Market Equilibrium Process Analysis

The main goal of the market equilibrium is to get match the common intention of buyer and seller in the market. According to McConnell, the market equilibrium is the base point in which the supply and demand of the product quantity (McConnell, 2009). The equilibrium process play role for the buyer and seller agreement and confidence in each other. The process of equilibrium has impact of the following facts †¢Equilibrium price and quantity of products. †¢Changes and shift in demands of the products. †¢Changes and shift in supply of the products. The equilibrium price and quantity also can be referred by the total intersection of supply and demand curve. The shift in this curve will affect the shift in the equilibrium price and quantity. The change in the demand of product also effect the price and quantity structure at equilibrium because if the demand is higher then the price will be higher and the production in quantity will be higher as well. The supply will have impact on the equilibrium level as well because if the product supply in large amount then the price will stay at the low but if the supply level decreases then the price might go up due to the demand of the product. Above all facts about the market equilibrium process can be shown in the experience at the music store while buying music CD. One of the favorite band CD price was $15 until previous week, but at present the price have gone up to $22. The sudden price change was the effect of the demand of the band CD. The change in demand of the CD was higher this week and the supply was only 50 in quantity, which producer thought to be enough for the market demand. But the same CD was requested by more than 50 people, and increase in the demand prompt to increase in the price. Thus the effect of the demand change affected the equilibrium structure of price and quantity. The same effect can be seen in the supply. The supply of the same band CD was 70 and only 50 people have requested about the band CD on the price of $15. It shows that the 50 people are fine with the product and they are not planning to buy more same band CDs. Therefore, the price of the CD dropped to $10 in order to produce cell of remainder 20 CD in supply. The shift in the supply caused the equilibrium to reach lower for both price and quantities. Thus the supply and demand have major impact on the equilibrium price and quantity. These three factors would explain that the market equilibrium process can be achieved in the theory but in the real-world market with constantly changing price and economy would make it harder to achieve market equilibrium. Thus, the factors of supply and demand have affected the market equilibrium process including the equilibrium price and quantity. The change in supply and demand impacts largely on the market equilibrium and bring level of equilibrium higher or lower. Reference: McConnell, C. R. , Brue, S. L. , & Flynn, S. M. (2009). Economics: Principles, problems, and policies (18th ed. ). New York: McGraw Hill/Irwin.

The Functional to Matrix Transition

The Functional to Matrix Transition Karen R. J. White, PMP RECENTLY PARTICIPATED IN A CONSULTING ASSIGNMENT WHICH INVOLVED MOVING A LARGE ITS ORGANIZATION from an old-style functional-department organization structure towards one more friendly to proj- Common Pitfalls ects. The project faced the sorts of challenges that are common when trying to realign organizational structure with the new realities of managing by projects. In addition, there were added cultural barriers because the company was in the financial services sector-a very traditional industry, known for conservatism in management approaches. Project management consultants were called in because, for the first time, the organization was undertaking a multi-year enterprise-wide development program that cut across multiple functional departments, instead of following their old pattern of doing projects within departments. Within the program, several major related projects were being carried out. Clearly, business as usual would not suffice. BASELINE: A FUNCTIONAL/WEAK MATRIX STRUCTURE A Functional/ (Weak) Matrix organizational structure, such as our client company had in place, works well when the focus is on quality and technical expertise. Under this structure, functional managers are responsible for products created within their areas of expertise. The downside: In the company on which this case study was based, it just wasn't working. And their experience was not uncommon. The functional-based organization structure tends to undermine the authority and decision-making capability of project managers, making project success more difficult. The functional or weak matrix form of organization does have some advantages. In this case, first of all, it was the currently existing state in the client organization. Change is always traumatic in organizations and, to the extent that we could preserve existing processes and systems, the upheaval-and resistance to it-would be minimized. Functional â€Å"stovepipe† organizations take a beating in discussions of optimal organizational structure, but the fact is that they are familiar to people, and thus comfortable for them. In addition, within this structure, IT and IS departments are fully empowered to complete isolated projects within their own â€Å"stovepipes. The client organization already possessed well-established communications processes and authorities within the functional areas. From a purely logistical point of view, the staff work locations were already centralized around functional department assignments, making information sharing among team members more straightforward. There are also serious drawbacks to this organizational structure, however. For instance, communications and decision-making processes existed outside the p rogram structure, contributing to schedule and budget issues. For the same reason, true accountability rested outside the programs, somewhere in the traditional hierarchy of the corporation. For example, executive functional management, who were in fact somewhat removed from the actual conditions of the programs, made all the important decisions. Budget and contracting authority was reserved for the CIO level. Under this very traditional structure, only formal authority-something the project managers did not have-was recognized as a source of power. The client organization had made some strides in moving past a purely functional hierarchy, towards a matrix organization. A Project Management Office (PMO) had been implemented the year before my involvement began-a year after the program was launched. Unfortunately, this meant that proper attention had not been paid to project management issues during the initial planning stages of the program. Phone: 610. 853. 3679 n www. pmsolutions. com n Fax: 610. 853. 0527 EXPERT SERIES The Functional to Matrix Transition Page 2 of 4 Instead of creating a PMO to manage the program, the existing program was inserted into a PMO. However, since the PMO lacked authority for decisions and communications, accountability was problematic. As an example, program budgets and staffing decisions were made within functional organizations, not within the programs themselves and resources were not accountable to programs for deliverables. Programs were initiated by functional departments, making any kind of strategic alignment or project prioritization (portfolio management) problematic. And because project teams ithin programs were organized by functional department, not by deliverable, the physical and organizational barriers between project teams impeded communications. THE OTHER EXTREME The Project (Strong) Matrix organization, at the other end of the organization-structure spectrum, works well for crash efforts, where the focus is on cost and, especially, schedule. These types of project-based organizations are sometimes n icknamed â€Å"Skunkworks† after the Lockheed-Martin aerospace project that made this approach famous. The Strong Matrix is an organizational form beloved of project managers and organizational design theorists. To be sure, this model offers many advantages from the project management standpoint:  · It concentrates complete authority for decisions affecting a project or program within the project or program itself, which simplifies decision-making.  · Program budgets and staffing decisions are made within the programs.  · Staff members have a single manager to please and answer to.  · Resources are accountable to program for deliverables and performance.  · Clear communications paths exist. However, in the real world of our client organization, the Project/Strong Matrix model carried several disadvantages. Limited resources in certain key technical and business areas meant that there simply were not enough people to create dedicated program or project teams, and it was deemed too time-consuming to recruit and/or train additional staff. The existing staff was in dispersed geographical locations with staff not able to relocate. All in all, moving to this form was just too drastic a change for the organization. THE MIDDLE GROUND Thus, our choice in establishing a more project-friendly environment was the â€Å"Balanced Matrix† structure . This structure strives to hit all the bases. Cost, schedule and quality are considered of equal importance. The balance between these considerations is achieved through continuous negotiations and tradeoffs. Given the resource limitations existing within the client organization, we deemed it the best model as well as the most practicable, despite certain inherent disadvantages, such as the need for increased communications and resource negotiations between project managers and functional managers, the added complexity in status reporting and staff management activities, and the need for modified roles and responsibilities in IT and business functional departments. The most significant impact of the new model was the extent to which we revised Roles and Responsibilities. IT functional management now shared joint staff management with program management and had to coordinate with program management in the areas of standards and process implementation. Business functional management also shared joint staff management with program management. Phone: 610. 853. 3679 n www. pmsolutions. com n Fax: 610. 853. 0527 EXPERT SERIES The Functional to Matrix Transition Page 3 of 4 Program management staff had far more â€Å"hands-on† involvement in program activities, as well as increased accountability for staff performance and coordination of related issues with functional man agement. Program Team Members now had multiple managers with whom to coordinate absences. TRANSITION STEPS 1. Assign Project Managers. We introduced project managers from the PMO to replace functional man agers with project management responsibilities, except in those cases where we retained functional leads as part of matrix. We did this when the department managers or supervisors were the ideal choice for supervision project activities because they were the strongest technical person in that area. Once the project leaders were assigned we identified deliverables and associated accountabilities for each project team. 2. Re-define Roles and Responsibilities. We established a policy statement and matrix document that clearly identified the project manager and functional manager roles and responsibilities. 3. Revise Resource Staffing Processes. By involving functional management in project initiation activities-recognizing that functional managers often have the best insight into the skills and limitations of staff members-we made the process of assigning resources to roles more collaborative. We also instituted a formal requisition process for internal resources. 4. Revise Performance Management Processes. We implemented revised performance management processes. Project managers were added to the performance development process training classes and required to provide periodic performance-related information to functional managers. At the same time, functional managers now shared individual goals and objectives with project managers, seeking to align project assignments with objectives. Functional managers continued to administer performance development processes. 5. Establish a Communications Plan. We developed a comprehensive program communications plan identifying who reports what to whom, and when. We acknowledged the information needs of the functional management team by including them in the communications plan. Project websites were established to facilitate communications. 6. Obtain Senior Executive Support. Senior executive support for changes was secured. We instituted an active steering committee. In addition, we established clear support at the CIO level for the Program and Project Manager roles and their authorities. These steps ensured alignment of functional and program goals: functional managers support the programs, which in turn implement the business goals. LESSONS LEARNED The matrix organization will meet resistance; plan for it. Lesson #1 – Program Organization. Make deliberate decisions about program and project organization when chartering the program. Determine the important constraints for the program, know the different organizational structures available and deliberately select the one that best fits your situation. Consider geographical locations when forming teams; try to maintain team integrity within a single location. Lesson #2 – Roles & Responsibilities. Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of all vested parties, including functional managers providing resources to projects. Obtain agreement and sign-off on individual roles and responsibilities as part of each project chartering activity. Phone: 610. 853. 679 n www. pmsolutions. com n Fax: 610. 853. 0527 EXPERT SERIES The Functional to Matrix Transition Page 4 of 4 Lesson #3 – Communications Plan. Develop a comprehensive plan that considers communication needs both inside and outside the program. Consider horizontal communication flows in addition to vertical communication flows. Do not ignore the information needs of the organization as a whole. Le sson #4 – Continuous assessment. Reinforce the transition by continually monitoring the processes and climate of the organization. This is an ongoing challenge, not a one-time event. When a crisis arises, the organization will tend to lapse back into functional management accountability, as opposed to staying within program structure. Pay close attention to the communications and collaboration aspects of the program; reinforce use of the agreed upon communications plan. Remain sensitive to the communication needs of multiple geographic sites, if any. You will need to provide continuous learning and reinforcement, since functional managers are still learning to include project managers in staffing decisions, while project managers are still learning to include functional managers in problem resolution activities. Don't be afraid to change! Question how you are organized; make sure the status quo fits with the work that needs to be done. Maybe you won't change everything, but little regular tweak at organizational structure will keep it vital. Every six months or so, ask â€Å"Does it make sense today? † Prepared for presentation at ProjectWorld, October 2001 Phone: 610. 853. 3679 n www. pmsolutions. com n Fax: 610. 853. 0527

