the patient makes a direct request for either an active or passive procedure and involuntary euthanasia is when this decision is made by someone besides the patient because the patient is probably incapable of making such a decision. Assisted suicide refers to helping the patient end his or her life. There are numerous advocates and agencies throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and other countries, that either promote or oppose the right to die concept. One group advocates the establishment of clear limitations on the ability of healthcare providers or the state to impose undesired life-prolonging interventions against the wishes of the patient or the patient’s authorized surrogate decision-maker. The strength of this effort lies primarily in the articulation by these advocates of procedures for decision-making that respect patients’ autonomy and anticipate the range of circumstances in which patients would lack decision-making capacity and thus would require tough decisions about end-of-life care to be made for them (Johnson, 1998). In contrast to such articulation of ‘negative rights’, more recent advocates for dying patients have focused on using legal mechanisms such as courts of law and legislative processes to try to establish and articulate rights and responsibilities governing the role of the physician in a patient’s suicide. Instead of asking for patients to be free of unwanted interventions, these efforts have lobbied for legal support for positive assistance at the end-of-life. This assistance involves purposefully bringing an end to life through the use of medical interventions. To date, these efforts have met with mixed success. While physician-assisted suicide has been legalized in the Netherlands, achieving the same results in the United States has been challenging. Thus far only the state of Oregon has managed to make any headway in this regard. They managed to pass the ‘Death with Dignity Act’ which came into effect in 1997 (Public Agenda, 2006). This act gives patients a limited amount of legal right to physician-assisted suicide. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has determined that at this time, there is no constitutional violation if a state’s criminal laws prohibit assisted suicide. At a minimum, however, these efforts have succeeded in arousing public interest and inquiry into the suffering endured by patients and their families when serious or terminal illness becomes unbearably burdensome. This outcome may be more valuable than any articulation of a theoretical legal right. Another category of advocates targets the issue at the level of the health centers that provide care for these patients. They argue that the presence of so many discussions on the provision of suicide assistance is a reflection of the U. S. ’ failure to make proper palliative care readily accessible to those who are suffering. They believe that little has been done to ensure that all dying patients and their families receive competent, compassionate care at the end of life, regardless of the care setting or disease process. Such care does not simply involve being left alone or freedom from the use of machines. Efforts and successes in the legal arena have had more to do with decision protocols and processes, documents and directives, than with the substantive clinical aspects of quality care at the end of life. It is not sufficient to simple have a document that articulates a patient’s wish to refuse life-prolonging interventions. What this group advocates is ensuring that doctors effectively communicate with the patient and compassionately provide each with quality palliative care appropriate to their condition (Waters, 1999). There is a limit to the extent to which the law is turned to as a strategy for improving end-of-life care. While considerable time and effort has been spent over the past few decades ensuring, through the law, that certain things should not be done to patients at the end of life, there has been little focus on what should be done for such patients. In this regard the law has limited utility. The earliest and most enduring efforts involving the law in end-of-life care have focused on defining the limits of government intervention and interference, articulating individual freedoms, and creating processes and protocols to address areas of contention. There are precedents from judicial cases, including the cases of Karen Ann Quinlan in 1976 and Nancy Cruzan in 1990, that clearly establish the right of individual patients to refuse all undesired life-prolonging interventions as well as the clear establishment that the interests of third parties or governments cannot supersede individual rights to limit care at the end of life. Also there are legal guidelines and procedures that enable the treatment wishes of patients to be preserved and respected, even when the patients are no longer capable of articulating them. Finally there has been the creation of legal obligations and responsibilities on the part of care providers and care systems to inform patients of their options in this difficult decision-making process. In many ways, the law has been effectively employed to ensure patients’ liberty and privacy against the encroachments of modern medical technology as they approach the end of their lives. However, it is difficult to determine how successful the law has been in impacting positively the quality of care and decision-making provided to patients at the clinical level (Angus, 2004). Through legal principles and legislation, courts at both the state and federal levels have extensively considered the issue of end-of-life care and decision-making. They have consistently emphasized the right of patients to refuse any and all life-prolonging medical interventions, including ventilators, dialysis, surgery, and artificial nutrition and hydration. This protection is extended where patients are able to personally articulate their wishes or do so through authorized surrogate decision-making mechanisms. With respect to the cases that have thus far been examined through the courts, they have extended the fundamental legal right of patients to generally refuse treatment, providing clarity and creating decision paths in situations of uncertainty. The cases have not, however, completely eliminated debate and apprehension in the clinical arena, where moral ambivalence, medical uncertainty, religious convictions, emotional distress, and outright misunderstanding of the law still obscure the decision-making process in individual circumstances. The issue of ending a patient’s life is complex, no two cases being the same. There are significant implications for the patient involved, their family, physician and the facility providing care at this crucial time in their lives. For many clinicians, patients and their families, decisions about whether to withdraw a feeding tube or turn off a ventilator are still difficult. Such dilemmas cannot be addressed by the law, which can provide a process for decision-making but cannot necessarily guide the involved parties to the ‘right’ decision in a particular circumstance. The difficulty of end-of-life decisions are further compounded by evolving standards of care, continuing debate over what constitutes ‘futile’ care and confusion among clinicians, particularly about ‘what is legal’ (Angus, 2004). Evidently there are limits to what the law can clarify and make concrete when the issues are so complex and confounding. Another challenge has been the limited use of the many advance care-planning mechanisms that have been developed through both judicial and legislative processes. Additionally there has been limited advocacy by healthcare professionals for the use of these mechanisms. Mechanisms such as living wills and healthcare proxies or powers of attorney are intended to empower patients and their surrogates. Through the use of these, patients and their caregivers can consider the complex and problematic area of end-of-life care in a thoughtful and deliberate way, long before the chaos that often accompanies an acute, life-threatening event or the onset of serious illness ensue. While none of these mechanisms is perfect, if used properly and as prescribed in the law, such documents and advance planning could help avoid some of the crises that frequently accompany end-of-life care and decision-making (McDonald, 1999). A growing body of studies documents the myriad of problems and challenges that have surfaced in trying to implement advance care planning in the clinical setting. Some studies reveal physicians’ erroneous beliefs about advance directives and their lack of knowledge about how to employ them in clinical care routines. Other studies highlight the inadequacy of understanding between patients and their care providers about treatment preferences at the end of life, even when patients have previously executed an advance directive. Still other studies reflect that there is uncertainty in the clinical arena concerning who is responsible for initiating and helping to formulate advance care-planning decisions. Of course the variety of issues examined by studies are not exhausted as there still needs to be studies on strategies to increase the number of patients who execute advance directives prior to incapacity given that only a small percentage do so now. Also it remains unclear whether more directives will ultimately lead to better care that is more responsive to patient and family needs.

In what ways have changes in technology led to changes Essay

The technological advances of today had greatly influenced the conceptualization up to implementation of software architectures. Miniaturization of hardware dependence, further enhancement of capabilities and features, faster processing time for the most accurate result(s), and the most considered by many as the most important of all, improvement of user-friendliness were only just an ample of the trends happening today for the software industry. Since these were the trends, software architects had to cope up with the peoples demand for better software interaction experience. The large computers that occupy a whole room but do the same capabilities of our personal computers nowadays were had long been obsolete. Computers had long been recognized by many as a nice help for human living. Man then realized that computers need to be portable in order that man could bring it wherever he goes and utilize it whenever he likes or whenever he needed. Hardware for computers is now made to be as compact as possible, (great example would be the hardware of mobile phones). This trend is then accompanied by the need for better algorithms and implementation codes. The task for creating such algorithms and codes had turned to be more complex as time goes. Software makers had then thought that it is better that this problem be distributed to a group of people so that it would be easier to solve. People they will select to handle the task should have the knowledge for the specific task he should do. And then after this creation of algorithm phase, the remaining problem would then be how the person to use would utilize the code without requiring him to know all the science behind it. Technology is fast changing. Computer and software improvements are a part of this changing technology. That is why the field of software architecture emerged. References: Software Architecture. Retrieved July 10, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Software_architecture.

A Brief Biography of Ted Bundy

In the 1970s, terrorist incidents shocked the United States. More and more girls students suddenly disappeared. While searching for a serial killer, the agent does not seem to be able to find a link to those who carry out all these terrible acts. The similarity of the victims shows that some people are wisely supporting these events. But when he got caught, the United States learned that not all serial killers fit a particular image. Ted Bundy, which is said to be very smart and interesting by many people, spreads his fears throughout America by targeting and killing young women; his future behavior Ted Bundy's biography Ted Bundy is one of the worst continuous killers ever. His antisocial personality and spiritual illness made him feel scared all over the country. After all, Ted left a series of bloody killings including the deaths of 36 young women and crossed the four states. The biggest problem in the hearts of many people is that if people like Bondi are very smart, very clever and praised, he will do such a thing. - Terrorist attacks shocked the United States in the 1970s. More and more girls students suddenly disappeared. While searching for a serial killer, the agent does not seem to be able to find a link to those who carry out all these terrible acts. The similarity of the victims shows that some people are wisely supporting these events. But when he was caught, the United States learned that not all serial killers are consistent with a particular image. Through the history of Tide Bondi, criminal investigators encountered various forms of serial killers. One of the many famous serial killers of the 20th century was Theodore Robert Bundy (Ted Bundy). Ted Bundy is responsible for killing more than Chi Omega. When people think about continuous killers they imagine people who are dirty, crazy, personal and outstanding from others. In the case of Ted, this is not the case. Ted Bondi is a very intelligent person who attended college. Ted Bundy 2 Ted Bundy: Personality comparison between Rollo May and Albert Bandura's theory The purpose of this case study is to test the personality of Ted Bundy, one of the most notorious serial killers of modern history. It is said that Ted Bundy insulted and tortured and killed at least 50 women. The possibilities are higher, but real numbers will never be known. Because Ted Bondi refused to keep the real number of his victims and inform the authorities about the exact things.

