Hamlet †Ghost’s Speech †Act 1 Essay

In the beginning of the play, the reader is introduced to the disorder in Denmark, a prevalent motif. The mysterious death of the king spurred the disorder, and the prospect of revenge was magnified by the supposed appearance of the late King Hamlet’s ghost. The ghost’s appearance and subsequent speech intensify the disorder by validating the reader’s suspicion of Claudius as a murderer and an incestuous, adulterous serpent. Hamlet is torn by this revelation, and responds with justified drama. Thus far Hamlet had a few reasons to hate Claudius; the ghost’s message emboldened everything he had suspected and even added to it. Previously in Act One, Hamlet had criticized Claudius for a few major grievances: for being opportunist upon the death of his father by marrying his newly widowed mother in order to seize the throne instead of Hamlet, for not properly mourning the king by waiting just a month to take his wife, and for acting like an animal by behaving in an incestuous and lustful manner. By playing on many of the same metaphors as Hamlet and bringing forth new claims too, the ghost- whose word the reader takes as truth- bolsters Hamlet’s claims. In the ghost’s rhetoric, Claudius is an unnatural, murderous â€Å"serpent†.(sc. 5 ln. 43) As a â€Å"fat weed,† his parasitic nature is apparent and matches Hamlet’s assessment of the situation as an â€Å"unweeded garden.† (sc. 5 ln. 39) (sc. 2 ln. 139) Later, the ghost goes on to describe â€Å"lewdness† courting â€Å"virtue† in Claudius’ despicable new relationship.(sc. 5 ln. 60-1) To Hamlet and the ghost, the new union is an embodiment of evil though it holds an honorable, royal position. The royal bed is now a couch for luxury and incest. (sc 5. ln.89-90) The queen has been corrupted by â€Å"wicked wit and gifts† and succumbed by what almost sounds like magic. (sc. 5 ln. 51) This too plays on the motif of unnatural existence in â€Å"Hamlet† as exemplified by the ghost. The ghost refers to public opinion as â€Å"the ear of Denmark.† (sc.5 ln.43) By misleading this one representative ear, the entire country has been misled.  The ghost then furthers the ear imagery by describing how he was personally poisoned through his ear. This deception perpetrated by the current king adds to the sense of unrest. The late Hamlet was â€Å"sleeping within (his) orchard,† an emphatically innocent action, as the juice was poured into his ear and coursed through his body like quicksilver. (sc. 5 ln. 66) The poison â€Å"tetter(ed)†¦about†¦with vile and loathsome crust.† (sc. 5 ln.78-79) This vivid and gory description adds to the sense of decay and discord. As Marcellus put it, â€Å"something is rotten in the state of Denmark.† (sc.4 ln. 100) Then the ghost talks about how that napping time was his â€Å"secure hour.† (sc.5 ln. 68) This describes the feeling of routine that once existed in the kingdom. Now time is cursed and nothing is happens in a proper time because of Claudius’ unnatural murder. The senses of touch and sight are very important in this speech. The ghost carefully describes how things looked and felt to actualize his feelings to Hamlet and the reader. When describing the queen, he uses a prickly set of descriptive words. She isn’t just part of a cursed union, she has â€Å"thorns that in her bosom lodge to prick and sting her,† by some heavenly will. (sc, 5 ln. 94-5) Additionally, the description of the poisoning is graphic to make it personal and real for Hamlet.