Moral values

It would be gross injustice to categorize all children and youths as lacking in manners and morals, but the general trend would certainly suggest there has been a major decline among many of them. Family values have changed dramatically in the past few decades, producing a crop of undisciplined teenagers and children who lack morals and manners as a result of poor training. Good manners were once the norm with young people very much aware the older generation.Saying â€Å"please† and â€Å"thank ou†, giving up a seat on the bus and holding open doors were all considered normal mannerly behavior. Times have changed and we now live in a predominantly me-first society which is reflected in many young people. If good manners are taught at an early age, they will generally continue to be part of the personality of the young child all the way into adulthood. The lack of good manners observed in society in general is no doubt a reflection of the situation found within the home .Without parental xample and training the area of manners, it is likely the children will sadly lack in displaying them. The same can be said of the lack of morals we find in many of today's youth. A large proportion of children have grown up with little or no respect for authority, for property, for family or even themselves. Living a life of immorality is considered normal behavior today and has produced a bumper crop of young people with venereal disease, unwanted pregnancies and a feeling of emptiness in their ives.Lacking in moral stability, we find young people involved in crime, violence and drug abuse. The so-called freedom they have has actually brought them into slavery to an amoral lifestyle. There is a contrast though in many children and teenagers who are moral and do have good manners, proving that it is still possible to develop these delightful characteristics. It is a real pleasure to come across young people who are mannerly and who have the courage to lead a moral life, not†¦ Moral values It would be gross injustice to categorize all children and youths as lacking in manners and morals, but the general trend would certainly suggest there has been a major decline among many of them. Family values have changed dramatically in the past few decades, producing a crop of undisciplined teenagers and children who lack morals and manners as a result of poor training. Good manners were once the norm with young people very much aware the older generation.Saying â€Å"please† and â€Å"thank ou†, giving up a seat on the bus and holding open doors were all considered normal mannerly behavior. Times have changed and we now live in a predominantly me-first society which is reflected in many young people. If good manners are taught at an early age, they will generally continue to be part of the personality of the young child all the way into adulthood. The lack of good manners observed in society in general is no doubt a reflection of the situation found within the home .Without parental xample and training the area of manners, it is likely the children will sadly lack in displaying them. The same can be said of the lack of morals we find in many of today's youth. A large proportion of children have grown up with little or no respect for authority, for property, for family or even themselves. Living a life of immorality is considered normal behavior today and has produced a bumper crop of young people with venereal disease, unwanted pregnancies and a feeling of emptiness in their ives.Lacking in moral stability, we find young people involved in crime, violence and drug abuse. The so-called freedom they have has actually brought them into slavery to an amoral lifestyle. There is a contrast though in many children and teenagers who are moral and do have good manners, proving that it is still possible to develop these delightful characteristics. It is a real pleasure to come across young people who are mannerly and who have the courage to lead a moral life, not†¦

Greenpeace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Greenpeace - Essay Example It is a highly organized group with headquarters all over the world. Likewise, the organizational tier is well-defined with its members performing specific tasks within their definite department. The need to get their message across is perceptively an important part of the core goals of the association. To exemplify, even its founders have become known as writers, writing their exploits and history by authoring books. This can be deduced in the simple fact that it is inevitable that word into paper is all part of achieving their goals. Evidently, Greenpeace has its own publication and a press centre. Thus, it can be foreseen that it can be qualified within the categories defining discourse communities. At the heart of its advocacy campaigns is the need to encourage people and raise their awareness and to call for action. Environmental writing has in itself evolved tremendously over the years. It has now become a recognized genre of writing and is an integral part of the entire enviro nmental discourse. Divide still prevail over the critics in determining the viability of sometimes thought out scenarios that range up to the extremes of end of the world proportions with the most basic inclination to pacify especially nontechnical readers on its veracity. Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ is definitely a classic example of a book rousing dissention. â€Å"The success of Carson’s apocalyptic narrative spawned both criticism and imitation† (Killingsworth and Palmer 31). Since then, many authors and scientists have reacted by releasing their own texts. As a result, environmental debates had been fought not only by advocates but well with the use of science as arsenal to support claims. John Swales proposes the commonly accepted categories in understanding the defining characteristics of discourse communities. He maintains that discourse community is distinct from both speech community and speech fellowship. To determine the existence of a discourse community, six criteria must be present as a prerequisite. First, it must have a communality of interest such that there must be a shared goal among its members. Second, there are mechanisms for intercommunication that exist exemplified by a forum where there is participation within the group for members to interact. Third, the communication process is prevalent in the discourse community for a number of reasons including exchange of information and feedback including improvement. Fourth, the sustained advancement â€Å"to develop discoursal expectations† that involves suitable topics and the function of their communication that the output will elicit. Fifth, in relation to all the previous categories, there must be an inherent dynamic to enhance the terminology common to the discourse community. Finally, the expanse of the membership and a vitality to an extent that there is ample significant and proficient expertise in such a way that the discourse community su rvives despite the absence or separation of one or some of its members (212-213). Greenpeace has evolved to be a sizeable force with its presence seen in various parts of the globe in various activisms all toward environment protection. In their own words â€Å"Greenpeace is a global environmental organization† with its main office in Amsterdam and with 28 regional offices outside it spread out in more than 40 countries. Each of these headquarters are given independence in carrying out their local strategies and in finding support from donors to sustain their work (Greenpeace International, par. 1). Apart from the commonly known staple exploits of the group, it has its own

The Graduate Degree Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Graduate Degree Plan - Essay Example sh self-worth, and form basic moral values, it is quite essential that each child is well nurtured in all aspects of life, receiving ample nourishment, and proper discipline I have loved working with little children since I was their age myself and there are several notable traits that kids exhibit during early childhood formation. In my own observation, they are generally capable at adapting to environmental influences which are a huge contributing factor to the way they perceive both concrete and abstract matter as well as the behavior these young individuals carry out in response. It is particularly interesting to find out that majority of them, when adequately facilitated, can broadly execute around indispensable attributes as confidence, reliability, resourcefulness, intelligence, creativity, and friendliness or sociability. I find it further stimulating to see them vigorously go after a primary talent or inclination, and show ease of feeling affection or compassion by nature. To help impart my personal specialization in this endeavor, hence, I have decided to acquire admission to a graduate degree program that would serve my profound need of learning how to improve on handling children under such cognitive stage of development. Equivalently, this is to anticipate taking up major courses concerned with guiding a childs insights toward physical, mental, emotional, as well as social progress. Fervently believing that the present little ones would be the futures absolute hope, I would in every inch make it a point to foster for them an atmosphere in which they would enjoy learning to the full measure as they possess complete freedom to express themselves competitively yet interdependently within a global

COMPARE TWO POTENTIAL RIVER OR SEA FRONT DEVELOPMENTS FOR ONE CITY Assignment

COMPARE TWO POTENTIAL RIVER OR SEA FRONT DEVELOPMENTS FOR ONE CITY WITH THE INTENTION OF ATTRACTING TOURISTS - Assignment Example West Pier was Brighton's second pier, connecting The 1823 Royal Suspension Chain Pier and was considered one of only two Grade I documented piers in the UK, apart from Clevedon Pier (Royal Town Planning Institute 1900). The necessity to restore glory has seen Brighton i360 conception. The i360 is a designed 183-metre (600Â  ft) watching tower constructed within the seafront of Brighton, next to the West Pier. Strategy and plan were submitted in June 2006 and were accepted by Brighton and Hove City committee on 11 October 2006 with building projected to commence in 2007. The comparison is drawn in that while Brighton and Hove's i360 seafront observing tower develops the West Pier strategies to be reassessed. 2. Background Due to adversity of weather pattern that has been limiting tourism industry or limiting tourist to particular seasons. The building of i360 would cut the barriers and allow tourism throughout the year. This would be possible due to an aerodynamic pod, heated in wint er, air-conditioned in the summer and accommodating more than 200 persons at a time. This is an opportunity to allow growth in Brighton and Hove after the fall of West Pier (Best 1974). A conservation team searched for new concepts to salvage Brighton and Hove’s deteriorated West Pier. The West Pier Trust drew up a brief for architectures to submit new plans to save the construction on Brighton’s sea front. At the trust’s yearly general conference, Chairman Glynn Jones supposed a successful strategy must harmonize the proposed i360 watching tower had to be constructed and become successful (Leo 2013). 3. Presentation of options Presentation choices involve assessment why the tower building would be recommendable as a tourist site. In this section, the concept of view is put under consideration and the new pier compared with the old one. 3.1. The Observation Tower An observation tower is a construction applied to view events from an extensive reserve and to gener ate a full 360 degree variety of vision. These structures are typically at least 20 metres (65.6Â  ft) high and constructed of iron, stone, and wood. Many contemporary towers are also utilized as restaurants, TV towers, or churches. At 175 metres tall and incorporated with an observation pod approximately 141 metres, the i360 will be Britain's uppermost observation tower remote of London – higher compared to the London Eye (Else 2013). At about four metres broad, the i360 has a willowy, elegant plan. Located on the edge of the Grade II* Regency Square, this structure will make an optimistic benefit to the Regency Square Conservation region, adding optical interest and improving its appearance and character. At the base of the pier will be a shop and hospitality structure and a restaurant and cafe serving for up to 400 persons. Intended to use as little power as necessary over its existence, the Brighton i360 is not merely a great experience for tourists, but will avail socia l and ecological benefits to Brighton & Hove. The observation tower will be a stylish 21st