MUSCULOSKETAL CLINICAL CASE Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MUSCULOSKETAL CLINICAL CASE - Assignment Example Test for this was physical examination and calculation of BMI. This is a clue the pain results from trauma caused by physical injury on the lower back (Jallo & Vaccaro, 2009). The injury is because of lifting heavy loads at work. To confirm this diagnosis, the ailing described type, location and severity of his back pain. In addition, he also gave the history of his back pain. Generally, from the patient’s habit evidence exists that he consumes alcohol in excess, during weekends. This evidence is evident by code V11.3. Research work undertaken in the past cites heavy alcohol drinking normally is associated with lower back pain. Alternatively, the numbness and tingling in his right foot toes results from alcoholic neuropathy (Smith & Stahel, 2014). Alcoholic neuropathy results from too much drinking, which can lead to depletion on nutrients such as vitamin E, folate, vitamins B6 and B12, niacin, and thiamine, needed for proper nerve function. This condition has no known etiology, however, some of its common symptoms comprise tingling or numbness in hands and feet, abnormal pain processing as well as fatigue among others. It is coded 729.1 to mean it includes other conditions with â€Å"Myalgia and myositis, unspecified† (Basavanthappa, 2010). Generally, the diagnosis of this condition is based much on how a patient feels, however, blood tests can also be used. Certainly, the patient had these symptoms, thereby acting as a confirmation for the validity of the diagnosis. The code provided (304.3) for this diagnosis implies that despite the patient being dependent on cannabis, he has not developed psychological dependence because of the use. Researches cite Cannabis dependence also results to pain in the back or limbs. This is because it causes conditions such as osteomyelitis (Buckup, 2011). Cannabis dependence in the patient was confirmed through the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST). This descends from a

Jill Duerr Berrick(2010)Assessing Quality of Care in Kinship and Assignment - 1

Jill Duerr Berrick(2010)Assessing Quality of Care in Kinship and Foster Family Care - Assignment Example The attention has been captivated by the large numbers of children being served in foster care by kin and the scarcity of information available about the rapidly growing arrangement for care† (Berrick, 1997, p.273). According to Mokgosi (1997, p.7), â€Å"placement with extended family or kinship is becoming widely used as an alternative placement. Many child welfare experts believe that children will be better served if their care is provided by family members within the community of origin rather than by strangers.† For, separation from distant family members may lead to the child’s disruption, if unattended. On the other hand, Berrick claims, â€Å"on a number of measures relating to the home environment, non-kin homes were rated as more safe† (1997, p.273). The author describes kin caregivers as â€Å"older than foster family parents and a group heavily represented by single women of color who are struggling themselves with limited incomes† (Berrick, 1997, p.273). Whilst foster family providers generally prepare for their new role as parents, kinship foster parents more often fall into older parenthood in response to a pressing family emergency. Trends in this data point to the need for further research in the field, that is, â€Å"the need for changes in policy and practice that might strengthen the kin and non-kin resources currently available to dependent children are also suggested† (Berrick, 1997, p.279). Although the study done by Berrick was designed to assess the quality in kin and non-kin homes, focus herein will be given on its quantitative aspect, that is to say, in terms of the empirical patterns found in the data collected, so as to explain the research phenomena with regards to its numerical data. The primary method used was survey research, which included interviews. The county staff drew a random sample of 123 kinship and 97 non-kin homes from their foster care databases. Herein, a simple random sampling method of analysis was

Consumer Behavior and the Marketing Manager Personal Statement

Consumer Behavior and the Marketing Manager - Personal Statement Example This is called marketing mix in which the business focuses on the price, promotion, product and place. This further brings in the concept of market segmentation which is dividing the market into segments according to the preferences of the consumers. Different people have different interests over products; segmentation helps the businesses to focus on the consumers’ wants individually, makes them aware of what kind of products are in demand so that they can stock them and sell more. The internet is one of the most basic tools being used for advertising goods and this is mostly because it is far reaching and does not cost as much. Considering the great amount of people who are using the internet these days, even shopping online, the businesses prefer this means of marketing. Whenever one goes online on any social media site, a new brand name of some company pops up, show casing their line of products and it just so easy and convenient for one to look into it and maybe order it if one likes it. Similarly, there can be other ways of advertising like billboards at places which are most visited or television advertisements between shows which are most

Future of HR (just paraphrase) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Future of HR (just paraphrase) - Essay Example Thus, HR managers have a huge variety of responsible roles and functions in an organizations. One of the most important tasks is to ensure that the future human resource leaders are fit to take over. For this, HR managers need to maintain their credibility in the organization to gain the trust of the staff and set an example for the future HR leaders. Such an endeavor would be possible through the maintenance of behavioral integrity. The quality of HR of an organization makes a huge difference to the success of the organization. In most instances, organizations easily overcome difficult situations solely because of their HR. For instance, as Nick Holley points out, during the recession it was seen that within organizations, some business units were found to benefit from the recession while other business units suffered. He cites the example of Primark to explain this phenomenon (AllBusiness.com, 2010). According to Holley, recession has wrongly been taken as an excuse for â€Å"an underperforming HR function† and as research suggests, the success or failure of the organization depends on its HR function, which should be driven based on the â€Å"specific needs of the business† and rather than difficulties such as recession and success strategies of other organizations (AllBusiness.com, 2010). HR managers should focus on inculcating behavioral integrity in their organization and promote ethical prac tices among employees. It is essential for corporate managers to win employee trust, and this has been found to be a significant predictor of productivity, turnover, and profitability for the organization (Krell, 2006). Maintenance of behavioral integrity by corporate managers ensures that trust. Krell lists six ways to build employee trust in an organization. Firstly, by â€Å"translating corporate values into behaviors†, and by encouraging and training the employees to maintain those behaviors, employee trust can

Parts of an APA Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Parts of an APA Paper - Essay Example As the style would be created in conjunction with the American Psychological Association, there would in turn be an element of psychological consideration given to its overall formation and creation. The primary section found within the created APA work, would be the first page, or the title page. A page that would consist of a header placed in the upper right hand corner, along with the first two words from the decided upon title. Next, what would follow would be the running head section, or the outlining of the title of the work. Lastly, the primary page would see its title mentioned once more, this time towards the middle of the page and halfway down. Further information besides this, may include the individuals name, as well as the organization that they would have completed the work through. Attention to detail and construction would be of the utmost imperative, as the overall research compiled would be assessed to determine, whether or not, the information gathered would sufficiently warrant publication in the first place. Following the title page, would be the inclusion of an abstract. Its relevance is outlined as follows, "A well-prepared abstract can be the most important paragraph in your article," (APA, 2002, p.12). For many who seek to observe written material, the abstract will most likely be the first thing that is viewed, in order to grasp the general nature of the material that is to be presented as the reader goes over it. Further outlining the importance of this abstract, "Readers frequently decide on the basis of the abstract whether to read the entire article; this is true whether the reader is at a computer or is thumbing through a journal," (APA, 2002, p.12). With the understanding and approach towards reading the material bearing upon the construction of the abstract, the writer would need to construct the abstract in such a manner that would effectively detail the subsequent material that they would have gathered. As would be the case with the portions encompassing the written work, it would remain crucial that each portion would be produced in such a manner that would be succinct and accurate. The abstract would be a detailed account of what would reside within the paper itself, rather than an instance for assessment of the general nature of the work. The language used shall remain clear and easy to understand. Following the abstract, the next item to come within the paper, would be the addition of an Introduction. The primary purpose of this section would be to state the issue(s) to be addressed and the manner at which any research was performed, in order to come to a subsequent conclusion(s). As for length, "A good introduction answers these questions in a paragraph or two and, by summarizing the relevant arguments and the data, gives the reader a firm sense of what was done and why," (APA, 2002, p.16). While the material would be discussed, it would be done so briefly, rather than in cons iderable detail. Lastly, the purpose of the piece, or the thesis statement, is outlined within the final portion of the introductory section. The next section would be for the method. A section that would be divided into parts and would discuss such things as those who took part in the research, whatever things were used during the research and whatever methods that were taken in pursuit of conducting the research. The internal

