Competitive Strategies for Wal-Mart

The emergence of Wal-Mart as a big box retailer has changed retail in the United States, according to a 2008 article on Wal-Mart and competition in AllBusiness. com. Big box retailers typically have stores exceeding 50,000 square feet. This type of store is standard, with large windowless single-story buildings. Several other big box retailers like Toys â€Å"R† Us, Best Buy, Target, Lowe's and Home Depot have created competition for Wal-Mart. However, Wal-Mart has stood out as the perennial merchandise big box retailer, according to the AllBusiness. om article. Because of its big box status, Wal-Mart has exceeded small retailers in profits. Annual revenues for 2004 were slightly over $288 billion. Revenues in 2006 exceeded $350 billion. Wal-Mart maintains its status as a big box retailer by seeking profits through a high volume of low-price items. Low-Cost Leadership Wal-Mart's slogan is â€Å"Spend Less. Live Better. † The giant retailer prides itself on providing customers with low-cost items that beat competitors. Wal-Mart reported a 3.6   percent increase in net income from cost cutting, according to an August 2010 Associated Press article. Also read MGMT-QUIZ about types of competitive strategies Customers are cautious about spending because of a slow economy, and Wal-Mart continues to be their low-cost option. Customers choose to shop at Super Wal-Mart centers for groceries, rather than the local grocery store because of discounted items. For example, Wal-Mart offers $1 ketchup bottles and $4 for a case of soda. The Associated Press article stated that Wal-Mart benefited during the recession as affluent shoppers were forced to downgrade to cheaper options.

Mini Case

I. Deals-R-Us Brokers (Part 1) Fred Jones, a distant relative of yours and president of Deals-R-Us Brokers (DRUB), has come to you for advice. DRUB is a small brokerage house that enables its clients to buy and sell stocks over the Internet, as well as place traditional orders by phone or fax. DRUB has just decided to offer a set of stock analysis tools that will help its clients more easily pick winning stocks, or so Fred tells you. Fred’s information systems department has presented him with two alternatives for developing the new tools.The first alternative will have a special tool developed in C++ that clients will download onto their computers to run. The tool will communicate with the DRUB server to select data to analyze. The second alternative will have the C++ program running on the server, the client will use his or her browser to interact with the server. a. Classify the two alternatives in terms of what type of application architecture they use. b. Outline the pros and cons of the two alternatives and make a recommendation to Fred about which is better. Mini Case 1 SolutionThe second alternative will use the host-based architecture. Using this alternative, the server will do all the work. Because of this, the server will become very slow in processing those requests as more users are sending them. It cost a lot of money to upgrade those mainframes. The first alternative will use the client-server application architecture. In this case, the server and the client computer will share the workload. The server will be able to respond to many users’ requests without any slowness. This is the best option Fred needs to use for his business.

Black America Essay Example for Free

Black America Essay I. Introduction A. One significant problem faced among the judicial system is the injustice involving African Americans with sentencing and racial profiling. Not only will the individual and society response be discussed but the expert’s theories and alternative solutions will be included. II. African Americans facing injustice within the judicial system. A. Sentencing for crimes committed compared to other races. 1. Marissa Alexander, a black mother, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after shooting a warning shot to scare her abusive husband. No one was injured in her choice to shoot the warning shoot but Amber Cummings, a 32 year old mother, did not face any jail time for killing her husband who was said to be a white supremacists. 2. Judge Jean Boyd sentenced a young white male, Ethan Couch, after killing 4 individuals while driving drunk, to 10 years of probation and sentence a 14 year old black male to 10 years of prison after punching and killing a man. Ethan Couch prior to the incidents, stole from a store and alcohol level was three times the limit. Neither young men where mentally ill or had justification on the crimes they committed but sentencing was harsher for the young black male. 3. John McNeil, a black father of two, was sentenced to seven years in prison and 13 years of probation in 2005 for murdering a white male that threaten to stab his sons after trespassing on their property while Joe Horn, an elderly white male shot and killed two men that was breaking and entering into his neighbor’s home one night. Horn took it upon himself, even after the 911 operator repeatedly informed him not to interfere in the situation because the cops were on the way, to murder the two men. 2 B. Racial Profiling of African American individuals. 1 Trayvon Martin was a young black teen walking through a neighborhood with a black hoodie and was murdered by George Zimmerman because he believe the young teen was going to commit a crime. George Zimmerman did not serve any jail-time for the murder. 4. African Americans have a higher chance of being stop by police officers when driving and frisking than a White American. Research has found that â€Å"in investigatory stops, a black man age twenty-five or younger has a 28 percent chance of being stopped for an investigatory reason over the course of an year; a similar young white man has 12. 5 percent chance and a similar young white woman has only a 7 percent chance†. (Epp & Maynard, 2014, p. 15) 5. African Americans also has a higher chance of being stalked or watched closely in department stores. For example: Barneys, a high-in department store is now under fire for its practices when facing minorities. Two young African Americans have come forward with their issues faced when shopping in Barneys. One young man, Trayon Christian was put in handcuffs after an employee of Barneys called the police to report a fraudulent credit card used by the African American male and later found out the credit card was real. Kayla Philips purchased a 2300. 00 pursed and was later stop by the police upon leaving the store. (Harris, 2013, p. 1) III. Expert’s Opinion on the problem. A. Both David Harris and Randall Kennedy have research and exam research on the topic of racial profiling. 1 David Harris is a law professor at University of Pittsburg School of Law and has found that in 2003, many of the traffic vehicle stops resulted in illegal substances and goods being found by police officers. When Harris calculated the traffic vehicle stops he came across that White Black America vs. the Criminal Justice SystemPage 2 of 8 3 Americans contributed to most of the stops and that â€Å"that racial profiling is a counterproductive law enforcement strategy as well as a controversial one. † (Collica, 2012, chp. 4. 3). 2 Randall Kennedy wrote an article in 2011 title, â€Å"†Race and the Administration of Criminal Justice in the United States†. In 2006 he research racial profiling in New York City and found that â€Å"55% of African Americans were stopped by the police and that number is twice the representation of Blacks in the local population. † (Collica, 2012, chp. 4. 3) IV. Society response on the problem. A. Citizens are coming together to form rallies for Justice. 1. Ferguson, Missouri citizens have rallied and protest since the death of Michael Brown, a young African American male who was gunned down by a police officer. 2. Many cities, states and countries rallied after the disappointing verdict of the Trayvon Martin case. V. The public policies in place to rectify the problem. A. In May of 2013, Congress put into play the End Racial Profiling Act. 1. This act was set in place to end racial profiling among law enforcement agencies by: Black America vs. the Criminal Justice SystemPage 3 of 8 4 a. â€Å"Grants the United States or an individual injured by racial profiling the right to obtain declaratory or injunctive relief. † (â€Å"End of Racial Profiling,† 2013). b. â€Å"Requires federal law enforcement agencies to maintain adequate policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling and to cease existing practices that permit racial profiling. † (â€Å"End of Racial Profiling,† 2013) VI. Alternative solutions that can assist with the issue. A. Every police office should have a camera inside of their vehicles or a camera on their bodies at all times. If the rules cannot be followed then the police officer should face disciplinary actions. 1. If the police force use the camera in the car and on themselves at all times this will help minimize police brutality. Police Officers will make sure to use proper force in every situation and will not overuse their power as authority figures. B. If a citizen decides to use deadly force against an individual and that individual is killed, that citizen should face jail time, unless that individual posed a threat to their life or others. 1. Citizens find that they can shoot anyone for anything. Unless this person is trying to cause physical harm to them, citizens should not have the authority to use deadly force against anyone. 2. If someone is in a domestic violence situation and the police is called the individual causing harm should automatically be arrested and charges should be placed on that individual. No more allowing the victim the ability to agree or disagree to these charges. Not only will this allow the abuse to get out of the situation, this will also help with future violence†¦including murder. Black America vs. the Criminal Justice SystemPage 4 of 8 5 C. Police Officers should always use a stun gun or pepper spray whenever they come across an irate individual. 1. Police officers should always use their pepper spray or stun guns when taking down or taking in an unarm individual. Especially if there is more than one officer at the scene of the crime. If someone is resisting arrest use the stun gun or pepper spray to subdue the individual. Let’s stop violence with using more force than necessary. VII. Conclusion A. It has slightly change throughout the years with African American men and women having the right to vote and sit peacefully in a restaurant without being bothered or called names but in all fairness, African American people will always have it hard. Yes, we have an African American president but that does not stop the high numbers of frisking or being stop by the police after purchasing a high dollar amount item because someone believes you could possibly be a thief. Yes, the statistics throughout the years to come might dwindled down but the Black race will be looked down upon and will called criminals because of a few bad apples. The Black race will still continue to be murdered in the streets, unarmed or surrendering with no proper justice because, like the saying, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Black America vs. the Criminal Justice SystemPage 5 of 8 6 References Collica, K. & Furst, G. (2012). Crime and Society. San Diego CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. It explains criminology and how society responds to crime. It breaks down crime through age, gender, race, education and living conditions. It shows statistics of crime and types of crime and explains how the statistics are measured. Epp, C. , & Maynard-Moody, S. (2014). Driving While Black. Washington Monthly, 46(1/2), 14- 16.