Explore how a particular type of deviance is defined, conceptualised, Essay

Explore how a particular type of deviance is defined, conceptualised, interpreted, apprehended and evaluated in 1 or 2 different sports - Essay Example This implies certain transformations on the notions of pain and injury, and ultimately on the notion of deviance. This paper is an exploration on the said transformations as effected by factors such as the agonistic nature of society and the subjection of mixed martial arts to the disciplinary mechanisms of society. Pain and injury stemming from violent behavior in sport is often seen from a negative perspective, that is, physical violence and sport are often seen as exclusive from one another. Boxing is one such sport that has received criticisms for supposedly being unnecessarily violent (Poliakoff, 1987, pp 89-90). It might be argued of course that a degree of violence will always be present in sport because of its competitive nature. However, it can be argued still that the infliction of pain and injury to the opponent is behavior that borders on deviance, in the sense that society in general does not approve of harming one’s competitor, whether it be in business or other, just to promote oneself to a more advantageous position. An excessively violent or aggressive response to conflict is generally disapproved, and hence seen as somewhat deviant. More so in the sporting arena is aggression that inflicts physical and perhaps even mental pain or injury, perceived as disagreeable behavi or. Sport, as conceived in relation to the concepts of play and games, is a social activity that presumably promotes certain ideals. When the Olympic Games were revived in 1896 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, it was with the vision of instilling positive virtues in young men, such as camaraderie, sportsmanship, and excellence. To this day, the idea of Olympism, the view that sports is used to promote values that are held in high regard by society, appears to be dominant, albeit with evident difficulties itself. This is perhaps one of the reasons as well, why violent behavior in sport is often understood as

Application of TQM principles in manufacturing, Term Paper

Application of TQM principles in manufacturing, - Term Paper Example Introduction Quality assumes a multidimensional facet of business outcomes and activities. Various meanings attached to quality include conformance to specifications, performance, reliability, promptness, consistency, meeting customer expectations, hygiene etc. Organizations attach one or more of these attributes to their meaning of quality and thus strive towards achievement of all through Total Quality Management (TQM). TQM has been viewed in many ways by different scholars. A comprehensive definition would include what Hellesten and Klefsjo (2000) had used to describe TQM as, ‘a management system consisting of core values, techniques, and tools with the aim of increasing external and internal customers’ satisfaction with reduced resources. It aims at establishing a culture based on core values, and choose techniques, which support the values and tools suitable for the chosen techniques (as cited in Fredriksson, 2003; p.226). An evaluation of total quality management t hrough operations management strategies in manufacturing, service and nonprofit industrial sectors will be presented along with a general and critical review of these practices. Background: In the manufacturing sector, TQM concept was, in fact, revolutionized by the giant automotive company, Toyota, which was originally a Japanese native but currently a multinational setup. Daft (2008) candidly states, â€Å"Toyota is a model what happens when a company makes a strong commitment to total quality management,† (p.468). Although TQM was a concept that originated in the United States, its popularity and promising philosophy was grounded in quality management only after Toyota displayed its success from Japan. This was accomplished through steady performance over the years unlike other automotives of the West that ruled the market for short time; yet, Toyota’s success still remains, and is attributed to its TQM principles. Significance of Toyota’s way of working was realized by the rest of the world during 1990s through its highly efficient and fast design systems, most reliable and cost-efficient products and highly paid labor (Liker, 2004). Liker (2004) asserts that Toyota’s way of operations management, popularly referred to as the Toyota Production System, is a result of its quality management that goes beyond one’s belief along with congruent culture, referred to as the Toyota Way. A well-known service firm that attributes its success to TQM philosophy is Starbucks, the coffee shop that promises a delightful experience to its customers. Starbucks was started in 1971 at Pike Place Market, Seattle. More often, the name of this famous coffee place is accompanied by Howard Schultz, the salesperson that was instrumental in Starbucks’ immense success and later assumed the role of Starbucks’ CEO and Chairperson. Starbucks has recorded steady growth in the field of food and beverage industry during last 3 decades throug h its fierce competition, unmatched quality, delightful customer experience, cost-oriented operational strategies and the best human resources management practices. Starbucks is often quoted for its Total Quality Management practices and has been an example for many other entrepreneurial initiatives. Pahl (2009) highlights, â€Å"from a single store in Seattle, Starbucks has grown to operate more than 15000 stores across the world and employs more than 172,000

Marketing Plan for HIV drug Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Marketing Plan for HIV drug - Essay Example Promotional aspect of marketing mix is usually considered to be marketing communication. It is all about conveying a common message across different media channels so as to ensure that it reaches target audience. Marketing communication is a strategic approach adopted by a company in order to reach target audience. In this study a product would be outlined which is losing significance in modern world. HIV or AIDS is regarded as a global problem. In its early years it was an incurable disease but in present scenario it is a health problem which can be effectively addressed. The percentage of death rate is considerably falling due to introduction of various treatment and retroviral drugs. However the problem is linked with lack of awareness program about HIV drug. Young people often do not remember about these drugs or are not determined to consume HIV drugs. Through this study a marketing campaign will be designed that could influence target segment to purchase HIV drug and prevent su ch diseases from spreading. HIV is a global issue that has contributed towards death percentage rise. Modern treatments had been introduced by government and healthcare agencies to prevent this disease. There are new drugs being introduced which can eradicate this kind of disease from its roots. HIV drugs are being developed at a faster rate and it is inclined towards saving lives of HIV victims. There are few issues associated with marketing of HIV drug. Firstly it has been observed that individuals are less likely to accept their disease. This in turn restricts drug makers or health care agencies to efficiently reach out to target audience. Death rate due to HIV aids have been decreasing over the years and negligence has been main cause for this issue. On the other hand, individuals who agree to purchase this drug at times are not able to afford such high priced drugs. Affordability is a major area of concern for HIV victims. There are individuals affected by HIV

Managing Organizational Change Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing Organizational Change - Term Paper Example It also offers a basis of evaluating the role of leadership and other change agent in the chance process (Kezar, 2001). An organization in the Financial/Banking Industry derives benefits due to roles played by people in the organization and their attitudes to the change process, especially in condition where there are cases of resistance. Nevertheless, this paper will focus on exploring the organizational change in the Financial/Banking Industry, through a description of management theory and system practices used in the organizations. Organization change is defines as a form of evolution that takes place though a life cycle, without which, the organization would not be able to develop or grow properly. Therefore, the growth calls for an organization to undergo a substantial change in different points of a development process. Influence of change is substantial to employees, organization and transformation, which is at the purpose of both employees and organization like a decision to terminate a section of business. However, the decision is at the best interests of the organization in their long-term objective, but consequences of that closure can have an adverse impact on employees involved, since they will be faced with problems of unemployment. In fact, the impact of the changes on the organization and employees, and the possible alternatives of dealing with the changes is a substantial issue that needs addressing. Background Organization change requires a change agent who refers to person that perpetrates the act or develops a process through which things in the organization become different (Shankar, 2013). For instance, a change occurs in situation, which members of an organization adapt or fail to adapt to dynamic environment, which is considered as a way of sustaining their competitive advantage through flexibility (Shankar, 2013). The role of being a change agent can be undertaken by a HR manager in an organization by implementing organizational change , through a demonstration unique versatility and wide range of skills (Stagl, 2011). The HR manager fostering change in the organization focuses on implementation or execution of activities that deal with employees’ behavior and attitude (Stagl, 2011). Therefore, as a change agent he or she focuses on identifying cues that impede change and the step that can be taken to eliminate these obstacles. There are other benefits that involve ability to forecast and identify need for change and this serves as a significant contributor that enables the organization to succeed and survive in adverse business environment (Kezar, 2001). Research techniques in the evaluation process offer a basis of applying literature critiquing teleological model, which are dominant model within the literature; in fact, they are evaluated in terms of their relevance for given forms of changes, which are proven by numerous studies (Shani, Pasmore & Woodman, 2011). Research techniques in the process of eva luating organization change offers recommendations on ways of challenging potential barriers to change, thereby setting principles that can be applied by leaders to establish a new

Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground Essay Example for Free

Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground Essay Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of the most influential authors in world literature. This Russian author had written several remarkable novels including Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and Brothers Karamazov. However, before the aforementioned novels were published, Dostoevsky had already gained critical acclaim and recognition for his work entitled Notes from Underground. This novel explores how the freedom of man is undermined by the atmosphere of rationality that dominated the 17th and 18th centuries. Through the novel’s protagonist, the Underground Man, Dostoevsky illustrates how real freedom is manifested in the defiance of reason. The period called the Enlightenment occurred throughout the 17th and 18th centuries (Marder, Meyer, Wyshak, n. d. ). During this time, reason governed over every endeavor, and was valued above everything else. The period left no room for superstition or foolishness; rationality reigned supreme (Marder, Meyer, Wyshak, n. d. ). Reason was the means in which man and society can develop for the better. European thought was dominated by materialism, liberalism and more importantly, utopianism (Marder, Meyer, Wyshak, n. d. ). All of these movements were established on the belief that reasonable and natural-law theories could establish a perfect society (Emerson, 1992). Perfection was only attainable through the application of reason and the manifestation of â€Å"enlightened self-interest† (Marder, Meyer, Wyshak, n. d. ). The prevalence of reason strongly influenced and inspired Dostoevsky to write Notes from Underground (Marder, Meyer, Wyshak, n. d. ). However, the novel did not convey a message agreeable to the intellectual milieu; instead, it served to criticize its very existence. Notes from Underground is actually a response to another text, entitled What Is to be Done? (Marder, Meyer, Wyshak, n. d. ; Madden, n. d. ). It was written by N. G. Chernyshevsky and was published in 1863. Chernyshevsky was an advocate of â€Å"rational egoism,† a movement which fervently believed that perfection of life could be achieved through rationality and enlightenment (Madden, n. d. ). The â€Å"rational egoists† also upheld principles of natural law (Madden, n. d. ). Dostoevsky disagreed with the belief that rationality and enlightenment were the keys to perfection. He strongly believed that the nature of man was beyond those two elements. He acknowledged man’s capacity for both the rational and the foolish; he even upheld that the irrationality of man was more definite, while the rationality was merely added (Marder, Meyer, Wyshak, n. d. ). Moreover, Dostoevsky was convinced that laws of nature or the principles of reason were not capable of recognizing human individuality, personality, and more importantly, free will (Madden, n. d. ). These beliefs are embedded in the novel, a text which Rozanov considers a critique of reason as a means to perfection (as cited in Marder, Meyer, Wyshak, n. d. ). The novel, in the words of Wasiolek, showed how man can be both rational and irrational, as his actions are the result of the exercise of his own freedom (as cited in Marder, Meyer, Wyshak, n. d. ). Hence, the theme of freedom in the novel is the utmost disregard for reason and natural laws. The protagonist of the novel is the Underground Man, a forty year old man who used to work in civil service (Dostoevsky, 1992). For a protagonist, he is considered an â€Å"anti-hero† (Madden, n. d. ). He is also the antithesis of the time in which he lived; he disagreed with utilitarianism, which prevailed during the 19th century. Utilitarianism was characterized by utilizing â€Å"mathematical formulas and logical proofs† to equate one’s wants with his best interests (Madden, n. d. ). The Underground Man disagrees with this; he attests that man wants to exercise his freedom and could do so regardless if it agrees with his best interests or not. If it is man’s desire to act irrational, he could. Of course, acting irrational is not in anyone’s best interest. However, by being irrational, he was truly able to exercise his freedom. Actions based on desires, instead of reason, enable man to be free. Freedom is thus associated with acting without reason. So in an era where reason dominated, the Underground Man was rather unreasonable. By being unreasonable, he was able to be truly free. In the novel, the Underground Man asserts that science deprives one of freedom. Dostoevsky (1992) writes, â€Å"Science has managed by now to anatomize man to such a degree that we already know that all your wishing, your so-called free will is nothing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 29). The Underground Man then begins his attack on utilitarianism: If someday they should really discover the formula for all our whims and wishes—I mean, what causes them, what laws they’re governed by, how they develop and where they lead in one case or another†¦in other words, an actual mathematical formula—why, then man will perhaps immediately stop wishing†¦Who wants to wish according to graphs (Dostoevsky, 1992, p. 29)? â€Å"Whims and wishes† in this quotation refers to the desires of man. The principles of utilitarianism are marked by analysis of people’s desires. These desires undergo scrutiny, as to determine if these desires agree with what is best for the people. However, the act of wishing does not involve analysis or scrutiny. One can desire something for no apparent reason. One may wish for something that may prove harmful in the long run. The exercise of freedom is spontaneous and non-regulated. If one has to base his or her desires from the graphs or formulas of science and math, they would no longer fall under the exercise of freedom. If one is to desire based on the graphs or formulas, it would not be an act of freedom any more. This is because there is imposition involved; the desires are imposed upon by the requirements of science or math. In this situation, the desires of man are dictated by the principles of reason. Thus, freedom disappears upon the use of reason. In the words of the Underground Man, â€Å"For if desires are one day brought into complete accord with reason, then we shall reason instead of wishing† (Dostoevsky, 1992, p. 30). The Underground Man continues his argument against utilitarianism by differentiating reason and desires. He states: You see, gentlemen, reason is unquestionably a fine thing, but reason is no more than reason, and it gives fulfillment only to a man’s reasoning capacity, while desires are a manifestation of the whole of life—I mean the whole of human life, both with its reason and with all its itches and scratches (Dostoevsky, 1992, p. 31). In this quotation, the Underground Man affirms that while reason is important, it is not the most important thing. The desires of man, through which freedom can be exercised, have a much wider scope than reason. Therefore, the desires of man cannot be reduced to graphs and tables because it transcends them. The Underground Man uses the piano key as a symbol of how reason curbs man’s freedom: He will insist on clinging precisely to his own fantastic dreams, his most vulgar folly, solely in order to confirm himself that men are still men, and not piano keys, which may be played by the hands of natural laws themselves, but which are threatened by this very playing to be brought to a state where it will no longer be possible to wish a thing outside of graphs and schedules (Dostoevsky, 1992, p. 34). Piano keys are pressed to make a sound in the process of playing the piano. These keys cannot produce sound on their own; they need to be touched and pressed. The analogy between the man and the piano key is what Dostoevsky used to illustrate his point. By measuring man’s desires with the graphs and formulas to determine whether or not it is in their best interests, man becomes a piano key. This is because man comes under the mercy of reason which plays him. To be manipulated by reason is to be bound by its laws; therefore, it is not freedom. The Underground Man believes that humankind values freedom over reason and best interests (Madden, n. d. ). Freedom means acting out of one’s desires or wishes whether or not the act spoken of is irrational or foolish. In the book, the Underground Man manifests his freedom through several examples. He had committed acts contrary to reason, making him a truly free individual. Hence, the Underground Man was successful in escaping the realm of reason he despises. The book starts with the Underground Man’s admission of a pain. He says, â€Å"I think that my liver hurts† (Dostoevsky, 1992, p. 1). Anyone who experiences pain will surely resort to measures to eliminate that pain. This is because pain is suffering, and nobody wants to suffer. In the instance that pain is felt, it is only reasonable that one seeks medical assistance by visiting a doctor. On the contrary, the Underground Man says, â€Å"No, sir, I refuse to see a doctor out of spite† (Dostoevsky, 1992, p. 1). This decision is obviously irrational, because he does not want to see a doctor to deal with the pain. In addition, he does not have a valid reason not to go to the doctor. One would presume that he simply takes pleasure in his own pain. A rational man would find this decision as preposterous, as no one ever enjoyed suffering from pain (Madden, n. d. ). However, what appears to be a manifestation of masochistic tendencies is actually the Underground Man’s exercise of freedom. Reason dictates that when one feels pain, that person should visit the doctor. As was earlier discussed, the Underground Man believes that reason limits freedom, because it only acknowledges the desires that would be in one’s best interests. The tolerance of pain and the derivation of pleasure from it is the Underground Man’s way of breaking free from reason. Surely, it is a foolish thing to do, but he does not want to conform to the dictates of reason. He values his freedom, so he refuses to act according to reason. He is a free man; he could do as he pleased. Even if it is contrary to his best interests in prolonging such agony, he still does it because he wished to do so. By tolerating pain and deriving pleasure from it, he successful avoids the system of reason. According to the Underground Man, â€Å"I know better than anyone else that I will only harm myself by this, and no one else. And yet, if I don’t seek a cure, it is out of spite. My liver hurts? Good, let it hurt still more† (Dostoevsky, 1992, p. 2)! The Underground Man proceeds with his painful endeavor, this time with a toothache. The fourth chapter of the book opens with his laughter: â€Å"Ha-ha-ha! You will find pleasure in a toothache next! And why not? There is pleasure in a toothache ache too† (Dostoevsky, 1992, p. 14). Just like with the liver ache, the Underground Man allows himself to feel the pain of his tooth instead of seeing a dentist. He welcomes the pain, and refuses to seek treatment. A critic of the novel, Mikhaylovsky declares that the Underground Man â€Å"tortures because he wants to, he likes torture. There is neither reason nor purpose here, and, in the opinion of Dostoevksy, they are not at all necessary, for absolute cruelty is interesting† (as cited in Marder, Meyer, Wyshak, n. d. ). Indeed, this is true. The Underground Man does not subject himself to pain for a reason. In fact, he does so to do away with reason. He refrains from seeking medical treatment because he wants to. By indulging in his desire, he exercises complete freedom. Aside from the aforementioned tolerance of pains, the Underground Man had exercised his freedom through irrationality in other ways. He states: I would feel a certain hidden, morbid, nasty little pleasure in the acute awareness that I had once again committed something vile that day, that what had been done could no longer be undone; and I would gnaw and gnaw at myself in silence†¦until the bitterness would finally begin to turn into a kind of shameful, damnable sweetness (Dostoevsky, 1992, p. 7). In this excerpt, the Underground Man expresses how he had realized his evil ways by contemplating what he had done. However, instead of wallowing in guilt, the realization ends up being a source of pleasure. How did the Underground Man manifest his freedom through this? The purveyors of rationality would insist that those who know what is in their best interests would not resort to baseness or frivolity. The Underground Man was aware of vileness of his actions; in a way, he was aware it was not in his best interests. However, he did not feel a sense of guilt. The realization of his action that started with bitterness eventually became that of sweetness. He knew what he had done was bad, but this does not change the fact that he derived pleasure from it. His reaction to such vile deeds set him apart from what reason dictates as proper. Because he did not follow the dictates of reason, he had exercised his own freedom through defiance. Reason makes one feel burdened when one commits a nasty or vile action. It supposes that rational ways should be observed, and a nasty or vile action is never rational. He sights an example when one is forced to apologize for a nasty deed. The Underground Man says: Generally, I could never endure saying, â€Å"Forgive me, Papa, I won’t do it again†Ã¢â‚¬â€and not because I was incapable of saying it, but, on the contrary, perhaps precisely because I was all too capable of it. And how I did it (Dostoevsky, 1992, p. 16)! In this passage, the Underground Man expressed disagreement with repentance. He believes that one should not apologize for doing something. He finds apologies as deceiving; the claim to never do an act considered vile again seems insincere. In our freedom, we are all capable of doing these acts. Regardless if they are rational or irrational, we all have the capacity to act according to our own free will. The claim â€Å"I won’t do it again† is quite fraudulent, as it is quite understood that anyone can do anything, according to their free will. Thus, it is possible for one to exercise freedom and desire something which is not in one’s best interest. According to the Underground Man: And what if his advantage on a given occasion not only may, but must, lie exactly in choosing for himself the harmful rather than the advantageous? And if this is so, if there can be such an occasion, then the entire rule is shattered to smithereens (Dostoevsky, 1992, p. 22). The rule spoken of here is the belief that man would choose what is in his best interests. Again, the exercise of freedom lies in choosing or desiring something regardless of their nature. In the above quotation, the Underground Man affirms that there will be instances wherein man will choose what is harmful, instead of what is useful, to him. The moment such situation arises, the principle of reason will be disproved. The Underground Man does not believe in the principle that man will act according to what is in his best interests. Neither does he believe that man’s desires can be reduced to graphs of science nor formulas of mathematics. The concept of freedom for the Underground Man is that which is contrary to the dictates of reason. He does not acknowledge that man will commit acts that are in tune with his best interests. This would be a violation of his freedom, as the freedom presupposes one’s capacity for both the rational and the irrational. If one chooses to commit an irrational act, he is merely exercising his freedom. Did the Underground Man succeed in escaping the realm of reason he so despised? The answer is yes. His tolerance of pain and derivation of pleasure from suffering were direct defiance to reason. He had rendered himself completely liberated from the atmosphere of rationality. He did and thought as he pleased, whether or not it was in his best interests. Indeed, he had escaped, and is completely free. REFERENCES Dostoevsky, F. (1992). Notes from Underground (M. Ginsburg, Trans. ). New York: Bantam. (Original work published in 1864). Madden, C. (n. d. ). SparkNote on Notes from Underground. Retrieved March 29, 2008, from http://www. sparknotes. com/lit/underground/ Marder, J. , Meyer, M. , Wyshak, F. (n. d. ). Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground Study Guide. Retrieved March 29, 2008, from http://community. middlebury. edu/~beyer/courses/previous/ru351/novels/UGMan/ugman. html