Organizational Theory

There have been numerous studies regarding how the influence of technology has brought about change to the structure of an organization as well as its processes. Many of the studies have concluded that the organizational structure is strongly affected by the principal technology which the organization uses. (Volt, 2005) Technology, In simple terms, Is seen as the conversion of Inputs Into outputs using machines, equipments and processes. It Is a system based on the use of knowledge and organization, evident in physical objects for the attainment of precise goals.However, with the coming along of new technologies, as well as postmodernist and symbolic-interpretative, it has further expanded on how we think of technology to include it into the arts and social practice. This essay will look in the modernist and postmodernist perspective which will provide the different views as to how technology, organizations, management and employees are related. The modernist perspective sees ontolog y as objectivism. What this means Is that they believe In the reality which exists externally outside the Influence of humans.They see the world as something which Is not subjected to others authority, walling to be covered. They believe that technology brings about value for the organization and that technology will decide the structure of an organization. Epistemology wise, modernist see it as positivism. They have a preference towards ‘hard' data such as numbers. An assumption made would be that with the application of scientific method, it is possible to find the truth about certain events.This would then allow knowledge to best tested against the objective world. With the accumulation of knowledge, humans are than able to progress further and eventually evolve. Modernists adopt the General Systems Theory which is influenced by Mile Deuterium's structural functionalism. They are concerned with what are the factors that bring Individuals and groups together. The concept of division of labor, central to concept of social structure Is the core concept for the modernist. They believe In the quantitative methods of research.When studying organization as a whole, It must be noted that the level of analysis would be the organization and the subsystems and super system are the departments and environment respectively. The goal is to ultimately help reproduce the larger system by understanding the ‘laws' which over these systems and how an activity is being performed by the various subsystems. Modernists believe that the fulfillment of a purpose by an organization is closely related with technology to the environment. The increased improvements that technology constantly brings make it a special human venture.The example of us humans wanting to own the latest possible gadgets can be used for this instance. This brings about the creation of a market Indirectly. The advances in technology are believed to bring about advances to an organization, positively and their level of steady Improvement can be measured by Its technological advancement. Definitions of technology can be broken down Into core, high and service. Core technology simply refers to constant flow of resources that are dealt directly with the production of the intangible services which are consumed as products.Moving on, the modernist perspectives look into 3 most dominant typologies that emphasizes on how the dimensions of an organizational design is being influenced by technology. The first typology would be Joan Woodward's Industrial Organization (1965). She basically conducted tests to see if organizational principles were actually put into use. It was also shown that compatibility of companies organizing themselves with technology was commercially successful. She found out that performance were of the highest levels when technologies of mass production were put together with mechanistic forms of organization.Also, the highest level of performance was achieved when technologies dealing with small batch or continuous processing were combined with organic firms. However, one limitation of her typology was that the technologies involved in the sector of service were ignored. The second typology was James Thompson Organizations in Action (1967). Basically e suggested that the type of technology, which was different depending on the ‘degree of interdependence in the transformation process', affects the structure of an organization.He distinguished between long linked, mediating and intensive. Long linked is technologies deal with mass production and continuous processing. It is when an input is being put on one end of a long series of steps which happens in sequence which will end with the output. Mediating is technologies involved in bringing people together for exchange. Examples include those working in banks or insurance companies whose purpose of to bring customers together for exchange.Intensive technologies involve more than 1 speciali zed skill, for example, hospital emergency rooms or research labs. To put in simply, it is when there is a unique input and the end result will be a customized output. The third typology is the Charles Proper Organizational Analysis (1970). He studied the reasons why the complexities of technologies are higher than others and how it can lead to uncertainty. These uncertainties are in terms of the quality of inputs and whether they are available, and also variability involved in the transformation process.A technology with a higher level of complexity will lead to a higher amount f uncertainty. This will also lead to decisions which are less programmed and the use of discretion will be higher. There are 2 factors which will influence the complexity of technology. They are task variability and task inalienability. Task variability is the number of exceptions to standard procedures encountered in the application of given theory and task inalienability is the extent which, an exception is encountered, there are known methods to deal with it'. Hatch and Councils, 2013) These 3 typologies that have been used demonstrated how an organizational structure is affected by the different technologies. The production technologies chosen must be matched with organizational forms and also the success of an organization would be obtained if the structures and procedures are suitable to the productive technology which has been employed. The structure of an organization technology that are used for their transformation. I shall now move on to the postmodernist perspective.Ontologically, they believe that reality is merely Just an ‘illusion' which, through language and discourse, is created. ‘The world is said to be made to appear in language, discourse and artwork with no referents because there is nothing to which to refer'. Hatch and Councils, 2013) This is clearly against what the modernist perspective said. Epistemologically, post modernist believes that there ca n be no truth about reality, since there is no independence to it. The use of language is used to enforce power and social arrangements whilst organizations are merely, ‘imagined' entities.Postmodernists believe that technology can be a destructive process which can cause a change or the downfall of established organizational roles and values. They believe that technology is a form of control. An example that can be used for this statement s the British manufacturers working in the textile industry who wanted to introduce more machines but this move was greatly objected by the workers as they are afraid of the impact on their Jobs and skills if it happened. There are 3 aspects with regards to conceptions of technology by the postmodernist.Firstly would be the technologies of representation. This is basically Just the technologies involved to represent individuals and work processes. Examples would include electronic data and photographs which can all be used to control employe es. This brings about fear which the future might bring. This fear is brought about by he expected growth of ‘equivalence' which can track almost everything, from the keystroke made to the websites accessed. All this will lead to the higher possibility of online accounts being hacked into which will ultimately lead to the capturing of one's identity and codes.The second aspect is the technologies of control. This is when the value for highest level of performance achieved by the reduction of energy being expended while increasing output to its maximum capacity and is often brought about by decisions of values linked to a person or institution which are based on their contribution to efficiency. However, a disadvantage is that since integrity and fairness are not clearly in relations to efficiency, it brings about the neglecting of truth and Justice.Adding on, knowledge will be changed into a commodity by technology as the acceptable knowledge can be spread by the computer. The last aspect would be civilization. This is a hybridism kind of organization which is known to be of a techno-human' construct. This occurs when an organization is being taken over by computers or electromechanical instruments, be it in whole or Just by part. The organization is being determined not only by canines, but also by the human intervention. There are dangers involved in civilization. One of which would be technology being abused and misused.Instead of technology serving the organization which is the main point of it, organizational technology, individuals from an organization would tend to expect more from it despite the limitations of how much it can actually deliver. The social and human factors also will be inferior to the capacities technologically. Additionally, according to a French philosopher that influences post-modernism is Michel Faculty, it is power related with regards to all social, political and organization relations. The relations of power do not act acco rding to any reasonable logic or contested system.There is bound to be resistance whenever there is power involved. Employees will find way to go around the loopholes that are present in the organization. However, resistance can never lead to freedom from restraint since all social relations are in relations to power. There is no way to resist domination. Postmodernist organizations make use of surveillance mechanisms which is to control the members within the organization. This includes closed-circuit television, monitoring of computer usage and mandatory diaries.These will lead to self- surveillance since members will know that they are being monitored which will lead to dehumidifying conditions. All the points in postmodernist perspective that have been talked about draws attention to not only social, but also the historical and political creation of knowledge, humans and relations socially. This would include how every one of these will appear in the present-day organizations. W hen domination is supported, humans and organizations will be at the losing end if they overlook the construction activities by regarding the existing world as rational and neutral.Technology might be selected since it meets the necessary needs of power holders within the organization and not because of its natural superiority. The postmodernist are not all against the technology computer brings. They believe it encourages democracy and also believe it is an essential tool with regards to the economy, environment and political resistance. In conclusion, it can be seen that the modernist insights with regards to the relations between technology, organizations, management and employees are different from what the postmodernist perspective has to offer.Modernists believe that technology rings about different effects to the structure of an organization and the correct kind of productive technology employed will bring about the highest levels of performance. The post modernist on the oth er hand, sees technology as a form of power. They believe that the usage of surveillance as a form of control over its members will lead to self-surveillance. This is true to a certain extent but it also leads to a kind of dehumidifying condition since employees are then expected to take extra precaution when doing something in the workplace since their every move is being monitored.