Organization (Mod 3 SLP PoM) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organization (Mod 3 SLP PoM) - Essay Example This essay includes three parts mainly highlighting the importance of organizing within a military contracting organization, named Northbridge Services Group. Along with this, it also includes the role played by various elements like work specialization, departmentalization, chain of command, span of control and centralization or decentralization of organizing in different organizational structures. Organizing is described as a procedure which includes vivid planning and scheduling of varied ideas and information in order to reduce the negative impacts and to enhance the success of the plan or strategy like restructuring or alliance or others. The concept of organizing is used so that the plan or strategy gets accepted by all the employees thereby enhancing its scope of success (Vlasic, 2013). Thus, it is extremely essential for any organization, operating in any segment. Likewise, the concept of organizing is also essential for a military contracting company named Northbridge Services Group, as it offers varied types of services like advices, trainings, operational and intelligent support and many others to governments, multi-national corporations and many others. So, for them, organizing is extremely essential in order to offer their services appropriately that may enhance their level of standards and brand value (Higgins & Green, 2012). Organizational design is described as the structure of an organization. It varies from one organization to another like simple, hierarchical, matrix and many others. On the basis of the structure of the organization, the roles and responsibilities of the employees are delegated. Like, the organization of Northbridge Services Group comprises of a simple structure. In this type of structure, maximum extent of the decisions is taken by the high level authorities of the organization. Along with this, grouping of job responsibilities (decentralization), work specialization or job distribution, unity of command or

Cultural Immersion Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cultural Immersion Experience - Essay Example The researcher states that the set up for Hejazi market was quite diversified and grand. Since it was a common ground for all the races and Muslim culture promotes equality considering all men equal in the eyes of God hence it was made sure that no disparity of any sort occurs. The event was a showcase of the Arab traditions, therefore, the arrangement was done in a manner that represented the Arab culture extravagance and grace. Furthermore, since the Arab culture and Islam has strict rules regarding women exploitation hence the event was segregated where there was no sort of physical contact between the male and the females. The event formally started with recitation of the Holy Qur'an. Praise was given to the sovereign and almighty. Later the event formally started with speeches by the organizers and the ones in power (chief guests). Later all those races which came to this market were introduced. After that all individuals who wanted to share their experience regarding the event or how various cultures and races have added to their well-being. These people shared their thoughts with the audience. This event allowed individuals to share what they have learned from dwelling with different races thus giving then a good opportunity to socialize. This event is a very important component in developing unity, harmony, and sustainability within the region. This event was very grand and had various races that were present to share their experiences. Mostly there were Arabs belonging to various tribes and settings. Also, there were Arabs who specially came from the rural areas in order to attend this grand convention. There was a lot of cultural diversity seen when it came to linguistics, clothing, food. Hence it was a very enriching experience as one got to know people from other races better. Initially, it was a bit difficult for the author to socialize with the groups. As they knew that the researcher is studying abroad some people have issues with that as they th ought that the author has adopted western culture. For others, it was a source of pride to have an Arab studying abroad. Once the researcher introduced himself to the people all welcomed him warm-heartedly. They asked the author about the western culture and whether it was difficult for him to socialize and mix with the natives. They also talked about their race and how things have transformed with time. One thing that the author observed was the temptation to acquire knowledge and learn present in all individuals there. Hence the overall response was quite positive. Initially, it was quite difficult for the author to be out of his comfort zone. Prior to attending the event, the researcher was doubtful about how he would be received there. But to his surprise, the response was very positive and heartwarming.

Advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing in IT Project Management Research Paper

Advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing in IT Project Management - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that in most of the businesses today, the sole aim is to operate at optimum levels, where they reduce as many costs as possible and increase revenues to their best. In cost reduction, it is about reducing expenditure, especially expenditure, and ensuring that they use the cheapest products and services as possible. For instance, a company might be in need of a certain service for just but a short period of time. It could also be in need of such a service seasonally and not throughout. It would then be quite expensive and unnecessary to hire a full-time professional to handle that task for a short period then stay idle for a larger amount of time. In such cases, the company could consider hiring that professional on a contractual kind of a relationship. This is the primary concept lying behind outsourcing. Outsourcing is essentially the act of assigning certain business processes or activities to an external party that can help in handling t hem. Most of the time, large organizations cannot handle all their processes internally, either because they are too complex, bulky, or seasonal. The more common reason is the temporary nature of some tasks, such that the company is not willing to hire professionals permanently to carry out these activities from within. When the company then outsources the work to the external service provider, they accord them the responsibility of handling that activity all by themselves and maintaining the firm’s interests and assets at the same time.

Strategic Banking Issues Regulations and Profitability Essay

Strategic Banking Issues Regulations and Profitability - Essay Example There is a host of ideas about the probable cause of the financial crisis. The classical explanation is very clear. Financial crisis are the result of monetary excesses. Monetary excesses first create boom and then there is a bust. In the crisis of 2008, we had a housing boom and bust, and these in turn led to financial turmoil in the United States and rest of the world.The monetary policy was strategically loose. The interest rate setting based on macroeconomic variables had shifted significantly from the rates prescribed by the policy makers. The Federal Reserve said that the interest rates would be low for a considerable period and then would rise at a measured pace. These actions were irregular government interventions to reduce the fear of deflation that Japan had faced in the 1990s.There are a few competing explanations for the crisis. One of the arguments is called ‘Global Savings Glut.’ Proponents of this concept argue that the low interest rates in 2002-2004 wer e caused by global factors and thus monetary authorities have nothing to do. This alternative explanation focuses on global saving. It argues that there was an excess of world saving or a ‘global saving glut’ as they say and it pushed interest rates down in the United States and other countries. But the numbers from the International Monetary Fund says a different story. The numbers tells that the global savings rate as a percentage of world’s GDP in 2002-04 was very low compared to the 1970s and 1980s.... The Federal Reserve said that the interest rates would be low for a considerable period and then would rise at a measured pace. These actions were irregular government interventions to reduce the fear of deflation that Japan had faced in the 1990s (Taylor, 2009, pp. 3-4). There are a few competing explanations for the crisis. One of the arguments is called ‘Global Savings Glut.’ Proponents of this concept argue that the low interest rates in 2002-2004 were caused by global factors and thus monetary authorities have nothing to do. This alternative explanation focuses on global saving. It argues that there was an excess of world saving or a ‘global saving glut’ as they say and it pushed interest rates down in the United States and other countries. But the numbers from the International Monetary Fund says a different story. The numbers tells that the global savings rate as a percentage of world’s GDP in 2002-04 was very low compared to the 1970s and 1980 s (Taylor, 2009, pp. 5-6). The crisis started as the fall of subprime lending market. Here the monetary interaction with the subprime mortgage problem needs to be understood. In the summer of 2007, the United States first experienced a striking contraction in wealth. The risk spread increased, and the credit market deteriorated. The 2007 United States sub-prime crisis has its roots in falling housing prices and this led to higher default levels particularly among less credit-worthy borrowers. The impact of these defaults on the financial sector has been largely exaggerated due to the complex bundling of obligations that was thought to spread risk efficiently. Unfortunately, the ensuing tools were extremely

INTB300 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

INTB300 - Essay Example The author believes that while education is major element that is able to promote these ideals, it can, at the same time become a tool for the vested interest to play havoc with the lives of the innocent people. The financial scams, terrorism, child abuse etc. are few instances of misuse of education at its worst. Globalization has become an intrinsic part of contemporary social structure which needs to be understood for its wider ramifications on various spheres of human life. Indeed, historical events have been great facilitators to understand the change. One therefore must make efforts to understand the complex nature of changing social values and adopt them in their lives so as to exploit them for one’s own personal and professional growth. The current recessive trend in American economy is often contributed to President Reagan’s market policies and liberalization. But it is important to note that deregulation of banks was the major factor that had promoted riskier business propositions. It was during President Clinton’s administration that banks’ deregulation bill was passed. Hence, sub-prime loans of banks for housing had ultimately resulted in the collapse of American economy. Thus, one can say that economic reforms must be accompanied by effective government control

War of 1812 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

War of 1812 - Essay Example Similar to the War of Independence (1775-1783), the war of 1812 was a result of conflicts between the Great Britain and the USA over spheres of influence and power on the American continent. During the War of Independence, the Thirteen colonies overthrew the British rules and established a new state governed by the American people. During the revolutionary years, the Declaration of Independence was promulgated (1776). Nations desiring to achieve these beneficial ends will agree, therefore, that no part of the American union ought ever to be subjected again to foreign rule2. The American Revolution and the war of 1812 changed international relations and opened new opportunities for international trade. The American government received a chance to trade with the rest of the world and supply cotton, tea and other goods to the Old world. Spain did not fear the rising power of the independent United States as it had when the colonies were an extension of British imperial power3. Both wars had similar battles and military strategies applied by the US Army leaders. The main military confrontations took place in Quebec, Massachusetts, Great Lacks and New York. The result of the wars was that fforeign trade improved economic conditions of the United states and increased the state budget.

Discipline in Schools Essay Example for Free

Discipline in Schools Essay A majority of us have families with children various ages, and the title of this article caught my eye for the simple fact I have teenage kids in school that have previously been assigned in-school suspension for minor disciplinary acts such as being tardy or turning in incomplete assignments. Working adults and parents are the primary targets of this particular article which sparks my personal interest towards this issue. I felt the author of this article gave a somewhat neutral observation of this topic, giving both sides of the story in a calm yet quite informative tone. He listed infractions that resulted in suspensions as well as different types of suspension outcomes. It’s important to note that suspending a student for being disruptive in class and suspending a student for fighting should be handled differently however both instances should require the students to continue working on their curriculum. With references from other educators as well as reports from the US Department of Education I would have to say that the contents of this article appear to be creditable. Results from out of school suspensions prove to be doing more harm than good, leaving students at home unsupervised with a couple days off with no curriculum to work on verses the alternative of requiring students to attend on the weekends seems to be a better solution, however funding for weekend programs is a separate issue. The authors intend of this article is to inform and acknowledge new alternatives need to be explored when it comes to disciplinary actions such as suspensions. Additional resources will have to be implemented, academic and financial. Overall I thought this to be a particularly interesting and informative article.