Manning Guidance Essay Example for Free

Manning Guidance Essay Do the prioritizations outlined in the 2013 Manning Guidance agree with the imperatives of the 2013 ASPG? Why or why not? Overall, Manning Guidance (MG) 2013 is a near-term document that supports the imperatives of the 2013 Army Strategic Planning Guidance (ASPG) for all â€Å"near-term† priorities that covers FYs 13-15. The mission statement of MG 2013, states â€Å"Provide AC Army with personnel manning guidance for FY13-15 that is synchronized with the â€Å"Army’s Priorities†. The major difference is that ASPG covers near term (FYs 13-15), mid-term (FYs 16-20), as well as long term (FY21 and beyond); however, MG 2013 is a near-term document that supports the imperatives of the ASPG for FYs 13-15 only. Additionally, MG 2013 is more focused on the â€Å"Manning† line of effort vs. holistic approach to all things Army Strategic planning guidelines and considerations. ASPG Imperative #1 states: Provide modernized and ready, tailored land force capabilities to meet Combatant Commanders’ requirements across the range of military operations. How the MG 2013 supports this effort: MG provides guidelines for alignment of manning levels IAW Army priorities as reflected in the IRPL and other priorities established by Army senior leadership. MG also establishes clear guidelines on the manning levels during the ARFORGEN models by instituting not less than P2 rating during RESET and P1 during TRAIN/READY phase. It also talks about how the Army has enough Soldiers to fill every authorizations in the aggregate. Furthermore, MG also lays out allocated forces and apportioned forces that supports the Combatant Commanders’ requirements; it clearly articulates: urgent forces requires 100% manning, essential forces=90%, and important forces=80%. ASPG Imperative #2 states: Develop leaders to meet the challenges of the 21st century. How the MG 2013 aligns with this effort: MG amplifies the need for the investment of quality officers and NCOs in the institutional Army to develop Soldiers in diverse and broadening positions. It also states Commanders have the option to release Soldiers during any phase of the ARFORGEN cycle to execute Professional Military Education (PME). It also clearly states, Commands can release Soldiers/Leaders to depart unit IOT execute PME and other assignments that can broaden and grow Leaders. ASPG Imperative #3 states: Adapt the Army to more effectively provide land power. How the MG 2013 is in align or contradicts with this effort: First, MG clearly lays out the guidance on Resetting the Force during ARFORGEN cycle. However, ASPG covers areas that are mid-term and long-term that discusses the modernization effort, reforming/restructuring the Force, and fielding the Army of the future that is not laid out in the MG. Some of these areas are covered in the Command Plan as well Army equipping strategy or modernization strategy and not in the Manning Guidance. ASPG Imperative #4 states: Enhance the all-volunteer Army.   How the MG 2013 is in align or contradicts with this effort: Once again, going back to the discussion in the ASPG #2, developing future leaders, MG clearly articulates the support for Soldier/Leader assignments, importance of PMEs, and investing on recruiting/investing on top quality officers and NCOs that can ultimately enhance the all-volunteer Army.