Artists and Repertoire (A+R) in the Music Industry Essay

Artists and Repertoire (A+R) in the Music Industry - Essay Example 2006). The A&R is the department of a record label that undertakes talent scouting and manages the artistic development of recording artists. In essence, it acts as the link between the artists and the record label. Therefore, the A&R department plays a major role in discovering new recording artists and recruiting them to the company, through understanding of the current market preferences and tastes, and selecting the artists who will be commercially successful. For A+R staff to carryout the task of recruiting commercially viable new artists, they should first understand the specific ways in which musical production is shaped by a particular genre of cultures and the broader historical and social context within which the production takes place (Negus, 1999, P.13). Generally, in the music industry, the A&R staffs are seen as mediators or intermediaries. According to Negus, Music industry personnel act as mediators, continually connecting artists and audiences; the music business sta ff works as intermediaries, not only during the most obvious marketing and during promotion activities, but also when introducing the idea of an imagined audience into the writing, producing and recording of songs in the studio, stressing that they are engaged in presentation and representation providing symbolic goods and services (Negus, 1999, P.18). More so, apart from singing bands to record labels, the A&R staff is mostly obsessed with music and is in touch with particular music scenes, is very influential, and is widely viewed as important ingredient to a successful record label (Carter, Clegg, Kornberger, & Schweitzer, 2011, P.389). The A&R staffs are the key for the established corporate label in creating music scenes (informal assemblages) which become imbedded in the music industry mostly for promotional purposes (Bennett & Peterson, 2004, P.4). The roles of A&R staff vary depending on the designation, ranging from artist manager, music lawyer, music accountant, booking ag ent, music merchandiser, promoter, venue booker; and other titles depending on the label. Mostly, the A&R staffs are recruited based on their skills rather than on formal qualifications, with experience and backgrounds such as artist management, production, and DJing being an added advantage (Hannan, 2003, P.158). Another major duty of A&R staff is to help the artist locate the suitable producer, prepare recording schedule in the recording studio and offer advice to the artist on the best ways to improve the quality of their recording. They are therefore involved in helping an artist choose the best songs to record, and are very vital in finding songs and songwriters. Additionally, most of A&R staffs are expected to be talented in arts and music in order to accomplish varied roles involved in this field. For example, take the famous artist, composer, producer, and music reviewer, Theodor Wiesengrund Adorno, who began exploiting his career early in life through composing music, perfo rmance reviews, reviews of published music, and was an advocate of the avant-garde music (Adorno, Leppert, & Gillespie, 2002, P.14). Lastly, the A&R will involve liaising with other department such marketing in assisting the artist to market the released record. To sum the work of A&R staff the appreciation of the artist’s work must be spread from the record company to radio programmer, and

Jung’s Unconscious Mind Essay Example for Free

Jung’s Unconscious Mind Essay In his description and explanation of the fourth dimension of the unconscious mind, Carl Jung uses an example involving one of his patients to justify his addition of the collective unconscious as the fourth part of Freud’s unconscious mind. His patient had successfully completed the psychoanalytic process of transference but was still not cured. This was the end of the process of psychoanalytic transference developed and practiced by Sigmund Freud. This led Jung to believe that the unconscious consisted of more than the components of repression, as was believed by Freud. If what she had been repressing had been discovered and was now being embraced in her conscious mind, her condition should have improved according to Freud’s theory. Her condition had not improved thus, Jung felt that there must be more. Jung began to look to her dreams, which he believed to be essentially photos of the unconscious mind at work. He found patterns that appeared ideal to and should have allowed psychoanalytic transference to function sufficiently. Despite her achievement of transference, the woman was still not well. He continued to observe her dreams. She had likened him, the doctor, to an amalgamation of her father and a lover who embodied the admirable traits of her father just as the process would call for. This should have led to her cure but it did not. Due to the fact she had not yet improved, he continued to observe her dreams until one day, he realized that she had likened him not just to the amalgamation of father and lover but, to a more divine figure. Though she was not a religious person, he figured that she had a â€Å"longing for a god†¦ welling up from our deepest darkest instinctual nature (Jung, 492). Her problem was not one of repressed feelings but a longing for something higher to guide and protect her. Possibly in the time that her father was alive, he was able to serve that purpose. With him gone, the urge regained influence. The urge was not one of conscious mind. It was an attempt to replace the Christian faith she had abandoned with something real. She likened the doctor to a god and because she knew her relationship with the doctor to be intimate, it helped her to feel closer to god. Freud’s definition of the unconscious mind included only things that had once been present in the conscious mind. The patient had never encountered the symbolic, ancient deities that were represented by the father figure of her dreams. There was a demand for more content in the definition of the unconscious mind. This psychological phenomenon has affected my attitude toward religion as well. I, like the patient in this case, abandoned my Christian upbringing for a more agnostic and eclectic practice. It is no doubt that there is such an instinctual nature to attempt to define and relate to the divine. It may be observed in the fact that people of all cultures, in all parts of the world have some type of religious belief and practice. There are many different types. The proof lies in their existence alone. Though they may vary in many ways, they are all a result of this passion which wells up from the deepest, darkest part of our beings. Of course, religion today has become part of our experience. During our childhood, we are introduced to religion by our parents. The proof of the unconscious mind’s longing is in the founders of these religions. These people had a passion that drove them to do more than they were required. The feelings of hunger, thirst and cold required them to hunt and seek shelter. These actions were result based purely of an experiential nature. Some of these people were good at what they had to do and were able to live more or less comfortably. Their minds had the leisure to allow the unconscious mind to play during their dreams. Given the chance, the unconscious mind played with the images of the divine. It drew from the collective unconscious of archetypal imagery. It gave them hints that there was more to what could be seen. It offered images of things good and offered means of achieving them. These men, these dreamers, acted out their dreams. They paid homage to what their intuitions, their unconscious minds, had shown them. They performed rituals imitating creatures not of this world. They went into trances and allowed themselves to be controlled completely by the unconscious mind. They performed the first rituals. They allowed their unconscious desires to dictate their actions. For these men, religion was intuitive. Now, we get the religious experience with its images and concepts, fed to us in a spoon with our mashed carrots. For us, we are conditioned into religion. I have always been more of a nonconformist. When I became old enough to question why, to critically examine more abstract concepts, to use my experiences of reality as a gage against what I was being told, I stepped out of conformity. At that point, I was antichristian. Free of the dogmas and the shelters they provided, my unconscious mind sought some sort of nourishment to quench the thirst for the fulfillment of spiritual energies. Off of the path, I soon found myself lost. So what did I do? I did what came natural. I delved into other religions. I began to study Buddhist teachings. I studied the Shinto practiced in Japan. I learned about the caste system of Indian culture. Why all this? I suppose that I needed to. I had taken out a part of my life and needed to fill it back in. I had taken away the food for my spiritual appetite. I broke my relationship to the divine. I was discontent with no place to release my spiritual energies. However, this was not a conscious decision. Outside of the Christian tradition within which I was brought up, I felt the genuine need for fulfillment of divine nature. For something bigger than myself and bigger than mankind as a whole. No one told me I had to find a proper outlet for spiritual energies. I was driven by an unknown force, a curiosity that masked a deeper desire to relate to the divine. I wandered. I stumbled. I tripped, fell, got back up and tripped again. Masked as curiosity, the passion of my unconscious mind has driven me to explore different methods. I have thumbed through religious books from all over the world. I attend religious ceremonies and festivals of different origin. My unconscious mind has created this curiosity in order to fulfill its own desire to be a part of and to be connected to something greater. I have abandoned my antichristian post now. I now exist outside of Christianity and am able to gaze upon it as an objective observer. I agree with many Christian principles. I agree with them though, on my own terms, in my own understanding. I stepped away from the religion to which I had been conditioned. I explored others as was deemed necessary by my curiosities and I have found some things that I believe to be true, some things that make me feel closer to the divine. The unconscious includes the ego, the superego, and the id. Unwanted memories are pushed into the unconscious mind to be put aside. They can cause many ailments when not properly discarded. These ailments may be alleviated by methods such as psychoanalytical transference. However, even after complete transference has been completed, there is still activity taking place in the unconscious mind. It is not limited to repression. Also dwelling in the subconscious mind is a collective consciousness composed of archetypal images and instincts. This is responsible for the imagery of our dreams, the universal perceptions of beauty and the desire to be somehow linked to the divine. I have seen it in my life and I have evidence of it in the fact that religion is present and dominates nearly every society around the globe.