Life Cycle Costing

Life Cycle Costing Life-cycle costs and other direct costs can be defined as the total cost throughout its life including planning, design, procurement and support costs of the assets owned or used. Life cycle costing is divided into six-staged process. The first four stages which are plan life cycle costs analysis, select or develop life cycle model, apply life cycle model and documents and review life cycle results comprise the life cost planning phase. The last two stages which are preparing life cycle cost analysis and implement and monitor life cycle analysis incorporating the life cost analysis phase. Life cost analysis is used as the basis for monitoring and management of costs over an assetà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s life. It makes creating, operating and disposal costs of the alternative is life, so that the monitoring of accurate and timely decision-making, in order to reduce manufacturing costs can be. The reason for using life cycle costing is to determine the sum of all the costs associated with a n asset including acquisition, installation, operation, maintenance, refurbishment and disposal costs. Capital and ongoing operating and maintenance costs must be considered wherever asset management, risk management, value management and demand management decisions involving costs are made. Case Study Life cycle costing is currently a valuable tool in the construction industry. Selecting the materials and components of structures and pavements based on a life cycle costing can significantly decrease the lifetime cost of construction, maintenance and repair. Life-cycle cost analysis tool in engineering economic analysis more useful alternative to the road layout in the relative value of competition. This method uses a structured method of accounting for agency costs of activities and users of transport activities. By considering the useful life of assets for all expenses related to, and life cycle costing process will help transportation officials choose the lowest total cost options, and provides a means to balance and construction to restore the users influence, and preserve the requirements of pavement itself. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has a long road selection decision-making process and successful history, the use of life-cycle cost analysis. Since th e mid-80s of the 20th century, PennDOT conducted a life cycle, it is estimated more than 1 million U.S. dollars and other road projects the initial cost of more than 10 million U.S. dollars of the cost estimates the cost of all road works. PennDOT 15 to 20 projects, each of sufficient size, it is a life-cycle cost. For these projects, PennDOT cycle cost base the choice depends on its design life, including the impact of vehicle operation, the user delays and cost increases, due to the existence of a work area. Because of its life-cycle cost analysis of policy, has made significant improvement in PennDOT road projects, including improving the overall performance of the pavement in the country, the new sidewalks and rehabilitation work, with the public and the industry decided to raise the choice of pavement types can be reliability organizations reduce costs. In addition, the life-cycle cost analysis is also given to the implementation of PennDOT. PennDOT has taken its life-cycle cos t analysis, and decisive implementation of top-down approach. The Department reviewed the entire pavement design and selection process. Then PennDOT Director has established a special task force to examine its applicability to the transport system, Pennsylvanias new technology. Life-cycle cost analysis method, choose a line to determine the cost of long-term agency PennDOT and user requirements. Cooperation with national experts, Pennsylvania State University and industry groups, PennDOT developed the Highway Geometric Design Manual and Pavement Policy Manual. The road design manual for all processes, including life-cycle cost analysis. To the mid-80s, these manuals are designed to use the road every PennDOT. Life-cycle cost to provide some benefits pavement design, it is PennDOT found that life-cycle cost analysis process, improve the quality of all road design input, and lead to better. Second, PennDOT engineers are more concerned about the costs and activities of various road materials and the performance of knowledge. Life cycle cost analysis process provides the opportunity to preliminary structural design of the road after an investigation in all aspects of life. Life-cycle cost advantage under the credit. PennDOTs track record of centralized control of the process life-cycle cost analysis to improve the transparency of the road, pavement type selection, the decision to choose the road less likely to be challenged industry group. In addition, PennDOT using the life-cycle cost of consideration at the project level because many roads have been taxed on the capacity and institutional trade-off between the cost of the user cost framework analysis, PennDOT had formally recognized the wor k of district activities, users and other causes roadway operating costs of vehicle delay. The final advantage is that PennDOT pavement design and life cycle cost analysis of the selection process, established clear benchmarks PennDOT pavement performance. Asphalt and concrete industry has been implemented to meet the challenges of PennDOT and better products and lower costs of adaptation. In addition, the contractors have reduced their offer in order to maintain competitiveness in a standardized environment. With a life-cycle cost analysis of the pros and cons of life cycle cost of inputs is uncertain, PennDOT has modified its corresponding road selection criteria. PennDOT to pavement design life-cycle costs through the information provided during the decision-making. However, the life-cycle costs such as agency costs and investment performance of the road, can not predict. Second, PennDOT had to rely on expert opinion and historical data to put into the development of local constituencies. PennDOT recognized as potential barriers to implementation as a lack of systematic data, and specifically decided to use the records to experts, then it has an appropriate analysis of historical data sources. At the same time, the existing database of research capabilities, to provide them with these inputs. As a data source through the development process at the same time, PennDOT for enforcing the majority of their local constituencies program and put back in it, if the process has been developed in order. PennDOT practice continuous improvement of the selection decision-making process and the road. Although the existing method has made the road what, just 20 years ago, the department has decided to review the contract in the process is expected. The review will be independent of the sector, and experts are not employed by PennDOT road. Specifically, the review will examine the user fees and accommodation of uncertainty in the analysis of the role. While PennDOT does not expect any significant change in its method of choice is life cycle cost benefits of the program has brought more credibility, improved design, and reduce costs. Such PennDOT to ensure sustainable development. K Amelio (2000), Life Cycle Cost Literature Survey and Database for Concrete, Journal of Structural, www.ecst.csuchico.edu/__depts/cim/documents/41.pdf United States

Morrie Schwartz Essay -- essays research papers

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom is a true story of an old man and his way of dealing with the knowledge that he is slowly dying, and a disease is taking over his body. Morrie Schwartz was Mitch Alboms college professor more than twenty years ago. We are first introduced to Morrie while Mitch is flipping through the television channels and suddenly hears Morrie’s name. Mitch had not heard from his from professor for years and had not tried to get in touch with the professor, so the news he heard next from the screen was a shock. Morrie Schwartz, his college professor had been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Scierosis or (ALS) an incurable and fatal disease that takes over your nervous system. It is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease after a famous baseball player who fell victim to it. There is no cure for ALS at this time and treatment is focused on management of the symptoms, involving a combination of physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech, respiratory, and nutritional therapies. Moderate exercise may help maintain muscle strength and function. Drugs can also treat excessive saliva and drooling, and speech therapy can help compensate for loss of muscular control of the mouth. As the disease progresses and muscular degeneration spreads throughout the body, various devices may provide support, such as ankle braces, neck collars, reclining chairs, wheelchairs, and hospital beds. Respiratory support and feeding tubes are required when the person loses cont...

Gay Marriage Essay -- Same-Sex Marriage Essays

A large majority of people in the United States will say that they are in favor of equal rights for homosexuals. They will all agree that homosexuals should have the same rights in housing, jobs, public accommodations, and should have equal access to government benefits, equal protection of the law, and other rights granted to US citizens. However, when the topic of marriage arises, all the talk of equality ceases. Over fifty percent of all people in the United States oppose homosexual marriage, despite the fact that most are otherwise supportive of homosexual rights. This means that many of the same people who are even passionately in favor of homosexual rights oppose homosexuals on this one issue. This is because there is a lot of misunderstanding about what homosexuality really is, as well as the erroneous assumption that homosexual people enjoy the same civil rights protections as everyone else. For the reasons of ending social injustice, the economic and social benefits of allo wing homosexuals to marry, and the constitution, homosexual marriages should be a legalized institution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Homosexuals are often treated unjustly socially. Homosexual people and couples are treated as inferior to that of heterosexuals. The values that homosexual couples exhibit in their daily lives are often indistinguishable from those of their straight neighbors. They're loyal to their mates, and are devoted partners. Many of the reasons offered for opposing homosexual marriage are based on the assumption that homosexuals have a choice in which they can feel attracted to, and the reality is quite different. Many people actually believe that homosexuals could simply choose to be heterosexual if they wished. But the reality is that very few do have a choice; any more than very few heterosexuals could choose which sex to find them attracted to. Additionally, many people continue to believe the propaganda from right-wing religious organizations that homosexuality is about nothing but sex, considering it to be merely a sexual perversion. Homosexual relationships are just like heterosexual ones, and are much more about love and affection than they are about sex. And this is what homosexual relationships are based on: mutual attraction, love and affection. Sex, in a committed homosexual relationship, is merely a means of expressing that love, just the same ... ...o deny that the right to marriage whomever you may choose is constitutionally guaranteed. Homosexuals, targets of discrimination and social injustice, deserve to have equal opportunities and rights as every other person in America, homosexual or straight. Homosexual marriages are accepted already by the Constitution, and they offer nothing but economic and social benefits if legalized, therefore there is no real reason as to why homosexual marriages should not be legalized. Legg, Joshua. Interview. 17 May 2004. 23 Nov. 2004 . Cooperman, Alan. â€Å"Christian Groups Say They Won't Give Up.† The Washington Post. Jul. 15, 2004. . â€Å"Q&A: Same-Sex Marriage.† The Washington Post. Mar. 10, 2004. . Rauch, Jonathan. Gay Marriage : Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America. New York: Times Books, 2004. 1-224. Baird, Robert M., and Stuart E. Rosenbaum. Same-Sex Marriage: The Moral and Legal Debate. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 1997. 1-242. Nieves, Evelyn. â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage Issue Fires Up Gays.† The Washington Post. Nov. 1, 2004. . Civil Rights: Brown v. Board of Education I (1954). 12 Jan. 2005. National Center for Public Policy Research. 24 Jan. 2005 .