Psychological Distress Experienced by Medical Students

Psychological Distress Experienced by Medical Students INTRODUCTION The psychological distress of medical students is more commonly associated with stress, anxiety and depression [1]. It is a fact that tertiary medical education is highly stressful due to factors that include academic pressures, obstacles to their goal achievement, environmental changes, life challenges such as transition from school to university and the change in role from student to knowledgeable physician [2,3]. Even though there were studies suggested that some stress in medical school training involve stress, this stressful environment can exert a negative effect on the psychological and physical well-being of the undergraduates [5,6]. The stress can be defined as â€Å"a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense† and also as â€Å"a number of normal reactions of the body (mental, emotional, and physiological) designed for self-preservation† [7]. Stress is also defined as not just a stimulus or a response but rather, it is a process by which we perceive and cope with environmental threats and challenges [8]. On the other hand, anxiety can be defined as â€Å"an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes. People with anxiety disorders usually have recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns. They may avoid certain situations out of worry. They may also experience physical symptoms such as sweating, trembling, dizziness or rapid heartbeat† [4]. While depression is more than just sadness. People with depression may experience a lack of interest and pleasure in daily activities, significant weight loss or gain, insomnia or excessive sleeping, lack of ener gy, inability to concentrate, feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide [4]. However, for the sake of simplicity, these three most common condition psychological issues are coined into one term that is ‘stress’ as all of them are closely related [9]. Several studies have revealed that the incidence of stress among medical profession are increasing day by day and medical students have been found to experience higher level of depression and anxiety compared to the general population and to their same age group individuals [10,11,12]. The top ten main stressors found by Yusuf et al. at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) based on scores given by the medical students were all related to academic matters while Wolf et al. listed examination, class-work and financial responsibilities as their main stressor [13,14]. Therefore, it is critical for medical educators to understand the prevalence and causes of student distress, potential adverse personal and professional consequences, and institutional factors that can influence student’s health. It is suggested that an intervention programs could be implemented to reduce the stress levels [14]. OBJECTIVES The review was carried out to address the following questions: What is the prevalence of psychological distress experienced by medical students’? What are the socio demographical factors associated with psychological distress experienced by medical students’? METHODOLOGY 10 keyword were chosen to do the search for this project. Keywords – Malaysia, Medical students, stress, psychological distress, anxiety, depression, emotional disorder, mental health, undergraduates and trainee Literature review was carried out using the following electronic databases: PUBMED, Medline, Science Direct, Up-to-Date and Google scholar databases for articles on medical student’s distress in Malaysia. It was a systemic review of the literatures carried out from October 2014 to February 2015. Inclusion and Exclusion criteria All articles that published data related to stress or psychological distress/health of Malaysian medical students and written in English were eligible for inclusion in this study. The latest articles published since January 2014 was included. From the search, 20 full text articles were retrieved based on the relevance in relation to the topic. In addition, the reference list of the articles retrieved were also checked to find similar articles. RESULT Instrument used There are variety of tools used to assess psychological distress. The tools used will be selected based on elements to be assess. The most common one used for assessment of stress in Malaysian based study is General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) using 12 items or 28 items. The questionnaire was developed by Goldberg in 1978 which measures two important elements. The first one is the inability to carry out normal functions and the appearance of distress. The second is to assess the well-being in a person [15]. Other tools for used includes Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS). Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ) was used to identify sources of stress or stressor [16]. Prevalence of psychological distress The overall prevalence rate of psychological distress among medical student in Malaysia are range from 14.3% to 56% [17,18]. The highest prevalence rate of 56% was obtained from Salina et al. where they did a survey on 101 medical students in University Malaya (UM). Based on SPIN scores, they conclude that 56% of the medical student who scored 19 or above have higher probability of having social anxiety disorder [18]. While the lowest prevalence of psychological distress with rate of 14.3% was documented by Yusoff et al. from the study among a cohort of University Sains Malaysia (USM) medical students where two cohorts of first year (2008/2009 and 2009/2010 intake) were compared. Cohort 1 was selected based on academic merit while cohort 2 was selected based on academic merit, psychometric assessment and interview performance. Based on GHQ scores, the results indicate that cohort 1 (prevalence rate of 26.3%) experienced more psychological distress compared to cohort 2 (prevalence rat e of 14.3%) indicating that stratification of student selection by using multimodal criteria might better identify medical students with good psychological health [17]. A study on psychological distress by using DASS scores was done by Nikmat et al. among 110 preclinical medical students of University Teknologi Mara (UiTM). The results were classified into mild, moderate, severe and extremely severe. It was further divided into two group which were ‘clinical’ for severe and extremely severe and ‘sub-clinical’ for mild and moderate. Out of 110 students, 5.5% of students had clinical depression, 24.5% clinical anxiety and 7.3% had clinical stress. Other remaining students experienced sub-clinical depression, anxiety and stress with prevalence of 36.4%, 35.5% and 30.0% respectively [21]. Yusoff et al. documented prevalence of depressive symptoms rate by using BDI scale among final year medical students stood at 21.7% [22]. Socio demographic variables Study years Stress among different years of students was studied by Sherina et al, Zaid et al and Yusoff et al. Cumulatively, They found that the stress prevalence for different years of study were varied. According to Sherina et al. based on the study in 2003, there was high prevalence of stress among 1st (48.6%) and 4th (41.4%) year medical students in comparison to students of second, third and final years. The most acceptable explanation was that 1st year student have to adjust to a new environment of medical educations. While the year 4 students whom just in their early days of clinical setting need to adjust their way with hospital setting and undergo clinical examinations which were totally different from pre-clinical years [23]. In addition to that, a study done by Zaid et al. in 2007 seems to support the findings of Sherina et al. with their results of having high prevalence of emotional disorder for the 1st (50%), but rather different for 5th (62.7%) year medical students. The extremel y high score documented by the final year students (5th year) was probably due to high expectations for them to become a competent doctors and to acquire good academic results, whereas the high score for the 1st year students might be because of the effect of stiff competition they faced to enter the medical schools and also due to process of adjustment to the medical education setting [24]. In contrary to that, in 2010 Yusoff et al. found lower stress prevalence in both 1st (26.3%) and final year (21.9%) students. Even other years of study also showed lower stress prevalence with 36.5% for 2nd year, 31.4% for 3rd year and 35.3% for 4th year medical students in comparison to result documented by Sherina et al. and Zaid et al. The probable reason was that 1st year students were at the beginning of their course, full of euphoria and still not yet face difficult subjects which make them less stressful. On the other hand, 5th year students possibly developed skills to manage their studi es and able to cope with stress. According to Yusoff et al. adaptation periods to the new phases of studies and impact of transition could be the reason of high prevalence in 2nd year and 4th year students [14]. Ethnics Although there was no documented significant association between ethnic and psychological distress, Johari et al and Sherina et al. managed to publish the prevalence of psychological distress between the 4 major ethnics in Malaysia. Sherina et al mention that Chinese and other ethnics had prevalence rate of 42.0% and 18.8% respectively, which was lower compared to Indian whom had the highest prevalence (48.1%) followed by the Malays (42.9%) according to Johari et al [23,25]. Gender To date, only few articles were found to study relationship of stress between male and female [14,18,23,24]. As expected, all studies indicate that female students have higher stress level compared to male, although only one; Yusoff et al. was able to achieve significant relationship statistically [20]. Financial problem There are two studies which was conducted inter universities (public universities) by Yusoff et al. and Johari et al. in 2009 and 2011 that highlighted the significant relation between psychological distress and financial difficulties [25,26]. While Radman et al. also obtained similar result in their investigation among private inter universities [27]. Apparently, Zaid et al. whom did similar research in one private medical school did not found any relation between financial issues and psychological distress [24]. Relationship problem Rather surprising fact found by Zaid et al. (2007) which stated that relationship problems with parent, siblings, friends and lecturers were not associated with psychological distress [24]. However, earlier research in 2003 by Sherina et al. did mention that there were significant stress level among medical students having relationship problems, and this fact was supported by Johari et al. in 2009 [23,25]. Apart from that, other types of relationship which can be consider a special relationship (marital and romantic relationship) might help to reduce stress level. As mentioned by Zaid et al. the students whom did not involve in special relationship were found having significantly more stress (51.7%) than (37%) in those who involved [24]. In addition, married students were proved by Johari et al. to be in significantly less stressed compare to single status [25]. Other factors Yusuf et al. in his study involving inter universities medical students, has found that there was a significant relationship between different universities and psychological distress. Perhaps different kind of modules, examination, environment, clinical structures do play a role [26]. While poor general health and younger also identified as significant factors for psychological distress [25,26]. Other factors such as types of school, number of siblings, religion and co-curriculum did not contribute to stress among medical student [14,18] REFERENCES N. Bayram and N. Bilgel, â€Å"The prevalence and socio-demo-graphic correlations of depression, anxiety and stress among a group of university students,† Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol. 43, no. 8, pp. 667–672, 2008. M. S. Sherina, L. Rampal, and N. Kaneson, â€Å"Psychological stress among undergraduate medical students,† Medical Journal of Malaysia, vol. 59, no. 2, pp. 207–211, 2004. Habeeb KA. Prevalence of stressors among female medical students Taibah.University. J Taibah Univ Med Sci, 5, 110-119. 2010 Kazdin A. Encyclopedia of psychology. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association; 2000. Linn BS, Zeppa R. Stress in Junior Medical Students:Relationship to Personality and Performance. J Med Education. 59(1):7–12.1984 Mosley TH Jr., Perrin SG, Neral SM, Dubbert PM, Grothues CA, Pinto BM. Stress, coping and well-being among third year medical students. Acad. Med. 69:765–7.1994 PRINCETON UNIVERSITY (2001). Word Net Dictionary. USA. Myers DG. Stress and Health. In: Exploring Psychology. 6th edition. New York: Worth Publishers. p. 402. 2005 Ko SM, Kua EH, Fones CSL. Stress and the Undergraduates. Singapore MedJ 40(10): 627-30. 1999 Dyrbye LN, Thomas MR, Shanafelt TD. Systematic review of depression anxiety, and other indicators of psychological distress among U.S. and Canadian medical students. Acad Med, 81, 354-373. 2006 Saipanish R. Stress among medical students in a Thai medical school. Med Teach, 25, 502-506. 2003 M. Dahlin, N. Joneborg, and B. Runeson, â€Å"Stress and depression among medical students: a cross-sectional study,† Medical Education, vol. 39, no. 6, pp. 594–604, 2005. Wolf TM, Faucett JM, Randall HM, Balson PM. Graduating medical students ratings of stresses, pleasures, and coping strategies. J Med Educ, 63, 636-642. 1998 Yusoff MSB, Abdul Rahim AF, Yaacob MJ. Prevalence and sources of stress among Universiti Sains Malaysia medical students. Malaysian J Med Sci. 2010;17(1):30–37. Goldberg D. Manual of the general health questionnaire. NFER Publishing Company.1978 Yusoff MSB, Rahim AFA, Yaacob MJ. The Development and Validity of the Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ). ASEAN J Psychiatry, 11. 2010 Yusoff MSB, Rahim AFA, Baba AA, Ismail SB, Esa AR. A study on psychological distress of two batches of first-year medical students underwent different selection admission processes. Malays J Med Sci. 2012 Salina M, Ng CG, Gill JS, Chin JM, Chin CJ, Yap WF.Social anxiety problem among medical students in Universiti Malaya Medical Center (UMMC): a cross-sectional study. Malaysian J Psychiatry. 2008 Ko SM, Kua EH, Fones CSL. Stress and The Undergraduate, Singapore Med J. 1999; 40:627–630. Yusoff MSB, Saiful M, Ahmad Fuad AR, Yaacob MJ. The prevalence of final year medical students with depressive symptoms and its contributing factors. International Medical Journal, 2011; 18, 305-309. Nikmat AW, Mariam M, Ainsah O, Salmi R. Psychological well-being, stress and coping style among pre-clinical medical students. Research management in state, University Teknologi Mara. 2010 Yusoff MSB, Saiful M, Ahmad Fuad AR, Yaacob MJ. The prevalence of final year medical students with depressive symptoms and its contributing factors. International Medical Journal, 2011; 18, 305-309. Sherina MS, Rampal L, Kaneson N. Prevalence of emotional disorders among medical students in a Malaysian university. Asia Pac Fam Med, 2003; 2, 213-217. Zaid ZA, Chan SC, Ho JJ. Emotional disorders among medical students in a Malaysian private medical school. Singapore Med J, 2007; 48, 895-899. Johari AB, Hassim IN. Stress and coping strategies among medical students international university of Malaysia, Malaysia University of Sabah and University Kuala Lumpur Royal College of Medicine Perak. J Community Health, 2009; 15, 106-115. Yusoff MSB et al. A study on stress, stressors and coping strategies among medical students. Int J Students Res, 2011; 1, 45-50.

The Effects of Mono Lakes Hydrology on its Ecosystem :: Environment Biology Essays

The Effects of Mono Lake's Hydrology on its Ecosystem Situated at the foothills of the Eastern Sierra Nevada, Mono Lake has an unusual and unique hydrology that is highly influential in shaping the water chemistry (specifically the water's salinity and alkalinity) and biological life that survives there. Mono Lake is a hypersaline, highly alkaline, hydrographically closed basin in which the only natural means of water export is through evaporation. The basin itself was carved out by faulting of tectonic plates that occurred atleast 500,000 years ago. Mono Basin contains up to 7,000 ft. of glacial, fluvial, lacustrine and volcanic deposits in a large structural depression formed in part by down-dropping along the Sierra Nevada fault (Pakiser 1976). In addition to the water evaporated, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) began diverting Mono Lake's water and approximately 58% of its natural inflow (annually) to supply 13% of the city of Los Angeles's water supply in 1940 (Stine 1991). Because lake volume fluctuates in response to varying inflow and evaporation, the late-water concentration and composition can experience substantial change through time (Rogers 1992). A high concentration of soluble compounds and salts formed inherently as evaporation occurred, and minerals and compounds were left behind. Runoff, erosional sediments and precipitation (rain and snowfall are limited in the Eastern side due to the rainshadow effect) from the Sierra Nevada accumulate in the Mono Basin. Also ephemeral perennial streams from the Sierra Nevada flow into the Mono Basin. Because of this, a great deal of the groundwater and the groundwater hydrological system is dominated by stream losses from the mountains. Fault lines can also be highly influential to the production of groundwater. According to USGS's Ronald Oremland, The lake is usually monomictic, and undergoes one complete winter mixing event induced by the sinking of cold surface waters. However, inputs of large amounts of freshwater into the lake in the early 1980s and again in the late 1990s resulted in episodes of meromixis (Oremland 2000). Jellison predicts that the meromixis phase that is currently occurring will last several decades. Meromixis generally produces buildup of ammonia, sulfide and methane. In many cases diversions of freshwater inputs for irrigation or other human uses have resulted in diminished size and increased salinity (Jellison 1992). Diverting Mono Lake's streams has not only stirred political and environmental controversy over rights but has also led to the waters of Mono Lake being halved in lake volume, reduced by 45 ft.