Social Learning Theory of Albert Bandura: Analysis

Social Learning Theory of Albert Bandura: Analysis Child development and welfare Gemma Smith An experiment was conducted to explore the social learning theory of Albert Bandura. The experiment involved small children that were exposed to different forms of aggression and violence to study if the behaviour modelled by an adult would then be reflected upon the child. The experiment provided a range of results that supported the hypothesis and some results that were unexpected. The experiment was effective for the purpose and the settings with the controls provided an ideal environment. Albert bandura was a behaviourist who performed an experiment on children who had been exposed to different behavioural conditions. Bandura’s theory states Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do. Fortunately, most human behaviour is learned observationally through modelling:from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviours are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action (Social learning theory, 2013). Bandura believed that the behaviour of children could be shaped by either classical conditioning or through operant conditioning (The distance learning centre, 2013, pg. 8). Operant conditioning was brought about by Burrhus Frederic Skinner, more commonly known as B.F. Skinner, along with his theory that he believed the best way to understand behaviour is to look at the causes of an action and its consequences (Simply psychology, 2014). To study this theory Skinner performed experiments on animals (You tube, March 2007). He placed pigeons in individual boxes; kept the birds at three quarter of their normal weight to ensure they would be hungry then used food as a reward for their behaviour (You tube, March 2007). He used his controlled conditions to isolate the first type of behaviour where the pigeon would peck at a red disc to then be rewarded with food (YouTube, March 2007). The pigeon’s behaviour has now been shaped through operant conditioning to receive food through reinforcement after the desired response has been performed (Boundless, nd). This type of conditioning be it positive or by the removal of punishment can be applied to the behaviour of children (Boundless, nd). A child that receives a reward for picking up the toys in their room for example will do this to receive the prize (Boundless, nd). Or a child’s behaviour could be altered by negative reinforcement such as a child’s favourite teddy or doll being confiscated if they did not perform a particular task. Therefore this demonstrates the power that reinforcement has upon the conditioning and the after affect being the repetition of the actions once the child has been rewarded (Boundless, nd). Reinforcement could easily have the opposite affect if the correct wording is not used and if there is not a clear explanation to follow (education.com, 2014). Then the effectiveness of the behavioural moulding is not as good as it could be. However if the parents are to use responsive language it demonstrates verbal guidance that is respectful to children by clarifying the rules and responsibilities, therefore giving the parents power (education.com, 2014). Although this may prove to be effective it raises some ethical issues. A parent could be considered as using positive reinforcement to manipulate the child (az central, 2014). This manipulation could be used to benefit the parent whilst placing the child in the middle (Parent alienation support, 2010). If a child were to provide reports to their main carer about the other parent to receive a reward this would be classed as manipulation and raise the point of it being unethical (Parent alienation support, 2010). When negative reinforcement is instilled the desired outcome is the same but the procedure is different (behavioural consulting, 2013). Instead of encouragement to promote more good behaviour something negative would be removed to motivate the child to respond (behavioural consulting, 2013). This can also prove to be effective if it is not used to an excessive amount or the psychological affect can damage the child’s self-esteem (global post, 2014). The damage can cause the child to become withdrawn or unwilling to try therefore giving their parents the ability to make them feel poorly about themselves (global post, 2014). Punishment is another form of reinforcement that can be used positively or negatively (behavioural consulting, 2013). Both can be used effectively if they are performed consistently (about.com, 2014). Skinner believed that this type of punishment would only be temporary and perhaps this is occurs because there is not an explanation to accompany the punishment (about.com, 2014). Punishment could also raise concerns later in life for a child whom is smacked for example; they may become aggressive or their behaviour could worsen into antisocial behaviour (about.com, 2014). Conditioning has been used before Bandura by John B. Watson and Rosalie Raynor (1920) in an experiment called little Albert (about.com, 2014). They experimented to see how phobias are the consequence of learnt behaviour (Mike Cardwell, Liz Clark and Claire Meldrum, April 2004, Psychology, third edition, Hammersmith, Collins, pg. 133). Banduras theory follows with the social learning theory (1973) being that violent behaviour is learnt by observing and copying another performing this (Mike Cardwell, Liz Clark and Claire Meldrum, April 2004, Psychology, third edition, Hammersmith, Collins, pg. 134). When Bandura performed the bobo doll experiment he set out to find if modelling influenced the behaviour of young children (youtube, May 2011). Watson and Raynor had the starting point and basis for Banduras theory to become more effective because people are social beings that may observe to learn (youtube, 2011). During the time of Banduras experiment the widespread view was that watching violence reduces aggression however Bandura wanted to prove that a child who watched an adult be violent towards the Bobo doll would then copy the behaviour not reduce it and that is what happened (youtube, May 2011). Modelling on a child could not only achieve what Bandura did but it could cause damage to the child (about.com, 2014). As observational learning has a great effect on what children learn as acceptable behaviour and for a child this shapes their personality (about.com, 2014). On the other hand John Bowlby (1907-1990) studied the attachment behaviour and believed that behaviours are instinctive (simply psychology, 2007). He said the behaviour becomes activated by any conditions that seem to threaten proximity (simply psychology, 2007). A study to investigate whether children learn from observing a model exhibiting aggressive behaviour to a Bobo doll. If violent and aggressive behaviour is modelled to a child then the significant outcome from the child will be aggressive. Whilst the child observes the adult being aggressive or violent to the doll they may not repeat the action and act the opposite with the doll. There is no significant difference between condition 1 (child praised) and condition 2 (child punished) when acting aggressively towards a Bobo doll. An experiment will be carried out using controlled conditions and variables to prove that aggressive behaviour can be modelled to a child, which they will then copy. The study will be an experimental and independent subject design. The independent variable would be the amount of children exposed to the aggressive and non-aggressive behaviour (simply psychology, 2011). The dependent variable is the measure of aggressive behaviour. The participants included seventy two children and two adult’s one of each gender. The children were separated evenly into three groups. In one half of the first two groups there were six boys and six girls with a female and in the second half there were six boys and six girls (simply psychology, 2011). The third group did not contain a model. The children ranged in age from three to six years old (simply psychology, 2011). The experiment contains many children of a range of ages so as to provide a varied amount of results. The apparatus needed for the experiment will be the videos of the children and model, a tick sheet to mark down the aggressive and non-aggressive acts. A stopwatch to be certain each observational study takes the same amount of time. Inferential statistics Using novel objects to hit the bobo doll 28/12= 2.3 35.5/12=2.95 F 2.95 Playing without showing aggressive actions 35/12=2.9 6.8/12=0.56 0.56 2.95/0.56= 5.26 The degrees of freedom for numerator are 15 and the degrees of freedom for dominator are 6. This makes my test two tailed therefore giving it a two directional outcome when looking at the results. This result does reflect the hypothesis and the alternate hypothesis but not the null hypothesis. The hypothesis and alternate hypothesis provides two directions to which the result can travel. The null hypothesis however is very specific to generalising that both of the conditions will not provide different results. Using the variance test provides information on two groups and as my results involved this test seemed appropriate to use. The experiment has clearly proven that children do learn from observation and can show just how much behaviour can be modelled to a child. A child’s way of thinking has been uncovered in this experiment when the results are explored. This is reflected when looking at the age range of the children and their results. In the Praised section of the table the ratings are all between three and four but as soon as the children are being punished for their behaviour the numbers dramatically drop and begin to range from zero to two. Although the results for non-aggressive behaviour under praise were surprisingly low whilst the punishment was high from three up to six on the scale. The controls that were put into place were effective and not in a way to be misleading to the child. For instance there was a kitchen set, a ball or two, a gun and a mallet. Even though the children used these for their own weapons these ideas were not modelled by the adult. The experiment could be described as ethical and unethical. Ethical because modelling behaviour is a way to teach children the difference between what is acceptable and what is not. On the other hand it is not ethical do use a blow up doll to demonstrate a child causing pain to it just because they have been shown to do so. How does it prove that the same child would repeat the actions months later on the Bobo doll and if that child does this because they remember it or their behaviour has changed. If the experiment were to be carried out again the Bobo doll would not be used another way of demonstrating behavioural changes should be used to vary the results. The results cannot be generalised to the whole public in every aspect but perhaps the ideas could be. The experiment is not generalised enough from the beginning the children were tested to see how aggressive they were to start with and with everyone being different the results would be inaccurate. The theory of social learning has some value in terms of associ ating many children to this type of learning from a very young age. The research could be expanded to deeper exploration in to the brain and what triggers are common in already aggressive people to what the triggers are for those whom are not aggressive my nature against the impartial people. The results for this can link the behaviourism to many types of crime, antisocial behaviour and even domestic violence. In conclusion the experiment to find out if modelling aggressive and violent behaviour would influence a child to observe and copy seems to have been proven a success. Albert Bandura’s theory can be applied to so many different aspects to behaviour and he chose one of the most interesting areas. The results have shown what power adults can have over their children and that reinforcement is not something to be taken lightly but supports the social learning theory. Conducting an experiment with small children was a good place to start because of their innocence and little or lack of knowledge of morals. Word count: 2063 References http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/social-learning.html Social learning theory 2013 http://www.distancelearningcentre.com/access/assessments/cdw/dip_cdw_child_rearing_assess.pdf bandura 2013 http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html skinner 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ctJqjlrHA Skinner March 2007 https://www.boundless.com/business/motivation-theories-and-applications/modern-views-on-motivation/reinforcement-theory/ Reinforcement theory nd http://www.education.com/reference/article/positive-guidance-techniques/ positive reinforcement 2014 http://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/ethical-consideration-negative-positive-reinforcement-27520.html ethics and reinforcement 2014 http://parentalalienationsupport.com/2010/09/09/methods-of-emotional-manipulation-understanding-parental-alienation-using-behaviorism/ ethics and reinforcement 2010 http://bcotb.com/the-difference-between-positivenegative-reinforcement-and-positivenegative-punishment/ negative reinforceme nt 2013 http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/effects-negative-reinforcements-selfesteem-14366.html negative reinforcement self-esteem 2014 http://psychology.about.com/od/operantconditioning/f/punishment.htm punishment 2014 http://psychology.about.com/od/classicpsychologystudies/a/little-albert-experiment.htm Watson and Raynor 2014 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zerCK0lRjp8 albert bandura may, 2011 http://psychology.about.com/od/early-child-development/a/experience-and-development.htm experience and development 2014 http://www.simplypsychology.org/bowlby.html Bowlby 2007 http://www.simplypsychology.org/bobo-doll.html bandura Bobo doll 2011 Book Mike Cardwell, Liz Clark and Claire Meldrum, April 2004, Psychology, third edition, Hammersmith, Collins