Satellite Broadband Essay examples -- essays research papers

In recent years the demand for high-speed networking, driven mainly by the rapid expansion of the Internet, has been growing at an exponential rate. While a wide range of wireline and wireless solutions offering broadband connectivity are or will shortly be available, communication satellites are beginning to emerge as an attractive solution in providing broadband connectivity to a variety of users. The wide area or global coverage of satellites enables service provision to a large number of dispersed users and solve the expensive "last-mile" issue without dedicating to each user cable, fiber, switching equipment ports, etc. The broadcast nature of satellites supports efficiently the transmission of the same message to a large number of stations, making satellites the natural choice for multicasting services. Satellites are also attractive for interconnection of geographically distributed high-speed networks, or for providing other multimedia services to both home and business users. Hence, while much broadband communication today is carried via terrestrial links, satellites will come to play a greater and more important role. This can be demonstrated by the increasing commercial interest in this area and the large number of systems that are currently under development. On the other hand, considerable research work is under way to overcome some of the serious shortcomings inherent in satellite-based systems, such as significant propagation delays, wireless channel quality, exposure of systems to space radiation, etc. The service focus and nature of satellite systems themselves is also changing, with revolutionary new technologies such as onboard switching, spot-beam technology, inter-satellite links and constellations of systems in a variety of orbits (LEO, MEO, GEO, or Hybrid Orbits), that represent new challenges for the satellite industry. As with any hot topic today, the World Wide Web offers a wealth of information on satellite systems and networks. In these pages we try to collect some of this information in a somewhat organized manner. We try to focus on links relevant to Broadband Satellite Systems, although we also provide links and information to related topics in the more general areas of satellite systems and communication networks. There is material here that could be useful to a satellite expert, an engineering professional who is ne... ...iness market. However, if satellite access is really going to catch on, as operators hope and believe, then there has to be traffic over the network after five o'clock as well. For that to happen, there has to be a consumer market, which will require much lower priced terminals. "Satellite operators have very aggressive target prices in mind for terminals, which is somewhat disadvantageous for Ericsson, compared with traditional suppliers," says Rudi Omholt. "Our strategy is to take advantage of our experiences and know-how from MINI-LINK and the telecom industry. Our strength lies in our reliability and quality and the fact that we are able to show operators an impressive production capacity and a global presence." Ericsson is following developments in the market for broadband access via satellite with interest, and is trying to put its finger on the desires of customers. By offering terminals and trying to land its first contract, the company hopes to form a stable foundation for new operations. "We will be setting serious requirements that one or more of the major telecom operators express an interest in the satellite market," says Ingmar Karlsson.

How Recent Laws Promote Anti Discriminatory Practise In An Health And Social Care Environment

If any person or organisation discriminates against any one due to these factors then this is against the law and the person that has been discriminated amongst is entitled to take legal action to right for their rights.it is unlawful to discriminate anyone. An example of discrimination is that an employer does not give an applicant a job even though they are the best qualified person because the employer incorrectly thinks that the applicant is gay. This is a form of direct discrimination. In a health and social care setting you should treat everyone equally no matter their sexual orientation. As a care professional you should not make assumptions or make prejudgements about a person because it could lead to the care user being physical and emotionally hurt as they are going to feel that they are not value because of their differences to other people in society. You as a care professional should value everyone’s differences as it shows respect to the care user.It is important that you provide everyone with the same amount of respect as this is in their code of conduct which all employees should follow as this is part for their job and they should take this into consideration. The purpose of this act if that it puts together 40 years of  equalities together legalisation all in one place. The purpose of this act is that it provides the same levels of protection from discrimination across all the protected characteristics in places where it is the most appropriate. Another reason is that this acts simples and consoles approximately 116 pieces of separate equality legalisation together . This act is important for our society as it means that :It extends the equality duty to require the public sector to take into account the need of all protected groups this act protects disable people from potential discriminated questions in the recruitment process it protect carers from discriminationIt states in this act that it protects pregnant women and mothers from using services The next law I will be talking about is the human right published in 1998. This act promotes anti discriminatory practise as people are entitled to a different amount of rights. These are some of the rights:the right to life the right to liberty the right to be protected against torture and slavery the right to have a free trail and punishment respect of privacy and family life freedom of thoughtAll residents living in the UK are entitled to these rights . An example of this is that a woman named Rosy told the manager that she was pregnant. the right that this lady is entitled to is that she is allowed to go on maternity leave .this is an right that the lady is entitled to as in the health and social care sector women are allowed to take off time when pregnant so they can send quality time with their family. Another example of a right is that in all hospitals patient are allowed to see their relatives during the visiting time locating on the ward. This allows the rel ative to spend quality time with the ill patient.

Idealism vs. Pragmatism in Don Quixote

Don Quixote is about an old, retired man named Alonso Quixano. He spends most of his time reading chivalrous tales-so much so that he hardly eats or sleeps, causing people to think he has lost his mind. One day, he decides to become a knight and go out in search of adventure. He renames himself Don Quixote de la Mancha, and his horse Rocinate. He enlists Sancho Panza, a neighbor, to be his squire, promising him governorship of an island. The two sneak off in the early dawn, and the adventures begin The first example of idealism vs. ragmatism was in the opening scene. A young Alonso is shown outside in a field playing and talking to himself, pretending to slay some enemies. His fantasy is shattered and he is brought back to the real world when his mother calls him inside to go to bed. The next example comes when Alonso is talking to his friends, who happen to be workers. He is optimistic that all of their lives could turn around and that there is an even bigger world full of opportuni ty out there just waiting to be discovered.All of his friends are realistic and tell him that they are going to be working for their entire lives. Next, Alonso Quixano wanted to be a knight. The barber was over at his house to give him a shave, and everyone was in the room. He started talking about his dreams of being a knight, and everyone laughed at him, telling him to just let the barber shave him. He ignored them, though. He ran outside and made his plans with Sancho Panza to escape and find an island to govern. This brings us to our next example of idealism vs. pragmatism.Alonso and Sancha take off on their horse and donkey, respectively. Remember, they are in search of an island. They will not be able to get to an island on their animals. After this, Don Quixote de la Mancha thought he would bring glory to himself and Sancha Panzo by killing the â€Å"giant monsters† that they ran into on their way to an island, when in reality the monsters were just windmills. He also thought a bleating flock of sheep were an army of singing soldiers. As you can easily tell, idealism and pragmatism are both extremely strong and important facets of Don Quixote.

Catch-22 and Dr. Strangelove Essay

In Joseph Heller’s novel, Catch-22, and Stanley Kubrick’s film, Dr. Strangelove, the bureaucrats are illustrated as illogical and untrustworthy. Heller’s attention to administrations such as the hospital and the military-establishment are recognized for their unreliable rationality and logic. Similarly, in Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick mocks the absurdities of the nuclear arms race and of the officials of the United States and The Soviet Union as he conveys the malfunction of highly placed government bureaucrats. Catch-22 and Dr. Strangelove, are two satirical and somewhat historical works that effectively comment on the corrupt and perhaps insane bureaucrats. The lives of Yossarian and the men in his squadron in Catch-22 are not determined by their own decisions but instead, by the decisions of the impersonal bureaucracy. The bureaucrats are absolutely oblivious to any attempt the men make to reason with them logically. Major Major, for example, will only see people in his office if he is not there and sends them away when he returns. Doc Daneeka refuses to ground Yossarian for his â€Å"insanity† because Yossarian’s desire to be grounded reveals that he is sane. Doc Daneeka elaborates in his discussion of Orr, Yossarian’s tent-mate. â€Å"Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to.† (46) Yossarian and the others in his squadron find that what they say and do has little effect on their fate when the bureaucracy controls them. Their only option is to follow the illogical rules and use what is expected of them to their own advantage. Yossarian’s superiors are more concerned with getting a promotion than they are about winning the war. Colonel Cathcart, the colonel in command of Yossarian’s squadron, tries to impress his superiors by â€Å"bravely† volunteering his men for dangerous combat. Cathcart’s only concern is being promoted to general. Cathcart continually raises the number of combat missions required of the men before they can be sent home. Yossarian argues with Doc Daneeka who explains, â€Å"†¦regulations do say you have to obey every order. That’s the catch. Even if the colonel were disobeying a Twenty-seventh Air Force order by making you fly more missions, you’d still have to fly them, or you’d be guilt y of disobeying an order of his.† (58) Similarly, Dr. Strangelove also criticizes the malfunctions of bureaucracy and the inadequacy of officials. General Jack Ripper gives the command to attack the Soviet Union without permission from his superiors or the president. Instead of discussing the idea of an attack with is supervisors, Ripper orders the attack because, according to him; Clemenceau†¦ said war was too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids. -Criticizes the malfunction of bureaucracy. (Dr. Strangelove) Mr. President’s embarrassment about the issue demonstrates bureaucracy does not function appropriately because those lower in command should not determine the launch of nuclear powers. Further exemplifying the inadequacy of the bureaucrats, the Joint Chiefs in the war room show their unprofessional and blatant prejudice, especially toward the Russians. General Buck Turgidson clearly states, â€Å"I’m beginning to smell a big fat Commie rat,† and later refers to them as â€Å"a bunch of ignorant peons.† The Germans are also referred to when Turgidson, upon learning Dr. Strangelove’s original German name, passes it off as â€Å"†¦a Kraut by any other name.† Dr. Strangelove, the character, also calls into question the reliability of people in power. Strangelove is clearly the Presidents scientific adviser in the war room whose appearance copies the mad scientist stereotype with his wild hair, black gloved hand, and his clearly brilliant yet insane mind. Through their presentation of bureaucracy, Heller and Kubrick display why officials and politicians are unfit to make important decisions concerning the safety of the country. Catch-22 conveys this notion through the bureaucracy’s enforcement of impractical rules and Catch-22’s on the eccentric men in Yossarian’s squadron. Kubrick suggests the same concept in Dr. Strangelove by frequently demonstrating the disorder, madness and prejudice of the officials. In either piece, the reader carries away the certainty of the instability of the men in control of important military and national decisions.