Speech Recognition -- Technology Computers Essays

Speech Recognition Speech recognition is a computer application that lets people control a computer by speaking to it. In other words, rather than using a keyboard and mouse to communicate with the computer, the user speaks commands into a microphone that is connected to a computer. By speaking into the microphone, users can do two things. First, they can tell their computers to execute some commands such as open a document, save changes, delete a paragraph, even move the cursor, ­ all without touching a key. Second, users can write using speech recognition in conjunction with a standard word processing program. When users speak into the microphone their words can appear on a computer screen in a word processing format, ready for revision and editing. Although many modern speech-recognition programs and devices voice-enable their systems, the terms voice recognition and speech recognition are not synonymous. While both use technology to capture the spoken word, voice recognition and speech recognition have different goals, and run different technologies. Speech recognition is continuous, natural language processing. In contrast, voice recognition uses recordings to determine an individual's identity, a twist on today's social security number and fingerprint. There are two kinds of speech recognition software now available; discrete speech and continuous speech. The older technology, discrete speech recognition, requires the user to speak one word at a time. A newer technology, continuous speech recognition, allows the user to dictate by speaking (at a more or less normal rate). As the user speaks, the software puts one or more words on the screen by matching the sound input with the information it has in the user's voice... ...ms and software for their homes and actually speak to their computers. Although it is still rather new for computers to be able to understand and transcribe the imprecise speech of humans, it is possible and systems are only continuing to improve. Sources Bates, Regis J and Gregory, Donald W. Voice and Data Communications Handbook. Capron, H. L. Computers, Tools for an Information Age, Upper Saddle River: Addison Wesley, 2002. Newman, Dan. The Dragon Naturally Speaking Guide, Berkeley: Waveside Publishing, 2000. Newman, Dan. Talk to Your Computer: Speech Recognition Made Easy, Berkely: Waveside Publishing, 2000. . . . .

The Health Benefits of Exercise :: Physical Exercise Fitness Health

The first group of people to utilize the benefits of exercise were the Greeks. It was Aristotle a famous philosopher of the time who brought this concept to the people at the time. The word exercise means "Bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness." In today’s world you find people from all walks of life, age and sex exercising in some form or another. Whether it be running in a park or lifting weights in a gym, let’s face its here to stay. There are basically three types of exercise. First we have aerobic meaning with oxygen, this type uses oxygenated blood produced by the heart and lungs to supply the body with energy. This type is long in duration, an example of an exercise would be jogging. Next we have anaerobic meaning without oxygen it uses the stored energy in the muscles only and is short in duration an example would be the 200m hurdles. Finally we come to crosstraining. It encompasses both aerobic and anaerobic styles to make maximum use of all systems this would be accomplished by starting and stopping at different intervals. For example you could go running down a path then stop do push-ups then repeat the cycle again and again. Some of the benefits that can be achieved through exercise are lower blood pressure and an increase in stroke volume. Blood pressure (the force that the blood exerts on the vessel wall). Stroke volume ( the amount of blood that passes through the heart in one beat).By doing this the heart will become more efficient and will be able to recover faster after exercise is over. Remember the heart is a muscle the harder you work it the stronger it becomes. By working the muscles of the body they will naturally become stronger. They will be able to do more work for longer periods of time without fatigue or injury occurring. You will have a greater sense of mental awareness (a clear head). You will feel more attentive about what is gong on around you, as well as feeling less stress from daily problems which brings us back again to less stain on the heart. The benefits to be had by the aging population are unbelievable. People who stay active (exercise) through their life live longer than those who are sedentary (don’t exercise) "Most of the decline we associate with aging is really the result of inactivity.

Comparison of Frankenstein Essay

We see that it is not their fault that they want to spread all over the world and get released out of the cage of an island they are in now, it is not their fault that they are being so cruelly treated, they want freedom and so they must escape for it, this leads to the destruction of the park and ironically with the park John Hammond himself, it is ironic how Hammond is destroyed by his own creatures, and not the big T-rex but the small velociraptors, that bring an end to his life. We see the velociraptors as birds, which are sublime, which makes it even more ironic. But its not the destruction of the park or the destruction of Hammond which we are upset about, but it is the dying of the creatures that we are upset about, because we build a feeling of them being just innocent subjects of a cruel experiment, and we want them to survive and Hammond to die. But in the end it is justified that everything is destroyed, creator, creations and habitat. It signals an end to a disaster, which was long predicted by Ian Malcolm who is the hero of the show at the end. In Frankenstein similar views are created in the readers mind about the creations of Victor, at first we see him as an outcast in community, and we see him as an inhumane figure just because he does not look like a human. In reality he is bigger than human, he is greater, he is actually very intelligent and physically very big, actually ironically, he is bigger and better than his miniscule creator and most around him. Victor’s creation receives a lot of sympathy from the readers, at first in the beginning he is seen as an ugly creature whom everyone abhors but as soon as he starts to talk we understand him inside and why he does what he does, after killing victors family he talk to us but we understand him and see what is going on. We feel very sympathetic towards him. It is in the end just a tragedy that the creature has to dies, but it is also justified that Victor must dies with him. As we can see that both stories end in the same way, with both creators, creation and habitat all being destroyed, this is what we learn from the playing of god and how wrong it is and why we shouldn’t do it. The incidents, which lead up to the climax in each story, are systematically and cleverly put there to build up the reader’s thoughts for the end of the book. The final scene in Jurassic Park is the destruction of the Park and in Frankenstein it is the Final Confrontation between Victor and his creation. Either way they lead up to dramatic scenes. In Jurassic Park, at the beginning there are scenes to inform us of the dinosaurs these include sightings of the dinosaurs and how they bite a young girl and how a mauled down by a Raptor. Reading these scenes makes you think that there will be dangerous animals I the book and that it will be full of violence. Afterwards when it is clear to the reader that a park has been built for the dinosaurs and the awareness of the dinosaurs becomes apparent, the death scenes get more violent and destructive and frequent. As the scenes get more brutal we seem to think that the dinosaurs are getting way to out of control but later we realise that this is the way that dinosaurs behave and it is inhumane and not possible to make them act another way, so then we feel sorry for them. In the end this stupid ness to think that the dinosaurs could be manipulated to act in a way that they will not cause destructiveness is foolishness and because nothing is done about it, it is inevitable that in the need the dinosaurs just over rule the park and destroy everything and everyone and ironically their own creator in the process. As the death scenes get more frequent, they just keep on growing in frequency and eventually the dinosaur’s crack and all the dinosaurs attack at once and the park is destroyed. Only a few people get away, one of these is Ian Malcolm the theorist who beloved none of this was possible and how right he was, everyone thinks he is genius for this. In Frankenstein there are many deaths too until the final confrontation, but these deaths are al the same, except one which is the death of Justine Moritz. This death is different because she gets hanged for a murder which she did not commit, and which Victor’s creation committed. This fires up a lot of tension, and show that the creation is a evil person and also creates a bigger gap between Victor and his creation. We now see the monster as an evil man, but later on when we hear from him, we see that he is not actually what we think of him, he is quite the opposite, we hear that he thinks he is a clever man and is not accepted in society which is an effective method of making us feel sorry for him. In the end we can see that the book is not climaxed like in Jurassic park with the build of scenes of violence and destruction but with the points of view of both men and finally a confrontation. Either way in both books the climax is not what is ideal. It is a lesson that both writers are trying to convey, it is a message that playing god will eventually lead to deaths, and overall destruction. I n the end both characters in each book are as we can see victims of their own ideas, creations. They both fail because they act selfishly and do not listen to the advice of others. Both men assume the place of god, not just in the act of â€Å"playing god† but in the way they view their control their creatures as if they possessed God’s powers. They lack God’s love; neither Frankenstein, nor Hammond proves capable of loving and respecting his â€Å"offspring. † English/Literature GCSE Course Wider Reading Unit Comparison of â€Å"Frankenstein† (Pre-1900) and â€Å"Jurassic Park† (Pro-1900) Page 2 By Sheryar Majid Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.

Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad

[pic] KOLEJ PROFESSIONAL MARA INDERA MAHKOTA, KUANTAN ENGLISH 1102: INTRODUCTION TO WRITING ASSESMENT 3 TITLE: BIOGRAPHICAL RECOUNT PREPARED BY: DIANA AQILA BINTI KHAIRUDDIN ID NUMBER: IDI 12-01-041 PREPARED FOR: MADAM HAZLINA BINTI MOHD KASIM SUBMISSION DATE: APRIL 20, 2012 ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION SHEET An assignment Information sheet needs to be attached to each assignment. Please fill in all details clearly and staple to the front of each assignment. Full name: DIANA AQILA BINTI KHAIRUDDIN Class: DEC 1B Email (if applicable): [email  protected] comStudent ID: IDI 12-01-041 Course: DIPLOMA IN ENGLISH COMMUNICATION (DEC) Course Title: INTRODUCTION TO WRITING Code: ENG 1213 Assignment no: 3Due Date: APRIL 20, 2012 Assignment topic: BIOGRAPHICAL RECOUNT: TUN DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD Academic staff member: MADAM HAZLINA BINTI MOHD KASIM Student’s comments (e. g. if extension was granted) I declare that the work contained in this assignment is my own, except where acknowledgemen t of sources is made. Signed: ________________________________ Date: APRIL 20, 2012 Academic staff member’s comments: Office Use Date received |Assessment/grade |Academic staff member |Recorded | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Share/All Eng Unit Stuff/ Assignment Information Sheet He is the symbol of modernization.The longest serving Prime Minister of Malaysia and Asia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad is a hero who brings Malaysia from the third-world country to 17th largest trading nation in the world. His outstanding vision and breadth of principle were impressed and feared by many others world leader. The purpose of this biographical recount is to highlight on his personal life, politic history and achievements. Born as Mahathir bin Iskandar [email  protected], he is mostly known as ‘Che Det’ among Malaysians. Eventhough his registered birth date is 20 December 1925 but the actual date is 10 July 1925. The reason behind this is because during that ra, his father wan ts to avoid hassles regarding age while registering for entering school’s session. Grow up in a family that emphasized on the importance of academic as well as the teachings of Islam are the secret that makes him as a great leader. Despite being only half Malay and half Indian Muslim heritage, he generally considers himself to be Malay. He is known as the sole fighter of Malay nationalism, who fights for Malay Supremacy or Lordship. Due to his primary profession as a government doctor, he had to restrain himself from getting involved in either politics or business.However, after he left Government service in 1958 to set up his own medical practical, her politic journey began when he was elected as a member of the Kedah UMNO committee. From Minister of Education to Deputy Prime Minister, he finally reaches the top on 16 July 1981 after the former third Prime Minister, Tun Hussein Onn. Although there was numbers of event, significance and controversial happenings under his lead ership include removing of the veto power and the Royal immunity from prosecution, he never give up but stand proud with his own stance without failure.During his 22 years of serving period, he embarked on various large scale national projects, such as the Multimedia Super Corridor, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang, and an adjacent Formula One circuit, Olympic-class stadium in Bukit Jalil and the Petronas Twin Towers that once become the world’s tallest building. In addition, he was considered to be one of Asia’s most influential leaders and also noted as an outspoken critic of Western-style in the Western world. As for Malaysian, he has been granted the soubriquet of Father of Modernization as for his economic development efforts.It is obvious that Dr. Mahathir was a remarkable leader sent by Heaven. Whatever judgments that neither his admirer nor his critics gave, his place in Malaysian history is secure as the amount of efforts he possessed for Ma laysia’s peace, security and prosperity are amazingly remarkable. (447 words) REFERENCES Abdullah, A. (2008) Dr. Mahathir’s Selected Letters to World Leaders, Marshall Cavendish, Malaysia, pg. 16-21 Cox, K. & Hill, D. (2004) EAP now! English for Academic Purpose, Pearson Longman, Australia, pg. 111 Mahathir, M. 2011) A Doctor in the House: The Memoirs of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, MPH, Malaysia, pg. 1-326 Savage, A. & Mayer, P. (2005) Effective Academic Writing 2, Oxford University Press, New York Suzieana, U. A. (2009) ‘A leadership scheme for international young executives hopes to unravel the mind of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and groom transdisciplinary leaders, Internship: Understanding an Icon, News Straits Times Online, http://www. nst. com. my/channels/learning-curve/internships-understanding-an-icon-1. 35465 ( 17 April 2012)