Analysis of Shellys Ode to the West Wind :: essays papers

Analysis of Shellys Ode to the West Wind Analysis of Shelly's "Ode to the West Wind" â€Å"Ode to the West Wind† is a poem of deep despair as well as one of vivid imagery. The first section is fairly straightforward with constant references to death, corpses and destruction that Shelly uses as a metaphor for autumn. The allusion to disease and darkness describes the West Wind in this first section. Shelly sees it as a sort of ‘grim reaper’ but seems to come back from the whole topic by also calling it the â€Å"preserver†. In the second section Shelly takes a more lofty perspective in the beginning mentioning heaven and angels and then moves to give a depiction of hell in the last line of the section with â€Å"black rain and fire and hail will burst†. To be a little more precise, the second section is one comparing an oncoming storm to the end of a year. Perhaps Shelly feels that the next year will not be as good as the last and one can even speculate that the west winds are the winds of change or even of evil. I feel that the third section really supports the theory that Shelly did portray the west wind as the bringer of evil. The wind is described to be awakened from a place of peace and beauty. The line â€Å"Thy voice, and suddenly grow grey with fear† seems to describe a sense of darkness and loathing, a chilling feeling flowing through the veins. The west wind is power. The fourth section plays on the feeling that this wind is all-powerful and Shelly seems to give the impression of bowing down before it. Impulses, uncontrollable, tame-less are all words used to describe the wind in this section. In almost a begging tone the speaker of the poem asks to be taken away from his pain as said â€Å"Oh! Lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud! / I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!†. Going back in the poem though the west wind seems to have created this and the speaker loathes it, but here shows he also still needs it. The final section seems to come to terms with the west wind. The asking for music even though the leaves are gone and there is not to celebrate shows this perspective: I will still play but it will be one of sadness.

Use of Imagery in Chopin’s The Awakening Essay -- Chopin Awakening

Use of Imagery in Chopin’s The Awakening Several passages in The Awakening struck me because of their similar imagery—a bird, wings, and nudity. The first passage I looked at is in Chapter 9 where Edna Pontellier has a vision of a naked man â€Å"standing beside a desolate rock† (47) on a beach who is watching a bird fly away. This image was evoked by a one particular piece that Mme Ratignolle plays which Edna significantly calls â€Å"Solitude. † Apparently Edna frequently envisions certain images while listening to music: â€Å"Musical strains, well rendered, had a way of evoking pictures in her mind† (47). Listening to this piece Edna envisions a solitary, naked man with an â€Å"attitude [†¦] of hopeless resignation† (47). This scene presents solitude in many different ways. The figure standing alone and naked near the â€Å"desolate rock† illustrates the mood of solitude and resignation. I was reminded of that scene at the end of the novel in chapter 39 where we find a description of a very similar situation. Now it is Edna Pontellier herself standing alone on the beach at Grand Isle. She takes ...

The Virgin Mary Essay -- Religion Christianity

The Virgin Mary â€Å"The turbulent course of Mary’s remarkable life, the difficult choices she made, the terrible ordeals she survived, changed history and transformed the lives of millions for all time† (Biography - Mary of Nazareth,1996). Mary, the mother of Jesus is thought highly of by all Christian faiths. In addition, Catholics hold Mary as the first saint and worship her. I feel Catholics are more accurate when it comes to praising Mary for her devotion to God. Mary should be more of a model for every Christian follower, because of the trust she had in God and the sacrifices she made for all of us. The New Testament does not mention Mary’s birth or her childhood; she is first brought up in the gospel of Luke as a thirteen-year old girl betrothed to Joseph. Thankfully there is a historical text called Protoevangelium of James, which was written around 120 AD and it discusses the events surrounding Mary’s birth, childhood and betrothal, and embellishes on the biblical account of Jesus’ birth (Devotion to the Holy Infant Mary, n.d., par. 5). The birth of Mary was also miraculous. Mary was born in Nazareth to her elderly Jewish parents Joachim and Anna. Anna was unable to bear children, so she prayed to God to grant her a child. An angel visited her and told her that she would conceive a child. Anne promised to dedicate the child to God's service. According to the Catholic doctrine the conception of Mary was without any original sin; known as Immaculate Conception (Biography - Mary of Nazareth, 1996). In Mary’s time the most education a child could ask for, especially a female would consist of learning the basic survival skills of cooking, faming and weaving. Mary was more than likely illiterate, and poor. As illustrated in t... ...m the New Testament:. About.com Christianity. Retrieved December 6, 2010, from http://www.christianityabout.com/od/newtestamentpeople/p/marymotherjesus.htm Slick, M. (n.d.). Did Mary Have Other Children?. CARM - Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. Retrieved December 6, 2010, from http://carm.org Sri, Edward P. (n.d.). The Original Mary: Our Lady's Life Before the Annunciation. Holy Spirit Interactive - Catholic Information Resource. Retrieved December 5, 2010, from http://www.holyspiritinteractive.net/columns/edwardsri/knowingmary/01.asp The Virgin Mary. (n.d.). Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://www.deathreference.com Were Mary and Joseph Married?. (n.d.). Bible Truths, Salvation, Creation, Angels, Jesus, God, Holy Spirit. Retrieved December 4, 2010, from http://www.bibletruths.net/sermons/btso140.htm

Employee Relationship Management

Employee Relationship Management Assignment – 1 Trade Union In Jharkhand Jharkhand Krantikaari Mazdoor Union – JKMU Submitted by P. Lokeshwari S. Shahana Devi Jharkhand Krantikaari Mazdoor Union In July  JKMU  organised a union of 220 contract workers in a newly established private steel factory owned by Electro Steel Casting Ltd. 40 kms from Bokaro. All 500 workers employed in the plant are local workers. 100 workers’ services were terminated for participating in union formation activities. JKMU  organised a dharna and blockades with the help of local villagers and forced management to reinstate all workers.The Deputy Labour Commissioner also put pressure on management to take back the workers or else the factory license would be cancelled. The newly formed union held meetings with the  ALC  on 2nd & 10th July and submitted demand notice to management. In April-May in Bokaro Power Supply Co. Pvt. Ltd. (a joint venture between  SAIL  and  DVC)   JKMU  has a union of 500 contract workers. There are multiple unions in the plant, but the  JKMU  union members in the helper category who had been struggling for a year for implementation of minimum wages and other benefits finally boycotted payment for 10 days.The action ended with implementation of their demands by the contractor and payment of minimum wages was done in the presence of management and union representatives. The Jharkhand Krantikaari Mazdoor Union (JKMU) has been struggling for many years demanding permanent status for all workers on contract in perennial jobs in the Bokaro Steel Plant. The  JKMU  has been made a member of the Jharkhand State Contract Labour Advisory Board and the Jharkhand State Engineering Industries Wage Board. This is a rare incident as it is usually accepted that only central trade unions are made members of such state level boards.More than 90% of contract workers in the power sector are today members of  JKMU. Recent Struggles : 1. In Bokaro steel plant, contract and casual workers are not given quarters and had been living in slums. High Court has now given orders for encroachment, which would then lead to the demolition of these structures. SP and other district officials were gheraoed by workers. JKMU  had given a strike notice in 16-17 May 2011. Meetings were held everywhere and contract workers were mobilised in huge numbers. An application was also submitted simultaneously to the Regional Labour Commissioner (RLC) for rehabilitation of these workers.RLC  asked for quarters to be built and management finally accepted the demands for building permanent structures. 2. In July 2009  JKMU  organised a union of 220 contract workers in a newly established private steel factory owned by Electro Steel Casting Ltd. In this unit 100 workers were terminated for participating in union activities. JKMU  organised a dharna and several blockades with the help of local villagers and forced the management to reinstate all workers. The union could also force the Deputy Labour Commissioner exercise his power on the management to reinstate the workers with the threat to cancel the factory license.

Gender Inequality in the Neolithic Era and Gender Equality in the Paleolithic Era Essay

Throughout history women have not always been treated with equality, this inequality is also shown in prehistory. The Paleolithic and Neolithic eras contrast when it comes to gender inequality or gender equality. In Paleolithic times, Women easily had a greater amount of equality and not so much of that equality in Neolithic times. In Paleolithic times, women were the ones who invented and began the use of farming and agriculture, without this great source of food, humans may have not been able to settle as easily, and the Neolithic times would have never began. The men and women had equally important jobs in their groups or tribes, for this, they were able to survive. In the Neolithic times, women had a much lesser role, and less of a say when it came to leadership. This particular law in The Code of Hammurabi showcases the inequality of genders in Neolithic times â€Å"110. If a sister of god open a tavern, or enter a tavern to drink,then shall this woman be burned to death† Such a small act of disobedience by a woman in the Neolithic era left a big punishment. This law gives proof that if a man were to do the same thing, he would not be punished as harshly (or even at all) as a woman would be in this era. In Paleolithic times, equality was shown between genders and to counteract this, in Neolithic times, inequality was shown between genders. Women began to lose less of their leadership or power that they shared with the men in the Paleolithic times.