Dickens’ finest novel Essay

â€Å"Great Expectations† is considered Dickens’ finest novel. To what extent does it deserve this reputation? â€Å"Great expectations† was written by Charles Dickens in 1860. It is centred on Pip, an orphan living with his austere sister and her mild-mannered husband Joe Gargery the blacksmith. It follows his journey from being a simple boy with few expectations, to his moving to London and becoming a ‘gentleman’, at the expense of a mysterious benefactor. I am going to write an appreciation of it, analysing its main components: The story, the structure, the characters, the narration, the setting, the language and literary devices, the themes and the social/historical context, and evaluating their success to answer the question. â€Å"Great Expectations† combines many different genres, including romance, mystery, history, action and comedy. This means it has universal appeal, and people with a wide range of interests and preferences will find something to like about it. It also means that any individual reading it can respond it on a number of different levels. Great Expectations does not have one single ‘bad guy’ – many people fill this role. Magwitch, as the convict would have been the antagonist in a traditional story of good and evil, however Dickens does not portray him as such, and even when we see him terrorising young Pip, it is portrayed in a humorous light, and we do not hate him. Pip is the hero of the story; however, at times he is the ‘bad’ character. Mrs Joe is a character that could have been portrayed as an evil hag. However she is described with restraint as ‘not a good-looking woman’, and because Dickens does not go into much detail in the descriptions of her role as Pip’s childhood tormentor make her far more realistic. In a way, when she is attacked, we feel a sense of poetic justice because she made Pip’s life a misery. This is because she is a grimly realistic character and we don’t miss her as we would a classic funnier villain (like the Murdstones in David Copperfield). This deviation from the predictable structure of good and evil, present in some of Dickens other novels, makes the novel more interesting. It is also very well plotted. Subplots eventually relate to each other or to the main plot and sometimes they even fuse with the main plot (e. g. the convict that attacked Pip on the marshes fuses with Pip’s expectations). Miscellaneous minor characters who initially appear to have only a decorative role, become components of the main plot (e. g. Jaggers’s housekeeper turns out to be Estella’s mother). Unexpected relationships between characters, either in the subplots or in various aspects of the main plot, are also present (e.  g. Estella and the convict). â€Å"Great Expectations† was not written like a conventional novel and therefore has slightly unconventional structure. It was published in weekly instalments, each comprising of one or two chapters. This means that rather than guiding the story to a general climax at the end, Dickens had to incorporate mini-resolutions of the plot. Each episode also needed a cliff-hanger style ending to ensure the audience bought the next episode. This is apparent in the ending of the first instalment, which ends: â€Å"Then I put the fastenings as I had found them, opened the door at which I had entered when I ran home last night, shut it and ran for the misty marshes. † (Chapter 2; p 13) This resolves the first major incident in the story, in that we know Pip is doing exactly as the convict has instructed and the use of the phrase ‘ran for the misty marshes’ is used to create suspense on many levels. Obviously literally it means that Pip is returning to the marshes, to see the convict. The mood and tone created by the word ‘misty’ is one of uncertainty and mystery, which mirrors Pip’s feelings regarding the incident. The phrase is also highlights the symbolism of the moment. The marshes represent the strange events that occur later in the story, namely Pip being turned into a gentleman by a mysterious benefactor and Pip is unseeingly running into them by going to the marshes. The alliteration works to emphasise this phrase and make the reader pay more attention to it, thus making them more aware of its different levels of interpretation. This continually fluctuating structure is potentially a weakness of the novel, because it could become repetitive. However Dickens uses other structural devices to break up the structure and prevent it becoming predictable. For example, he uses the mini-breaks to shift completely the focus of the story. For example, chapters 25-26 were one instalment and chapters 27-28 another. However the transition between them is not coherent and their subject matters are not related. Chapters 25 and 26 follow quite a leisurely pace, and detail relatively mundane events such as Pip attending dinners at Wemmick’s and Jaggers’s homes, and Pip engaging in a quarrel over a loan Drummle ungratefully borrowed from Sartop. The letter at the beginning of chapter 27 breaks up the story in several ways. The change in format breaks up the text and allows a change in narration – we go from hearing from Pip’s narrative voice to hearing Biddy’s. This means that the story doesn’t get monotonous, and keeps the reader engaged. The structure of this section of the story also influences the reader’s opinion of Pip. We read the letter then hear his reaction to it â€Å"Let me confess exactly with what feelings I looked forward to Joe’s coming† p179 Because Joe has been portrayed well up to this point, the reader’s initial reaction to the letter is one of happiness that Pip will be reunited with him. However when we hear that Pip regards Joe’s visit with â€Å"considerable disturbance, some mortification and a keen sense of incongruity† we form a negative opinion of him. I think this is an effective use of structure, because it allows Dickens manipulate the response of the reader, and force him/her to form emotional bonds with the characters. For example we feel sympathy towards Joe and contempt towards Pip. This would make the reader more inclined to read on (and buy more of the episodes). Characterisation is important in Great Expectations. The names of many of the characters reflect their personalities. For example, Pip and Joe are short simple names to reflect their simple upbringings. Joe keeps his name throughout, but when Pip moves to London, he adopts the name of Handel – a famous composer. This shows that he has become more cultured and sophisticated. Dickens’s well-educated audience would most certainly have studied Latin, and would have thus been aware that Estella derives from the Latin word for star. This highlights her radiance and beauty, but shows how unattainable she is to Pip. Pip, who can only just read English, let alone Latin, is unaware of this but still comments that â€Å"her light came along the dark passage like a star†. (p49) ‘Jaggers’ sounds like jagged. This reflects the fact that he is a hard-nosed man, with a sharp mind. ‘Pumblechook’ is a long name that suits his pompous, foolish attitude. These ‘characternyms’ allow the reader to create a picture of the characters, without having to read lengthy descriptions. Therefore they can get to know the characters better. Pip is the protagonist of Great Expectations. His journey of self-discovery is the cornerstone of the novel. The reader’s response to the different stages of his character is integral to their response to the whole novel. Therefore Dickens begins to build up a relationship between Pip and the reader from the very beginning line: â€Å"My father’s name being Pirrip â€Å"my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip† (p3) This humorous anecdote serves two purposes. Firstly the humour makes the young Pip appear charming and loveable. Dickens then reveals that Pip is in fact an orphan. This is done slowly, first by mentioning a ‘tombstone’ then in the next couple of lines saying that Pip â€Å"never saw (his) father or mother†. Because we hear of Pip’s family and then hear they are dead, we share in Pip’s loss to a certain extent. This increases the audience’s sympathy for Pip, and later in the story, we are quicker to forgive him when he behaves badly. Its second purpose is to sow how simple Pip was before his expectations.

Thinking critically Simulation Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Thinking critically Simulation Review - Essay Example importance weighing, intuition, and imagining were all problem evaluation tools and techniques that were encountered in one form or another somewhere in the simulation. I would have probably used the same techniques, only I would have added the following to the mix: cause-and-effect diagrams, check sheets, group think, multivoting, value analysis, and visualizing. Adding visuals such as diagrams and check sheets can help a wider audience to understand the plans that are to be implemented. They are also a better form of organization for a business to follow. They allowed managers to see the big picture before making any major decisions that could affect hundreds of peoples’ lives. The also let managers consider what could happen if they choose to go in a certain direction rather than in another. This step is a very important part of any strategic planning process. Growth necessitates change. If a company wishes to grow and become profitable, they have to learn to make plans and stick with them unless the risk outweighs the benefits. The outcome reached in the simulation was not much more than to continue as usual, and this simply will not work for the long-term. Things are not going to get any better, and will in fact get much worse, if the store chooses to take this route. People in the company, especially management, simply cannot continue to be afraid of change. If they resist it too much, chances are that they will go under in a very short period of time. This is definitely not the goal of the company. The proposed changes would allow management to consider the benefits and risks in a much deeper light. When this is done, better strategic decisions can be made. It is difficult to make good judgment calls without hardcore and factual data written, drawn, or printed up where managers can physically look at it and evaluate the consequences of their actions. There are several major problems that are presented in the simulation. The junior

Language and Literacy in Children Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Language and Literacy in Children - Assignment Example Children use different literate behaviours in different contexts based on the grounds of language. (2006a) Language is partitioned into syntax, phonology, semantics, and pragmatics, each with distinctive characteristics. The semantic system bears little resemblance to the structure of phonology or the rules of communication. The mapping of words onto representations of the world appears very different from the mapping of articulatory movements onto sounds or sounds onto written letters (Bialystok, 2001, p. 24). Moreover the systems appear at different times, starting with detection of the phonological and prosodic features of language and moving to adept, persuasive prose. Vocabulary and communicative skills change throughout the child life span, whereas command of the phonological and grammatical structure of one's native tongue rarely changes radically after middle childhood. (Amsel, 2002, p. 6) Language along with the context of learning is not purely a matter of speech. Gestures of the arms, hands and face also contribute meaningfully towards essential properties of learning. Language unfolds in predictable stages from infancy through early childhood, with production lagging behind perception and comprehension. The most important aspects of language and syntax emerge between the ages of two and four and seem to be governed by a sensitive period of growth. For many years, the development of theories about the way children learn to read and write was dominated by studies of English-speaking populations. As we have learned more about the way that children learn to read and write other scripts whether they have less regularity in their grapheme phoneme correspondences or do not make use of alphabetic symbols in all it has become clear that many of the difficulties that confront children learning to read and write English specifically are less evident, or even non-existent, in other populations. At the same time, some aspects of learning to read and write are very similar across scripts. When learning to read and write is examined from a unique cross-linguistic perspective, it is found that there are several ways to develop a child's skill towards learning reading and writing. (Light et al, 2000,p. 55) In this respect Japanese, Greek and the Scandinavian languages as well as English, demonstrates several ways showing how the processes of learning to read and spell are affected by the characteristics of the writing system that children are learning to master. Language and literacy starts just after the birth of a child, as this is the time when they start hearing and recognizing sounds. Very young infants cannot speak, but they are capable of perceiving aspects of speech long before they can produce them. One way to show this in a baby is to connect an artificial nipple to a tape recorder, so that every time the baby sucks a speech sound is played. The experiment shows the infants seem to enjoy sucking for sound almost as much as they enjoy sucking for milk. After hearing the same sound for a while, however the baby loses interest and the sucking rate drops. Thus he has actually learned the phenomenon of habituation, which

Electronic Business week 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Electronic Business week 7 - Essay Example The value created by the organization is the variance between consumer’s apparent use value from the services of the company and the organization’s cost of offering the services. The company creates use value through quality, brand and speed. The company ensures that its services are of high quality and contain attributes such as reliability and satisfaction. On the other hand, the company ensures that it responds fast to customer calls and that waste is collected at an agreed time (Waste Management, 2014). Additionally, Waste Management creates value through creating a brand with traits that customers can relate with such as trust. In order to capture sections of the value created, the company ensures that the value created is greater than that generated by rivals, and also ensures that it is defectively imitable and transposable. Needless to say, Waste Management captures the value it creates through its economic profits. Since profitability is the company’s primary strategic goal, the company positions itself with price and cost (Waste Management, 2014). Notably, the value captured by any organization is the variation between the incurred costs and the price charged for