RoseWood Hotels & Resorts

RoseWood Hotels & Resorts: Branding to increase customer profitability and lifetime value. Rosewood Hotels& Resorts(Rosewood) , a private hotel management company started in 1979, that built a global reputation with iconic luxury hotels such as The Mansion and The Carlyle, became well known for its ability to enhance a property’s value by creating unique, one-of-a-kind properties with a small ultra-luxury residential style. But amidst this, the brand ROSEWOOD became muted, unmentioned. The issue here is to establish Rosewood as a true brand. A branding decision is to be made to establish the company’s future. Rosewood with or without a corporate brand needs to be evaluated in order to arrive at a decision. The first thing is-whether or not a corporate branding. * Establishing a corporate brand would mean to fall into the same league where other corporate brands were in. Rosewood without a corporate branding was at par with the branded ones. Its occupancy rate across years has been almost the same for- be it The Marriott or The Four Seasons Hotels, inspite of relatively higher prices at RoseWood. Moreover, it would mean to keep the brand promise across the properties – by ensuring perfect product/service performance across the portfolio, internal soft branding initiatives and significant marketing investment. But keeping in mind the uniqueness of each Rosewood hotel and their â€Å"SENSE OF PLACE† philosophy, consistent brand-wide performance standards seems a bit unrealistic. Each place has something new and unique to offer its guests. Standardizing it was not the Rosewood way of work. They understood the customer needs according to their functioning place and believed in offering the same. This was their Unique Selling Point and diverting from this would mean a high impact on the customer expectation. A corporate branding is not the only solution to increasing the customer profitability and lifetime value. Surely Rosewood needs cross-property increase. Seeing RoseWood’s statistics, upto 40% customers come back to the same hotel of Rosewood’s But only 5% are involved in cross property usage. In the individual brand range, they typically had 5-10% cross property usage rate and this number went upto 10-15% In case of corporate-branded hotels. But RoseWood was struggling at a mere rate of 5%- the lowermost rate even in the individual brand range. So they need to boost up this number to at least gain the higher edge in their own category of individual brands. I would suggest these short term course of action so as to achieve higher customer profitability and lifetime value. 1. People definitely like being at RoseWood- keeping in mind their occupancy rate (average of 60% for last 3 years) and 40% customers coming back again to the same hotel. Customers are happy to be at RoseWood properties. But little can they relate with other RoseWood hotels. The RoseWood hotel they go to provides them with a comfortable stay. When their guests go to a new place that also has a RoseWood property, they should know what to expect and those who liked it first will definitely want to have the same comfortable stay again. For e. g. A Mc-Donalds store worldwide is known for the food they provide. When going in a Mc-D they know what to expect and what level of food they will get. But even a Mc-D store in Gujarat has customized itself according to the place they are at and provides only vegetarian there. RoseWood’s main strength is their uniqueness. But they need to build an inter relation among their hotels so that they maintain almost same level of service and comfort. People should go in to experience something new but with the faith of same level of service. 2. When a customer checks-out from a RoseWood property, they can be asked to fill a small interactive feedback form and a satisfied customer should be handed with a handout of other RoseWood hotels with a promise that they can have the same satisfaction of stay there as well. . RoseWood can implement that when a guest leaves, he is made aware of other RoseWood hotels with a provision that whenever they are to go to a place having another of RoseWood’s hotels, they can just contact the manager of their regular RoseWood hotel staff/manager and all arrangements for their stay at that place can be made beforehand as per the guests convenience. Also, by this the customers would not go to a new place and make choices whether or not to turn up to RoseWood hotel at that place. They could implement the branding in a bit subtle way like The Mansion-from the house of RoseWood or The Mansion (RoseWood properties) so that people can be aware of and relate to them. 5. They need to collaborate more with the travel agents. They do promote the hotel but not the brand. Educating the customers about RoseWood as well along with the hotel would help the customers to relate and entrust in them. 6. Even the guests who have stayed in RoseWood hotels do not know of RoseWood as a brand. They need to bring the guests’ focus on RoseWood as well during their stay. Logo and promotion should be moved towards higher profile amenities as well. Their conversations on telephone to the dress of the staff should justify that they are a part of the RoseWood. As far as the long term initiative is concerned, being a status symbol never hurts. In Fact it is the need of the hour to be a leader in the competition. So, they might as well like to go for corporate branding if willing to compromise on their â€Å"Sense Of Place† philosophy to some extent.

Take a stand Essay

Energy drinks have become very popular amongst today’s youth. America’s youth has easy access to these dangerous drinks and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at this time does not regulate the amount of caffeine that is allowed into these beverages (Cool, 2011). These drinks contain high levels of caffeine and other herbs that have ill effects on ones heart, along with high sodium and sugar levels that can adversely affect ones overall health.The FDA on should regulate the allowable caffeine content in these drinks and energy drinks should be prohibited for children under the age of 18 years. The dangerous ingredients, ill side effects, and the deadly amounts of caffeine found in these drinks will be discussed in this paper. It is important that Americans become educated about the deadly drinks that are being marketed as safe, and pushed on our youth (Clair, 2013). There are similar ingredients found in all of the energy drinks on the market today.Some of these are Caffeine, Guarana, Taurine, Sugar, Genseng, and Bitter orange (Rath, 2012). Caffeine has adverse effects on the body such as nausea, heart palpitations, headaches, sleeplessness, hypokalemia, rabdomylosis and atrial and ventricular tachycardia that can both be deadly (Rath, 2012). Guarana, while not as harmful, still has many adverse effects of its own, some of which are: nervousness, tachycardia, anxiety, chest pain and cardiac dysrhthmias (Moodie, 2009). No evidence at this point has shown Taurine to have any adverse effects on one’s health.The high sugar content promotes obesity, diabetes and cavities. Ginseng has effects such as hypertension, tachycardia, heart palpitations, insomnia, vaginal bleeding and breast tenderness (Rath, 2012). Bitter orange has been linked to heart attacks, strokes, seizures, disrythmias, and migraine headaches. Almost every ingredient found in these drinks can have deadly side effects. Of the above mentioned ingredients, five of the six have s imilar effects on the body. All of these combined into one drink makes a deadly combination especially when used in excess.There are other side effects that can be caused from energy drinks aside from the deadly cardiac effects that these drinks cause. Because caffeine is a stimulant and the other ingredients with the same effects on the body, these drinks cause high blood pressure, elevated heart rates, liver damage, and even death, just to name a few (Cool, 2011). There has also been a link to women experiencing late miscarriages as well as stillbirth and drinking energy drinks (Claire, 2013). Drinking energy drinks can also give a person a false sense of sobriety when mixed with alcohol.This could lead to a person driving more intoxicated than they feel that they are, thus; increasing risk for alcohol related crashes (Moodie, 2009). Caffeine is a stimulant that is found in many products that we consume daily. In small amounts it can be safe and works as an energy booster in some cases. â€Å"Caffeine found in energy drinks can range from 80 to 300mg in an 8 ounce serving† (Rath, 2012, p. 72). The main problem with this is that most energy drinks are sold in cans sizes that range from 16 to 24 ounces.This doubles or triples the amount of caffeine a person is consuming. The FDA limits the amounts of caffeine that soda companies are allowed to put into soda beverages to 71mg per 12 ounces (Cool, 2011). The same is not true for energy drinks, there is no limit placed on the amount of caffeine that companies such as Red Bull or Monster can place in their energy drinks. Teenagers and children are ingesting unsafe levels of caffeine mixed with other dangerous ingredients and the FDA has turned a blind eye to this growing problem, in turn; putting our youth at risk for death.Adults must wake up and realize that there is a poison in soda machines and grocery stores across America, and our children have easy access to it. Caffeine is an addictive drug that has been made readily available to our children in alarming amounts. The FDA must regulate the amount of caffeine and other dangerous ingredients allowed or ban the selling of these drinks to minors, in order to prevent ill health effects to our children. The public needs to be educated on the deadly side effects that these drinks cause and demand action by the FDA.