Marketing Mix Essay

1 – Research Braaap Organisation Braaap designs and test the braaapster range of superlite motorcycles here in Australia. Their passion is superlite riding and racing. Braaap was founded by brad smith in Tasmania, Australia and has now grown into an international success and family business, the braaap family.The braaap family includes their pasisonate franchisee’s who are the pioneer’s in developing the the superlite industry, the braap retail experience, the braaap club and community group and the club tracks + complexs in their regions. the braaap retail concept store has been awarded some of the highest honours in business including 3x Australian Specialised Retail business of the year, this couldnt happen if it wasnt for the team of people who work every day to build our sport, the braaap staf 2 – Identify the key characteristics The products sold in the Braap store have the characteristics to ensure the highest quality in the world. The brand is recognized around Australia as the biggest store online in the market. They have partners around the world which help them to develop their new products and allow them to sell products from other big brands around the world. A big store online with 4 big stores around Australia which offer the best equipments for motorcycles around the world, highest quality, the best designs and brands make themselves the biggest business in Australia in that specific market. The Braap brand is totally loyalty and their clients can trust in it. That’s why they are the only brand in the planet that offer a lifetime warranty for their products. They make several tests in their equipments and ensure the durability, occupational health and safety issues. Furthermore, they offer a huge variety of sizes, colors and other factors which may influence the clients to buy their products , there are more than 700 parts to be sold between different categories: * 50cc dirt bikes * 88cc dirt bikes * 125cc dirt bikes * 140cc dirt bikes * 150cc dirt bikes * 160cc dirt bikes * 187cc dirt bikes * 200cc dirt bikes Everything between the best brands of the market, which includes: * ProTaper * Renthal * Pro Circuit * Daytona * Elka * Marzocchi * SM Pro * Bel Ray * Castrol * Unit * Fox * Metal Mulisha * Dickies * Jet Pilot * Famous * Electric * Afends * Hart & Huntington * Loose Kid * Osiris * Armourdillo * Envy Scooters * We The People BMX * Fit Bike Co * Madd Gear Pro * Penny Boards * Pro-Tec * Fox * Oakley * One Industries * Ogio * Fist * Thor * 661 * Go Pro * Smith * EVS * Leatt * Oneal Braaap services : * -5 step learn to ride for all ages * -Test ride * -Action sports * -Fashion * We provide training and how riding and bike maintenance in our braaap university. Braaap university is committed to educating and training dirtbike owners about their motocross bikes and well as educating people that are thinking of buying a dirtbike so that they can learn to ride their dirtbikes in the safest, fastest and most professional manner possible as well as understanding the critical factors you must know about what makes a truly well built mini motocross bike before you buy one. In the braaap university you can join and get access to the incredible range of training for free , it takes nothing more than a few seconds to get instant access to these video training sessions, the free members training includes instruction from the worlds top riding coaches and riders on how to ride your mini motocross bike in all track conditions and then braaap’s head mechanic is going to take you step by step on how to look after and maintain your dirtbikes for maximum performance a nd longevity. 3 – Review pricing policy and analyse pricing variables Product line, setting prices between product line items is one of the strategies that Braaap uses. Using high-low pricing is a good technique to attack the market of premium motorcycles equipments, offering Braaap a higher or same price than the competitors, but its given a promotion relative a launch of Braaap into the Australia market, like the lifetime warranty. This action can bring new clients and keep the old. Another strategy used is the Product Bundles, which means that clients that make big purchase get a discount making it better than buying individuals equipments. Using the Market-Skimming, Braaap initially sets high to â€Å"skim†revenue layer-by-layer from the market. They have the image and the quality which they can afford and justify the high price, once their products are the best in the motorcycles equipments, the latest technologic and the biggest company in the Australian market. 4 – Analyse the impact and the importance of the elements: A – The Promotional Methods Braaap is the largest moto fashion retail in Australia. Braaap has been associated the brand in many different championships around the world. All the main events which involve their products, the Braaap attempt. It does not matter if they will sponsorship a tournament or a competitor, but the Braaap will be there. It will impact directly in the market, once people will see the brand everywhere with the best athletics and the best tournaments. Also they have associated their brand with partners around the world that will make Braaap stronger. Also they produce a catalogue monthly to show the costumers the news about the market and the new products of Braaap. The company is always in contact with the client, it makes the brand reliable being a good partner of your costumer. The methods used by Braaap is getting good results, the brand is recognized outside Australia as well. It means that Braaap is on the top of the market and competing with the traditional and biggest brands around the world. B- The Channels of Distribution The products and the services are distributed electronically, where the costumers can buy online on the website or in stores located across Australia. 5 – Braaap’s potencial customer base and key pressure Before marketing your products and services it is important to define your customer base or target market. Braaap’s clients are people who love motorcycles whatever if it is professionally or just a sport on free time. There is a huge difference of ages between the customers of Braaap’s, they have equipments for all ages, no matter if you are 4 years old or 60. But the biggest slide of braaap’s clients are young from 20 untill 35 years old. Those people practice motocross as hobby and lifestyle with a lot of passion. They consume a lot of equipments and they are always trying to get the new products and technologies. A variety of students, professionals and retires include the characteristics of braaap’s costumers. Unfortunelly for Braaap’s business only men used to practice this kind of sport, there are few women around the world but it is incomparable with the numbers of men, no exceptions anywhere in the Earth. Braaap knows it and they have start ed a strategy to get more clients. They have a program called â€Å"Learn to ride in 5 steps† where they want to attract new participants of the modality. This program have been well viewed round Australia and bring new clients all the time. As target, Braaap’s business is trying to get more children and women that could take up the motocross as hobby or sport and keep practicing and being a Braaap’s client for a long time. Also the lifecycle of the motocross is very short due to the risk of the practice of this sport, especially if you ride very often. As a result, the clients need to get or swap parts and equipments constantly which is a very good point for Braaap’s business. It keeps their clients aware and in contact with the store whole lifecycle. Braaap’s stores have segmented their business since they were just an online store with few equipments and brands. Beyond sell parts of motorcycles, Braaap starts to sell cloths and all equipments from many different brands. This action expanded the business and increased the profitability. 6 – Components of the Marketing Mix There are four basic elements that involve the marketing mix. Theses elements are tactical components of a marketing plan and are referred to as â€Å"the four Ps†of the Marketing Mix. Product, price, place and promotion: Product Quality and Variety: A huge variety of motorcycle equipments and different brands. They are the latest and highest quality in the world. It is possible to find everything for your bike, cloths, protections and others. Design and sizes: A lot of designs, sizes and color, even if it is not a Braaap’s product, they offer other brands to satisfy the customer needs and bit by bit introduce their products in the market. Brand: Braaap’s store is already a reconised business in Australia, the biggest store online with more than 700 parts between different brands and equipments. Currently, they have started to export their own products for other countries where they have got partners like Italy, France, Germany and USA. Warranties: they are the only store which offer a lifetime warranty Price List Price: The price of their products are not cheaper because all equipments are the latest technology in the world with the best performance and highest quality. How they have products from many brands and all kind of products that include since your boots until your motorcycle the price is variable according to what equipment the customer need. Anyway, the variety that the clients can find in the store makes it the best place to shopping in Australia and sometimes abroad. Braaap’s store offer an affordable payment plans tailored to the clients. Discounts: Braaap offers an especial discount for big purchases, how bigger is the purchase bigger will be the discount. Credit Terms: The payment plans can start at as little as $3 a day with no deposit required. We have many different payment options that we promise will suit you. Promotion Advertising: Braaap’s promotion has been very effective around the world. The brand is attempt to many different tournaments and magazines in Australia. This promotion reverberated very well between the clients, once it makes them buy in Braaap’s store and come back later. The quality and durability of the equipments give to Braaap a safety merge of risk. Personal Selling: Also they have marketing actions that help them to sell more a get more clients, like the â€Å" Learn to ride in 5 steps†. Direct Marketing: Braaap produces a catalogue monthly with the news about their business and things which may get the attention of their clients. Place Logistic Management: Braaap’s store online cover whole Australia, which is making the distribution easier in the Australian territory than in the other countries. As Australia is one of the largest countries in the world, the distribution is done by airplane, trucks and boats. It depends what is the customer needs. Customer Service: The 3 stores around Australia help to cover everywhere and try to deliver the goods as fast as they can. The distribution for other countries is very hard once Australia is isolated from any other country in the world, except for New Zeland which is very close. As a result they do not export a big quantity of products but it will increased in few years according to the forecast in the last marketing plane done. Also there are other two Ps that were not mentioned: People: Braaap’ business has some relationships around the world, in France, Germany, USA and others countries where they share the knowledge and information and help each other to develop better products for their clients. Process: It is the development in Braaap’ business to achieve their objectives. A market plan to get their new clients like woman and children. A specific process to show how they will achieve their goals. 7-Identify external environmental factors -Strenghts The company has a strong name in the market, however, we have a world class product. The innovation of our product mix, lines up our position as a brand and inline with our mission to make Motorcycling more accessible. -Weakness Pricing strategy should be a weakness because entails reacting to market conditions and tend to vary. -Threats The growth of the competitors in the motor bike market. -Opportunities Innovation of the marketing mix with accessible price. 8-Identify consumer priorities, needs and preferences Most of the consumers prefer reputed companies with good quality. The company can reach the consumer needs with low price and accessible locations to distribute the products. The consumers prioritize friendly price Customers always appreciate assistance and easy access to information about products and services. 9-Evaluate new products or services As a growth company, Braaap consist in tuning, improving, testing, measuring and implementing new marketing activities. The company does not have specific target market, our goal is to achieve all the gender and ages. One of the most exciting innovations at braaap is the Launch of the braaap silent. Braaap is one of the first petrol based motorcycle manufacture to launch an electric powered bike off the production line. This is an innovation to the product mix of the company that lines up beautifully the company position as a brand and inline with our mission to make Motorcycling more accessible and more fun. The braaap Silent is the ultimate in accessibility and has been sold in Australia and USA. 10-Assess the marketing mix in relation to the organizational, strategic and operational marketing objectives Pricing is an important strategic marketing issue because it is related to product positioning, as pricing alone can affect other marketing mix elements such as product features, distribution, and promotion. Frequently depend on the stage a product is, new products often require different pricing strategies than established products or mature products. Lower price should be a successful strategy in that customers cannot readily compare prices with hidden and contingent costs. 11- Report Braaap is an Australian company which operates as well in USA producing dirty bikes for all ages and gender. It is a company that provides good conditions for the consumer buying their bikes with stores located around the country and online options to choose the best way to obtain a bike. The main characteristic of Braaap’s is to sell products for dirty bikes with the highest quality in the world. The brand is known across Australia as the biggest store online in the market. Connected with partners around the world that provide to them the necessary support to develop their new products. In the Braaap’s store, the costumer can buy equipments from the best brands around the world which multiply the number of choices for everyone. By the way, the prices are not low otherwise they could not offer a highest quality in their products. However, Braaap has a unique promotion that makes the difference in this market, Braaap’s is the only store which provides a lifetime w arranty for their customers. If we think that this sport has a very high risk, this kind of promotion is very good for their image in the market. Braaap has created their image through many kind of events which involve motorcycle, sometimes sponsoring athletics or tournaments around the world. Also they produce a catalogue monthly to keep their clients aware about what is changing or the market news. Most of the Braaap’s clients are young people between 20 to 35, especially mans, due to the practice of that sport. Anyway, they are trying to get more attention from woman and child. Braaap’s offer a program to learn how to ride and other events to entrencher the customer that might not like this sport or lifestyle. Braaap’s stores have segmented their business since they were just an online store with few equipments and brands. Beyond sell parts of motorcycles, Braaad starts to sell cloths and all equipments from many different brands. This action expanded the business and increased the profitability. A huge variety of equipments, not just parts of motorcycles but cloths and accessories from many different brands are an important turnaround of Braaap’s business. Even if the prices are high, does not matter because the quality, design, options and a reliable brand make the difference in the market. Braaap’s cover whole Australia and export for other countries around the world, their online store is well viewed for everybody and their promotions are always very effective. The marketing mix is open their eyes for business and they are trying to leave the equipments more accessible for all public otherwise the competitors are growing up quickly and getting a good slide of the motorcycle’s customers. The clients like when the company has a nice reputation in the market and when that brand is attempt in the events between sport, media and entertainment. It makes the public remember their brand as a good position which care about their lifestyle. Also the clients would like to get easy access to store to solve their enquires, and keep clear the information and services between company and customer. One of the innovations at braaap is the Launch of the braaap silent. Braaap is one of the first petrol based motorcycle manufacture to launch an electric powered bike off the production line. It means that Braaap’s stores are trying to find a way out of the saturated market and at the same time renew the concept of motorcycles around the world. For while, it is just available in Australia and USA but it will be everywhere soon. In conclusion, Braaap’s business is given more attention for the price due to the knowledge that price could influence directly in the other points of the marketing mix. The lower price is always a good option but in this case would not be a good position if we consider that Braaap works with best brand around the world and offer only highest quality products. It is recommended that Braaad’s store keeps working well, trying to get the best for their clients and always investing in new products and partners which will make them stronger than ever.