Alcohol Related Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Alcohol Related Violence - Essay Example Most of the violence take place when the venues close or when the known figureheads move out of the bar. According to the research, lighting and security staff, taxi ranks and availability of public means of transport are a precursor to liquor related violence. The study recommends frequent revision of licensing terms for setting up liquor venues to reduce the possibility of injury and potential harm. The environment within which the bar needs special consideration since they contribute largely to liquor related violence. Proven evidence shows that change in alcohol price directly affects alcohol consumption. Increased taxation can effectively reduce liquor related violence through reduction of access to alcohol. High taxation of alcohol encourages consumers to turn to drinks with low alcoholic levels of or avoid alcohol. The reduction in alcohol uptake translates to a decrease in alcohol-related violence. The tax earned from increased alcohol taxation can in turn be used to educate the public on the dangers of alcohol as well as treat alcohol-related problems. An increase in alcohol tax will reduce alcohol related violence. Evidence shows that the best way to reduce alcohol related violence involves the local community in addressing the liquor related violence. The community in conjunction with the government and the businessmen can work together towards changing the drinking habits of the people. The empowered community can set code of conducts at the beer dens and agree on violence minimization practices. The community can also come up with measures such as frequent identification at liquor places to know the clients and also spearhead responsible drinking. Research suggests that the government should fund and provide them with the necessary support. Evidence shows that short-term interventions from the community are effective in reducing alcohol-related violence and should be supported. Local

Letter to a video game character or author Essay

Letter to a video game character or author - Essay Example This is the reason why you always have a hard time in the battleground. I am stunned at the unconventionality of your inclusion in the troops of galactic armies because you simply do not possess the usual characteristics of warriors going into wars. I have been contemplating about what could be your true role in the battle? Well, I guess everything needs balance in order to make things work properly. It cannot be all vicious and undesirable. I know your brother Peter has been very bad to Ender ever since and being a young kid that he is, he needs some sort of love and care. I guess that is your greatest role on the ground, that is, to show love and compassion to your brother Ender. He needs your support in order to succeed in the battle. I am also not certain about how you feel about your brother, Peter. While he does not mention about slaying you and Ender, it seems to me that he has this thought wandering inside his mind. But still you are showing a certain level of kindness that is way beyond human nature. But here is the thing: I don’t think you should always be nice to your brother Peter. You should also show him that what he is doing is not right and needs to be rectified. I want to share to you what I think about your situation. I don’t think that it is our responsibility to â€Å"always† be kind to our siblings. We do not always get the best kinds: there can be the most ruthless siblings in the family, and oftentimes, if not always, they do have bad intentions for us. In this case, Ender is an exception. We both know how good he is, even to his brother Peter. But I would like to suggest about how you should deal with your brother Peter. First, you cannot allow him to threaten Ender or you all the time. If he is showing such an attitude, this could mean that he really does not treat you as a family. Do not be always nice to him;

Internet Access for Children Should Be Regulated by Legislation Essay

Internet Access for Children Should Be Regulated by Legislation - Essay Example While modern technology has had a profound effect on efficiency and economy it has at the same time encouraged a sedentary lifestyle that can have serious consequences for mental, social and physical development particularly for the youth.   For instance, liberal access to the internet has cut back on time so that individuals can obtain information with the mere click of the mouse.   Previously, information could only be obtained by inspecting print resources.   In this regard, the value of time has been lost since it is now possible to complete a number of tasks simultaneously. Certainly, the ability to complete a number of tasks at once is beneficial in terms of productivity and matching supply with demand for commercial entities.   However, the average young person can develop an unhealthy dependency on the internet to such an extent that it negatively impacts the value of his or her education.   For instance, a student with a reading assignment is more likely to give in to the temptation to read a summary of the book on the internet, rather than read the book itself.   Moreover, the internet also acts as a barrier to interpersonal relationships by providing a virtual world in which users subscribe to social networking.   Moreover, time spent on the internet is time spent away from friends, family, acquaintances.   The average child spends twice as much time on the internet than he or she does in a class room (Bennet 2009).   In this regard the internet culture is driving the development of the young so that they are deprived of interpersonal relationships, a key component for healthy social and emotional development (Altman and Taylor 1973, 28).   Time spent on the internet also means less time engaging in physical activities and the lack of exercise is linked to health problems in teens and young persons in general.   Jones and Bradley (2007) maintain that habits developed at an early age can have long term health consequences (433).à ‚   Specifically, a lack of exercise in adolescence and young people in general can lead to obesity and other health problems such as heart disease (Jones and Bradley 2007, 434)

Global Fashion insights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Global Fashion insights - Essay Example The essay "Global Fashion insights" analyzes the fashion insights. Included also in the visual display are the different roles that each group member plays in the general success of the project in this fashion design class. The visual display also details the design of the project including recommendations and future improvements that are t be adjusted. An all dying process is included in the visual display that will be presented o the viewer on this trade fair show. The process of sewing together the different elements of the project are also included in the visual display. For our project, our group was also going to need a table for the purposes of setting up the stage for presentation. I detailed the design of the table in the visual display of the company. Last but not least, in included he names of the various sources of help that our group sort after. Parody is a local company that is composed of a team of students with the aim of providing tank tops to the various customers h at are in need f t. To enhance the group’s work, in set up a video to display the various elements that are indeed critical to the success of this project in the trade show. Visual display of this product is critical to the success of this project since it makes it easier to explain and distribute the video material to a wider audience. This visual display begins y detailing the name of or group members, the name of the project, he purpose of the project, the target group for our project, the source of raw materials for our project.

Challenges of Ecotourism in Antarctica Essay Example for Free

Challenges of Ecotourism in Antarctica Essay Antarctica is one of the largest and most fragile environments on earth. It is rare and unique, and few people get the opportunity to visit such an extraordinary place. Antarctica’s unique environment and climate sets it apart from other tourist destinations. However, the hostile wilderness creates many challenges for ecotourism. There is a concern regarding the high concentration of tourists and their environmental impact at the few landing sites available. The real debate is whether tourism can benefit, or threaten the conservation of Antarctica. Ecotourism, in its early historical origins has been closely linked to nature – oriented tourism. For example, Laarman and Durst, in reference to ecotourism, defined it as a nature tourism where a traveler is interested and drawn to a destination because of its features and natural history. The visit combines education, recreation, and often adventure’ (Laarman and Durst 1987:5). Defining ecotourism is not easily done, difficulties defining it are mainly due to the multidimensional nature of the definitions, and the fact that each dimension involved represents a continuum of possibilities (Blamey 1997). The Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as ‘responsible travel to natural areas, which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people’ (Western 1993:8). Ceballos-Lascurain (1987: 14) defines ecotourism as ‘traveling to relatively undisturbed or uncontaminated natural areas with the specific objective of studying, admiring, and enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and animals, as well as any existing cultural manifestations (both past and present) found in these areas’. The tourism industry of Antarctica is often overlooked as a factor of environmental degradation. It is important that more attention is drawn to assessing the current state of this large continent. Beck (1994) states that, tourists, scientists, and other visitors to Antarctica have tremendous environmental impacts. Tourist shipping can pose an environmental risk, and there is good reason for concern. There have been several marine accidents in recent years. There was the case of an Argentinean supply vessel Bahia Paraiso, which ran a ground on January 28, 1989, spilling 600 metric tones of fuel into Antarctica’s pristine waters (Culver 1991). Other environmental impacts include engine emissions that contribute to air pollution. The noise generated from outboard motors on inflatable zodiacs, turbulence created from tourist ships and the â€Å"grey water† sewage they emit also creates harmful effects. More responsibility is being demanded out of eco tourists visiting Antarctica. For example Salen Lindblad’s 164-passenger ship the Frontier Spirit has been reinforced, and also contains a sewage treatment plant, refrigerated waste storage area, and a special storage area for non-biodegradable waste (Cebellos-Lascurain 1996). Another main concern is in the peninsula region of Antarctica where there are several highly concentrated, high profile sites. The concentration of tourism activities leads to the potential for over visitation in these areas. A present study of Magellanic penguins demonstrates that human impact puts a great amount of stress on the species. Simple human presence can be physiologically stressful for breeding at nest sites (Fowler 1999). The Antarctic environment is very fragile and not used to human activities. However the study also found that birds exposed to high levels of tourists are not effected over time and concludes that as a result tourism should be concentrated to certain areas while others are kept off limits to human presence. People have been going to Antarctica for over 100 years. Prior to 1950, nearly all trips to Antarctica were either exploratory or scientific expeditions (Cessford 1997). As a result of human activity in the area there has been a connection with industrial, national and scientific programs. Human activity has also caused the development of alien microbes, fungi, plants, and animals. These â€Å"alien† species that are mostly European in origin exist on most of the sub – Antarctic islands and some even occur on the continent itself. These species in turn can have both a direct and indirect impact on the Antarctic ecosystem (Fenot 2004). It has only been recently that biologists have conducted any research into diseases of Antarctic wildlife to note the effects of human activity. These studies look at marine mammals and penguins for bacteria flora and pathogens (disease causing organisms). Blood tests for antibodies of a variety of species have also been taken to check for viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic disease. A study conducted in the summer season of 2000/2001, Dr. Todhunter and Dr. Terris took swab collections of specimens from passengers’ boots aboard the Kapitan Khlebnikov, which led to tentative findings of a wide range of potential pathogens. In another study 233 fecal samples from 8 bird species were taken from 6 different penguin colonies, which are regularly visited by tourists. The samples were investigated for pathogens of potential human origin. No human related bacteria were found, which suggests that the tourism industry in the Antarctic region has achieved its goal of not introducing any pathogens so far. While the tourist season only ranges from October to April, currently tourism in Antarctica involves over 30 agencies, and 40,000 tourists per annum (Lambert 2005). Antarctica is the ultimate destination for anyone interested in natural history, but it also challenges the same people that visit to think about our responsibilities to all life on earth† (Lambert 2005). Tourists to Antarctica are most likely to fall in to the category of eco tourist, as there are no restaurants, theaters or art galleries, and the experience is about learning about and viewing one of the earth’s last untouched continent s. Boo (1990) states that for conservation management to succeed, tourism must be a tool to educate thus creating real benefits for a geological location. Although tourism and human contact on Antarctica is showing some negative impacts, it has also encouraged conservation efforts in the region. Another step towards the recognition of potential environmental impact is the creation of the IATTO (International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators). In 1991 seven tour operators active in Antarctica formed IATTO. It was created to act as a single organization. The goal of IATTO is to promote and practice safe environmentally responsible private-sector travel to the Antarctic. Currently there are 80 member organizations representing 14 countries. IATTO 2008) This environmental protocol designates Antarctica as a natural reserve devoted to peace and science and seeks to ensure human activities, such as tourism, have no adverse effects on the Antarctic environment, or on its scientific and aesthetic values. With a recent increase in the number of members in the IAATO it shows that companies are becoming more aware of the environmentally se nsitive concerns related to Antarctica and the importance of such an organization. The increase in membership does not necessarily mean that there has been a drastic increase in the number of tourists visiting Antarctica. All current Antarctica tour operators file yearly environmental impact assessments to their national authorities. There are few places on earth that have never been to war, where the environment is fully protected and scientific research has priority over anything else. (IAATO 2008) The Antarctic treaty can be accredited with the successful protection of Antarctica. Formed on June 23, 1961 the treaty covers the area south of 60 degrees latitude and consists of 46 countries. Its objectives are simple and unique, demilitarize Antarctica and make it a zone free of nuclear tests, and disposal of radioactive waste. As well as be used for peaceful purposes only (IAATO 2008). To promote international cooperation in the Antarctic and set aside disputes over territorial sovereignty. The treaty parties meet each year and have adopted over 300 recommendations and negotiated separate international agreements, of which 3 are still in use. These include: 1. The convention for the conservation of Antarctic seals which was established in 1972. 2. The convention for conservation of Antarctica marine living resources established in 1980. 3. The protocol on Environmental protection to the Atlantic Treaty established in 1991. These agreements and the original treaty provide the rules to govern all activities in relation to Antarctica. Collectively known as the Antarctica Treaty System (ATS). In conclusion it is apparent that Antarctica is a very fragile environment, and any kind of human involvement can pose great risks if the correct precautions are not taken. It is clear to me that eco tourism can benefit the great continent of Antarctica, those visiting become ambassadors as they learn about the importance of preservation. Boo (1990) explains that tourists become emotionally attached to an area and will contribute funds to preserve it. It is important for organizations like the IAATO to continue their promotion of safe and environmentally responsible travel to the Antarctic. Continued research is necessary to make sure that tourists as well as scientists leave as little of a human footprint as possible. Antarctica is a beautiful place on earth, and I believe that when people are educated about their impact on such a vulnerable area and regulations are put in place to protect the area that everyone should be able to experience the Antarctic continent in all of its magnificence.