Strategic Planning – Ibm 2009

CASE ANALYSIS: IBM IN 2009 Analysis Industry: Computer Services Industry Porter’s 5 Forces 1) Risk of entry by potential competitors The risk of entry by potential competitors is relatively low (+). This is due to the newly entrant competitors that need a large market capitalization, software materials, services and consulting; to gain consumer’s interests. If consumers are able to choose buying their products from a large company that are adequate in the computer hardware, services and consulting, other technological services, they would rather choose a large firm than a smaller firm that do not have adequate resources. ) The intensity of rivalry among established companies within an industry The intensity of rivalry among established companies within this industry is relatively high (-). This is because there are big firms such as Oracle that are neck in neck with other large firms such as IBM, trying to acquire every software there is that helps them gain a competiti ve advantage. 3) The bargaining power of buyers The bargaining power of buyers is relatively low (+). This is because in this industry that is supplying a particular product or service is not composed of many small companies and the buyers are large and few in number. Also, buyers are unable to purchase in quantity, because many of the firms in this industry offer services and consulting, and software that buyers use. 4) The bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers is relatively high (-). This is because the product that suppliers sell has few substitutes, and the profitability of suppliers is not significantly affected by the purchases of companies in this industry. Also, switching costs are great as consumers will need to move from their original product to another supplier. 5) The closeness of Substitutes to an industry’s product The closeness of substitutes to an industry’s product is relatively low (+). There are hardly any substitutes as for many consumers, the importance of the market for technology products and a source of high-tech workers for serving these types of software when consumers need help. The less technological advanced products are unable to satisfy similar customer needs. Forces – Conclusion: This industry is a 3 star industry. What IBM should do is: * IBM should use their competitive advantage to surpass their competitors, and be the monopoly in the industry, instead of being in a competition neck-in neck with other leading competitors * Since the product that suppliers sells has few substitutes, and the bargaining power is extremely high, IBM should acquire the supplying companies, to reduce their cos ts some more, and for suppliers not to have the bargaining power that they have currently. Life Cycle: Growth stage * E. G. In this industry, it is growing because consumers are becoming more and more familiar with the now technology-advanced products when technology in the world is advancing rapidly. Also, most of the large firms usually have control over technological knowledge as a barrier to entry which diminishes most of the smaller firms, which lessens the chance of a new entrant. The Value Chain IT Provides low cost-traditional IT services or value-creating, customizing consultant solutions depend on it having the distinctive competencies to develop state-of-the-art software applications across business processes and industries * Recent advances have increased the power of business intelligence software to identify ongoing changes and forecasts many events after acquiring Cognos (software) * Another advancement was that the IT department came up with a new initiative to make it easier for geographically dispersed people to interact and collaborate without the time a nd expense of in-person meetings. They were using virtual technology which other people inside and between companies to exchange instant messages, chat verbally, share real-time presentations, and virtual meetings Hardware * The systems and technology group put its resources into developing new kinds of mainframes and servers that would appeal to a wider number of customer groups and expand global sales. This will give them more power and flexibility for the IT product they buy from IBM * Currently IBM sells its mainframes directly to customers through its own sales force to protect lucrative software and service revenues that accompany these sales. By doing that, IBM’s mainframe installed base had doubled because IBM’s ability to deliver increasing amounts of processing power to customers at a decreasing cost * Such as self-contained server would eliminate the need for expensive IT consulting and service; it would offer companies with a low-cost alternative and companies could simply order as many of Cisco’s (one of the acquired software) server racks as needed to operate or expand their business Competitive Advantage Distinctive Competencies: are firm specific strengths that allow a company to differentiate its products from those offered by rivals and/or achieve substantially lower costs than its rivals. IBM’s distinctive competencies is acquiring the different servers and software to help the company gain a competitive advantage as the company integrated many technological advanced products that surpasses other firms in the industry Intangible Resources: are nonphysical entities that are created by managers and other employees, such as brand names, the reputation of the company, the knowledge that employees have gained through experience, and the intellectual property of the company, including that protected through patents, copyrights, and trademarks. The intangible source here is the brand name and reputation that IBM had built all these years, leading to one of the top companies in the computer service business. Capabilities: refer to a company’s skills at coordinating its reso urces and putting them to productive use. * IBM’s skills at coordinating its resources and putting them to good and productive use by the drive to focus the efforts of all IBM employees on satisfying the needs of clients was one of the capabilities that made IBM have this competitive advantage Functional-Level Strategies EFFICIENCY * The simplest measure of efficiency is the quantity of inputs that it takes to produce a given output; the more efficient a company is, the fewer the inputs required to produce a given output and the lower its cost structure will be. * E. G. In 2007, IBM spent $11. 8 billion to acquire 36 software and 18 service companies in the fields such as security, data management, and Web commerce * QUALITY * The CEO’s strategy was to focus on high-profit margin products that directly complemented its service and software offerings. IBM had sold off its PC business to Lenovo; its disk drive business to Hitachi, and its printer business to Ricoh. By doing this, IBM is able to focus on high-profit margin products and ditch the failing products in the company that are sold off to other companies * INNOVATION * By keeping up with the technology advancements, IBM had announced a new â€Å"virtual world† IT initiative to make it easier for geographical dispersed people to interact and collaborate without the time and expense of in-person meetings. These virtual worlds are interactive, immersive Web sites based on the use of three-dimensional graphics. This allows people to exchange instant messages, chat verbally, share real-time presentations and ideas in private, virtual meeting spaces that exist permanently in real time so people can meet on regular, periodic, or impromptu bases. * CUSTOMER RESPONSIVENESS * At this stage, the sales of its new mainframes of IBM were up by 25%; software revenue rose 5%, helped by increasing sales of its popular WebSphere software package that improves the performance of a company’s electronic commerce and business applications Building Competitive Advantage Through Business-Level Strategy Competitive Positioning High Market Segmentation * What IBM is doing is high market segmentation where they could choose to recognize the differences between customer groups and make a product targeted toward most or all of the different market segments. The customer responsiveness and high and products are being customized to meet the needs of customers in each group. * E. G. IBM had shifted its products to higher profit-margin services and automating traditional business processes such as procurement, finance and human resources which was leading to increasing numbers of long-term service contracts between large firms. Differentiators * Clearly, IBM is a differentiator. This is due to how IBM was able to acquire different software from companies which then was able to offer clients high profit-margin software application to satisfy their needs. IBM was able to differentiate their products from the leading competitors and satisfy consumers that the other competitors clearly could not Business-Level Strategy and the Industry Environment Main strategies that companies can adopt to deal with decline: * Leadership strategy The speed of decline and the intensity of competition in the declining industry are moderate. Through aggressive acquisitions, IBM was able to acquire much software to create high profit-margin products to satisfy customer needs and to also provide