Corporate Strategy Essay Example for Free

Corporate Strategy Essay In Corporate Strategy, Collis and Montgomery explain there are two kinds of diversification—linked and constrained. Companies using linked diversification enter new businesses when it relates in some way to another business they are already in (it is linked to it), but does not necessarily have any connection to their other businesses. If they are using constrained diversification, however, they only enter a new business if it is based on their core resources or competencies. Companies based on linked diversification have little coherence to their overall corporate strategy, while companies using constrained diversification tend to be more focused. Constrained diversification allows companies to maximize the effect of their resources because they are shared (100). Apple uses constrained diversification. Apple is, inherently, a personal computer company (hardware and software), and their businesses utilize their competencies in developing hardware and software. The Macintosh, iPad, iPhone, iPod and AppleTV are all computers, which allows Apple to share resources between businesses. For example, the Macintosh, iPad, iPhone and AppleTV all run OS X, Apple’s operating system. This creates economies of scope, which, Collis and Montgomery point out, create cost savings for the company because their resources are shared across multiple businesses (72). Rather than just have related businesses, though, each business is a focused platform with no extraneous products or product types. The Macintosh, for example, consists of two kinds—desktop and notebook. These separate product lines each share resources and complement each other. The iMac and MacBook Pro are both primarily constructed from aluminum and glass, so not only do they share the same materials (which reduces costs), but they resemble each other, creating unity between product lines. Each platform, too, complements the other. Apple’s Macintosh computers sync their media and personal data (calendar, contacts, email) seamlessly with the other platforms. Because they work so well together, owning products from each platform benefits users by creating an experience where their devices â€Å"just work.† The platform advantage does not apply just to Apple’s devices. Through iTunes, users can purchase music, movies and television shows that syncs across all of their devices, or even do so from their iPhone or iPad. The App Store allows users to download applications for their iPhones and iPads wherever they are, and now the iBook Store, released in April, will allow them to do the same with books. Because Apple has chosen what businesses to enter carefully, these platforms reinforce the others and make them more powerful. The sum is greater than the parts. This creates a complete package for consumers to choose, and it is difficult for competitors to match. Their platform strategy makes each individual business more valuable than it would be as a separate entity. Their strategy can be improved, however. Currently, MobileMe—a service Apple offers that keeps contacts, calendar, and email in sync across multiple devices over the air—is a premium service that costs $99 per year. This is the wrong approach. Rather than a premium service, MobileMe should be free and integrated into Apple’s platforms. MobileMe should act like the â€Å"glue† that integrates the platforms and as a draw for users. Apple’s goal should be to get as many MobileMe users as possible. Once someone is happily using MobileMe across their various devices, they are less likely to switch to a competitor’s product.