clients with their best service and consulting. The open standards approach that Gerstner’s approach was that as IBM’s consultants went from client to client assessing their needs; they were able to provide detailed feedback to IBM’s other divisions about whether their products were adequately meeting clients’ needs. Gerstner’s strong focus on being close to clients had the additional advantage of spurring innovation throughout the organization. Chaining * They establish networks of linked merchandising outlets that are interconnected by IT and function as one large company. The enormous buying power these companies possess through their chain of nationwide stores allows them to negotiate large price reductions with suppliers that promote their competitive advantage * With IBM, the company is able to link with other software companies and IT back up servers that could connect as one large company. By doing so, it allows IBM to create a competitive advantage in regards to price reduction from suppliers. Strategy & Technology Technological Paradigm Shifts * This occurs when new technologies come along that revolutionize the structure of the industry, dramatically alter the nature of competition, and require companies to adopt new strategies to survive. * E. G. When technology has been advancing, IBM innovated a new product that made geographical dispersed people to interact and collaborate without the time and expense of in-person meetings called the new â€Å"virtual world† from the IT department. Also, IBM had put its resources to good use by developing new kinds of mainframes and servers that would appeal to a wider number of customers groups and expand global sales. Proprietary standard * Establishing a proprietary standard as the industry standard may require the company to win a format war against a competing and incompatible standard. Strategies for doing this include producing complementary products, leveraging killer applications, using aggressive pricing and marketing, licensing the technology, and cooperating with competitors * E. G. IBM could produce complementary products, leverage killer software that they have been acquiring and perfecting it, also using aggressive pricing and marketing to let gain new consumers. Strategy in the Global Market By serving as a global market, a company can potentially utilize its production facilities more intensively, which leads to higher productivity, lower costs and greater profitability. Global sales also increase the size of the enterprise, so its bargaining power with suppliers increase, which may allow it to bargain down the cost of key inputs and boost more profitability. IBM made the investment to establish huge, low-cost service delivery centers for its global clients by improving the software necessary to automate the management of networks and data centers, and develop IT to improve telecommunications, especially Internet services. From India, IBM runs a whole range of IT services for its global customers. In Bangalore, IBM has a command center that monitors the ope ration of the database server networks of more than 16,000 clients. Through this, IBM was forced to eliminate 20,000 jobs in Europe and the US, and move these jobs to India as the cost of labour in India is significantly low. Corporate Level Strategy Vertical Integration * This could enable IBM to achieve a competitive advantage by helping build barriers to entry, facilitating investments in specialized assets, protecting product quality, and helping to improve scheduling between adjacent stages in the value chain * One of the disadvantages is that it increases bureaucratic costs if IBM’s supplier becomes lazy or inefficient, and it reduces flexibility when technology is changing fast or demand is uncertain Strategy Outsourcing By strategic outsourcing of value creation activities, it may allow a company to lower its costs, better differentiate its products, and make better use of scarce resources, while also enabling it to respond rapidly to changing market conditions * One of the disadvantages is that if IBM outsources important value creation activities or becomes too dependent on the key suppliers of those activities * IBM has invested in India to take advantage of its growing importance as a m arket for technology products and a source of high-technology workers. IBM made the investment to establish huge, low-cost service delivery centers for its global clients, improve the software necessary to automate the management of networks and data centers, and develop IT to improve telecommunications. IBM runs a whole range of IT services for its global customers, including software delivery services such as upgrading and maintaining client software and managing and protecting database centers in India. Also in Bangalore, IBM has a command center that monitors the operation of the database server networks. The largest of IBM’s three global IT service centers are in India, Brazil, and China. IBM’s scope was to expand traditional outsourcing operations and attract more and more global clients to compensate for reduced profit margins so it can still increase profits from this group. Related and Unrelated Diversification Acquisitions * Acquisitions are used to pursue vertical integration or diversification when a company lacks the distinctive competencies necessary to compete in the industry. Acquisitions are often perceived as being less risky than internal new ventures because they involve less commercial uncertainty. * IBM has done many acquisitions, such as Lotus, CenterPoint Energy, Phillippines PSBank, PTT Chemical Public Company of Thailand, Skynet in Lithuania, Cognos etc. which helps IBM increase its expertise in specialized IT services to strengthen its competitive advantage Corporate Performance, Governance, and Business Ethics ROIC 1) Participate in growing market 2) Take market share from competitors ) Consolidate industry through horizontal integration 4) International expansion, vertical integration or diversification * E. G. For IBM, pursing strategies to maximize profitability and profit growth helps a company to better satisfy the demands that several stakeholder groups place on it, not the other way around. Also, by maximizing returns to stockholders, IBM could boost its profitability and profit growth rate to be consistent in satisfying the claims of s everal other key stakeholder groups. Ethics * Despite the argument that maximizing long-run profitability and profit growth is the best way to satisfy the claims of several key stakeholder groups, a company must do so within the limits set by the law and in a manner consistent with societal expectations * It is incumbent on managers at IBM to make sure that the company is in compliance with these laws when pursuing strategies. Unfortunately, there is plenty of evidence that managers can be tempted to cross the line between the legal and illegal in their pursuit of greater profitability and profit growth. IBM could hold many various seminars on the topic of ethics and to try and implement ethical protocols when dealing with an issue that arises. Implementing Strategy in Companies that Compete in a Single Industry Strategic Reward Systems * Organizations strive to control employees’ behavior by linking reward systems to their control systems. Based on a IBM’s strategy (cost leadership or differentiation), strategic manager must decide which behaviors to reward. Selecting, Developing an Action/Implementation Plan * Disadvantage of acquisitions * Many acquisitions fail to increase the profitability of the acquiring company and may result in losses. Acquisition may fail to raise the performance of the acquiring companies suggesting that acquisitions usually destroy rather than create value. As IBM is acquiring many types of software to enhance its competitive advantage, but it may fail to raise the performance of the acquiring companies for four reasons * Companies frequently experience management problems when they attempt to integrate a different company’s organizational structure and culture into their own * Companies often overestimate the potential economic benefits from an acquisition * Acquisitions tend to be so expensive that they do not increase future profitability * Companies are often negligent in s creening their acquisition targets and fail to recognize important problems with their business models * IBM should be firm on their management organization structure to refrain any management problems with IBM makes an acquisition * IBM should weight out all the pros and cons to distinguish whether the acquisition is beneficial to the company or not. Also, when doing the acquisition, IBM should think of all the important problems that align with their current business model * Outsourcing * IBM will fail when their profitability is now substantially lower than the average profitability of its competitors; it has lost the ability to attract and generate resources, so its profit margins and invested capitals are shrinking rapidly. IBM will have to acquire many new software to keep their competitive advantage * IBM should incorporate quality control in those countries that they have outsourced their services and consulting to continue to attract and generate resources and have profit margins still high