Nursing Essays Therapeutic Relationship Patient

Nursing Essays Therapeutic Relationship Patient Introduction Within the context of healthcare one of the most important factors is the establishment of an effective therapeutic relationship between the nurse and patient (Foster Hawkins, 2005). The ways in which nursing staff and patients interact can be influential in terms of information transfer, provision of psychological support, and may also provide some therapeutic benefits in themselves (Welch, 2005). Hence, there has been a renewed focus on the importance of how nurses interact with patients in practice, in order to enhance patient outcomes (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2008; Sutcliffe, 2011). Understanding the fundamental components of this relationship and how to achieve these components in practice remains a vital aspect of nurse training and continuing professional development (Ramjan, 2004; Perraud et al., 2006). In accordance with the perceived importance of the therapeutic relationship, the aim of this paper is to provide an evidence-based review of how this relationship may be used in nursing practice. This will be supplemented with a reflection on personal observations made by the author, utilising a reflective model (Nielsen et al., 2007). The model in this case will be that devised by Gibbs (1988), which has been validated as a useful tool for personal practice development and goal-setting in the clinical domain (Foster Hawkins, 2005). This model emphasises a step-wise approach to reflection, encompassing: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action plan formulation (Gibbs, 1988). Therefore, this paper will consider the therapeutic relationship from the perspective of a specified practice context experienced by the author, with a discussion of how practice can be improved based on the best available evidence from the literature. Reflection context The main context of care that will be the focus of this essay is the elderly rehabilitation ward, where the author first encountered a number of issues regarding the need for optimal relationships between practitioners and patients in practice. The goal of this ward is to assist elderly patients in adapting to their functional capacities and lifestyle abilities, in order that they can achieve the maximum possible degree of quality of life in the community setting following discharge (Routasalo et al., 2004). Consequently, numerous health professionals provide an input into the care pathway, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists and physicians, in addition to nursing staff (Hershkovitz et al., 2007). From the perspective of the author, there are several important aspects of this scenario that relate to the therapeutic relationship: the large increase in personal responsibilities in terms of assisting patients with activities, the need to motivate and communicate effectively with patients to ensure that they are able to remain psychologically motivated, and the need to coordinate personal clinical care activities with those of others to ensure the patient journey is smooth (Siegert Taylor, 2004). The remainder of this paper will consider the therapeutic relationship grounded within this practice context, supplemented with personal experiences from this placement, in order to highlight these factors in greater detail. Evidence-based reflection Defining the therapeutic relationship In order to fully appreciate the need for a therapeutic relationship it is important to define this relationship in a practice context. The term is often used within the context of psychiatric or psychological therapy distribution in modern literature, although the aim of this paper is to consider the term as a more general way in which nurses communicate and interact with patients to establish a clear clinical outcome (Bulmer Smith et al., 2009). McKlindon Barnsteiner (1999) suggest that the therapeutic relationship needs to be a two-way, reciprocal relationship at all times, involving nursing staff, the patient and their family, where appropriate. There is a need to emphasise caring in this relationship, with positive communication and clear boundaries of both personal and professional interactions (McCormack, 2004). Hence, the relationship between a nurse and patient should fit into the patient-centred model of care, where patients are not only listened to within a clinical decision-making context, but are actively encouraged to participate in their own care pathway (McCormack McCance, 2006). The therapeutic relationship encompasses three important domains of care: physical, psychological and emotional care (Pelzang, 2010). These elements may be more profoundly encountered by nursing staff on hospital wards due to their prolonged exposure to specific patients and their in-depth interactions in the patient care journey, when compared to other members of staff who may have less face-to-face time with individuals (Pelzang, 2010). Within the setting of the elderly rehabilitation ward, many patients are transitioning from an acute or chronic care scenario to community care and require additional, specialist assistance in doing so (McCormack, 2003). Consequently, nursing staff in this ward are exposed to patients for extended periods of time and need to consider the holistic aspects of care in order to achieve successful rehabilitation (Cott, 2004). Therefore, the therapeutic relationship in this context involves establishing the capabilities of the patient, working with the patient to achieve set goals, and ensuring that the psychological and emotional aspects of chronic illness or disability can be managed effectively in the long term (McCormack McCance, 2006). Communication In light of the definition of the therapeutic relationship within the context of rehabilitation, the remaining sections of this paper will evaluate the core aspects involved in maintaining a therapeutic relationship, with this section focusing on communication between nurse and patient. The specific clinical scenario the author has struggled with in the rehabilitation placement is when a patient has higher expectations than they should in terms of their ability to perform tasks or live independently following discharge. Patients are obviously passionate in maintaining independence in the majority of cases and this can cloud their judgement as to their genuine abilities and capabilities in functional tasks (Cott, 2004). While it is important to acknowledge the feelings and ideas of a patient and act accordingly, it can be negligent of nursing duties not to act with the patient’s best interests at heart (McCormack, 2003). Therefore, the nurse needs to maintain that their actions are guided by medical evidence and professional protocols, as well as reflecting the need and desires of the patient (NMC, 2008). Communication encompasses not only verbal communication with the patient, but is also reflected in body language and actions (Yoo Chae, 2011). Having an open body posture, including the avoidance of crossed arms, can help in establishing rapport, while maintaining eye contact and avoiding distractions during conversations with patients can enhance the bond between nurse and patient (Brown Bylund, 2008). Communication is also as much about relaying information as it is about receiving information and therefore, nursing staff should be able to elicit patient concerns specifically and utilise these appropriately without blocking these interactions with a one-sided approach to conversation (Yoo Chae, 2011). The opposite is also true, whereby overly expressive patients may limit the nurse-led component of the communication episode; both parties need to be good at communication for a perfect mutual appreciation of ideas to occur (Sheldon et al., 2006). In practice this may be difficult to achieve, but the obligations of the nurse to facilitate this process are a core component of the therapeutic relationship. Communicating effectively with patients in the elderly rehabilitation setting was a massive responsibility and challenge for the author, as this was their first encounter with such patients in this setting. The expectation of knowledge in this setting was high and it could be frustrating to patients who want answers from a junior or inexperienced practitioner (McCormack, 2003; Leach, 2005). Hence communication needed to focus on establishing information, sharing action plans and building general rapport that would enable the development of trust and a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas (Leach, 2005). The author found this form of communication challenging to achieve on a routine basis within the rehabilitation setting, due to the need to balance a motivational approach with a realistic form of communication regarding expected patient capabilities and outcomes. Hence, the reflective scenario will focus on aspects of this particular communication episode as a component of the therapeutic relationship. Empathy Empathy is a cornerstone of effective communication with patients and is defined as the ability to share or identify with the emotional state of the patient (Brunero et al., 2010). If done effectively an empathic response to patient concerns can yield a sense of shared understanding, reinforcing the notion that the patient’s concerns are being listened to (Kirk, 2007). By establishing an empathic response with a patient, practitioners often remark that they are better able to connect with the experiences of the patient, allowing them greater insight into how they can help the patient (Brunero et al., 2010). Therefore, empathy is a core component of establishing a meaningful therapeutic relationship with patients in all settings. The nurse can develop empathic communication skills in a number of ways, including through specific communication skills training (Webster, 2010). This training often emphasises the role of open-ended questions and body language within the context of empathy, whereby nurses should ask patients specifically about their emotions and feelings during a clinical interaction (Stickley Freshwater, 2006). Often the process of asking a patient how they feel about a particular reaction is sufficient to allow them to relax and become more comfortable conveying these thoughts and feelings. On the part of the nurse, it is important to reflect these responses back to the patient by further exploring these issues and offering an active listening approach, rather than redirecting the focus of the conversation back to more clinical matters (Brunero et al., 2010). Although it has been argued that empathy is an intrinsic quality, which some people possess, the representation of empathy in communication is important in clinical care and should be delivered through verbal, non-verbal and emotional communication skills (Welch, 2005). In the present scenario, the author was able to empathise with patients on the rehabilitation ward to a high degree and many patients were frank and open about their emotional needs and worries regarding the rehabilitation process. Often the patients’ worries were highly emotive and this affected the author such that the patient was regarded as an object of sympathy or pity in some cases due to their hardships. This made the author feel uncomfortable during patient interactions for a number of reasons: firstly, because it was an emotional situation, and secondly because the expectations of the patient with regards to rehabilitation were higher than expected and it was often difficult to address these in a controlled manner. Hence, the reflective experience demonstrates a number of feelings in this situation, which reflect problems with the therapeutic relationship. Trust and respect One of the primary outcomes of the therapeutic relationship is to establish a caring and trusting relationship between the nurse and patient (Brown et al., 2006). Trust is a concept based on respect and openness within this relationship and this often takes time to establish, acting as an extension of the professional respect a patient may hold for a nurse and vice versa (Miller, 2006). Within the context of elderly care rehabilitation, nurses need to establish a strong bond of trust as patients will often have to make compromises in terms of assisted living devices and acceptance of their functional limitations when attempting to optimise their quality of life (Schmalenberg et al., 2005). Unless they trust the healthcare professionals involved in their care they are less likely to adhere to recommendations or to accept help, reducing the potential positive impacts of nursing interventions (McCabe, 2004). Establishing trust within a therapeutic relationship requires time and demands that the practitioner is able to manage their communication skills appropriately to ensure the patient feels that they are listened to and involved in their own care (Brown et al., 2006). Both the practitioner and the patient must be receptive to the idea of trust within the relationship in order for this to be achieved, which often involves addressing barriers to trust, including suspiciousness of the intentions of healthcare professionals, poor communication, and mutual respect on a personal level (Miller, 2006). When a trusting relationship is achieved there is a greater chance that patients will be receptive to clinical interventions and nursing input, at least when delivered on a personal level (Wolf Zuzelo, 2006). Equally, nursing staff can trust that patients will make informed decisions about their care and will follow guidance, when appropriate (Schmalenberg et al., 2005). Within the present reflective context, the author felt as though there was a distinct lack of trust in the therapeutic relationship, primarily due to the fact that a patient would often wish for their expectations to be met without heeding specific nursing advice on several occasions. This was likely secondary to the fact that the author found it difficult to convey these ideas in a sensitive manner, while addressing the concerns of the patient in an empathic way. Hence, it can be perceived that the patient and nurse did not enter a trusting relationship, as communication between the two was suboptimal (McCabe, 2004). However, on a more positive note, the relationships formed with patient during the initial days on placement were friendly and demonstrated a degree of mutual respect, which is an important facet of the therapeutic relationship (Stickley Freshwater, 2006). Hence, there were positive and negative aspects to the therapeutic relationships formed in practice during this placement, according to a reflective evaluation. To make sense of this situation, the author analysed these positive and negative factors within this context. What was clear to the author was that the communication skills that had been utilised so far in therapeutic relationship building relied heavily on patient factors, rather than nursing input. Hence, there was an imbalance in the way information was presented and received within this relationship, to the detriment of the therapeutic journey. The reasons for poor communication and trust establishment stemmed from multiple factors, including the younger age of the author compared to patients, relative inexperience on the part of the author, and the highly charged emotional nature of interactions in this setting. Therefore, it was clear that one of the main factors that was missing in the therapeutic relationships was the projection of a strong professional identity, which could guide the patient towards a suitable clinical outcome and would assist in developing the appropriate communication tools for the rehabilitation process. Professional values While it is clear that the need for the therapeutic relationship stems from a desire to form a constructive clinical partnership with a patient in a specific context, there is also a professional responsibility to engage patients in this manner in practice (Chitty Black, 2007). The Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008) advocate communication, trust, dignity and respect during the treatment of all patients as a fundamental aspect of care delivery and therefore establishing a therapeutic relationship can be considered a core aspect of all nursing practice (Fahrenwald et al., 2005). However, within the context of effective nursing practice it is recognised that there is a need to respect the personal boundaries of the patient and to act as a professional rather than a friend in most cases (Rushton, 2006). Professionalism in the context of rehabilitation care includes the need to be realistic with regards to patient expectations, while ensuring appropriate levels of motivation and commitment to a therapeutic plan (Fahrenwald et al., 2005; Rushton, 2006). For some practitioners, an overly empathic response to patients and their condition can lead to sympathy and warped clinical decision making processes, often favouring the opinion of the patient over established guidance (Bulmer Smith et al., 2009). This is likely to have a detrimental impact on the patient in the long term and should be avoided as a result. Within the Gibbs reflective cycle (1988), the author has noted that one of the main conclusions that can be drawn from working within the rehabilitation sphere is that maintenance of professional values and boundaries is essential to avoid becoming overly emotional or inappropriately involved in patient care (Stickley Freshwater, 2006; Baker et al., 2008). The author should try not to become too attached to patients during their care journey in order to make an objective assessment of their capabilities and therapeutic needs, as relying too heavily on the opinions and desires of the patient can yield unsatisfactory results in the long term, particularly when these go against recommended practice (Leach, 2005). By applying more rigorous professional boundaries in the future, and focusing on explaining complex situations from a nursing perspective, rather than yielding to the patients’ wishes, the author can improve their contribution to practice in the long term and enhance the patient journey through rehabilitation. Conclusion In summary, this paper has considered the personal experiences of the author within the context of a reflective practice episode in order to appreciate the value and tenets of the therapeutic relationship in practice. The core components of the therapeutic relationship, as they relate to the present scenario, have been discussed with reference to the evidence base in order to develop a constructive reflective episode reflecting a description of events, feeling, evaluation, analysis and conclusion. The process of reflection should yield a suitable action plan and in this case the author feels that they should engage with patients in a more professional manner, ensuring that they maintain an empathic and understanding approach to care while maintaining nursing boundaries. In order to achieve this, communication skills should be enhanced in the future, through attendance at specific communication skills courses, in order to become more comfortable in managing potential conflicts or hostility. This should enhance the therapeutic relationship and ensure that future patients can be managed in a manner that benefits all members of the relationship. Furthermore, it is important that the author is aware of how other colleagues maintain professional boundaries and can direct their relationship accordingly in practice, and consultation with colleagues on this point would be a useful learning tool. On completion of these tasks, the author should therefore feel better prepared to engage with patients in a meaningful way, ensuring that trust is developed and that patients have an effective care process, in all areas of care. References Baker, C., Pulling, C., McGraw, R., Dagnone, J. D., Hopkins†Rosseel, D., Medves, J. (2008). Simulation in interprofessional education for patient†centred collaborative care. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 64(4), 372-379. Brown, D., White, J., Leibbrandt, L. (2006). Collaborative partnerships for nursing faculties and health service providers: what can nursing learn from business literature?. Journal of Nursing Management, 14(3), 170-179. Brown, R. F., Bylund, C. L. (2008). 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