French and Russian Revolution Essay

The years 1789 and 1917 held similarity in the fact that they were the beginning of years of utter chaos in Europe. In 1789, France was at the beginning of what was to be known as the French Revolution. And coincidentally so was Russia in 1917. These revolutions changed Europe in many ways, especially politically; the aftershocks were felt for decades after. Resemblances were held in the initiation execution, and follow-up; some differences did exist as well in the process. The wars of 1789 and 1917 held mainly social and political similarities as well as a few differences. The French revolution in 1789 evolved out of a state of fiscal crisis. France had lost copious amounts of money supporting the American Revolution. There was famine across the country; the peasants were unhappy. France had no money, and Louis XVI consulted an advisor on the issue. In the end, the Estates-General, a form of parliament, was born. The third estate, ordinary people, became frustrated and vowed at the Tennis Court Oath on June 20th, 1789; it can be considered a bottom-up revolution, beginning from the lower class. The Russian revolution emerged out of a similar scenario. There was widespread famine and poverty across Russia. Bloody Sunday in 1905, a demonstration marched towards the Winter Palace, was orchestrated by peasants, similarly another bottom-up case. In its wake, Tsar Nicholas II implemented the Duma, a form of parliament, in an attempt to solve the crisis. Demonstrations continued until full revolution broke out in 1917. Also, Tsar Nicholas II, in an attempt to unite his country, placed Russia at war during WWI in 1914. This broke the state up even further; civilians found it humiliating because of the battles lost, famine continued to spread, and many people were dying. Similarities prior to the revolutions of France and Russia include financial crisis, implementation of a body of parliament in an attempt to solve the pending revolutionary crisis (both bodies are biased and end in dissolution), famine and/or bread riots, poverty, dissatisfaction among peasants, strain on resources because of involvement in other wars, initiation from the lower class (with unrest directed at nobility), and a monarchy controlled state. Another uncanny resemblance between the two beginnings of revolution would be the influence of literature. France had Voltaire and his contributions about the separation of church and state. Russia gained influence from Karl Marx and his ideas on Socialism in the Communist Manifesto. Similarities of the revolutions while they played out exist heavily as well. Foreign intervention occurred in both scenarios. In the Declaration of Pillnitz in 1791, Prussia and the Holy Roman Empire declared their support for Louis XVI by demanding his return to the throne. This resulted in France declaring war upon Prussia. In the Russian Revolution, Great Britain, America and France (Allied powers) intervened by joining the white side in opposition to communism. In both scenarios there is class tension. The revolutions were a split between parliament and street. In France, the Third Estate was against the monarchy after being shafted in the Estates-General. In Russia, the Soviets were not in favor of the Duma. The revolutions were not just a movement within parliament but within the public as well. The storming of Bastille on July 14, 1789 was an attack by the public on the state prison. The monarchy’s vulnerability is exposed for the first time. The storming of the Winter Palace in 1917 also demonstrates the public’s intervention on the monarchy. The period after the revolutions held similarities and differences. In the end, both monarchies were sentenced to death in France and Russia. King Louis XVI and his family are put to death; Tsar Nicholas II and his family are put to death. Both revolutions degenerated into civil war, a period of chaos. In France, the Reign of Terror resulted in thousands of civilians being killed. In Russia, after the war in the 1920’s, more civilians died because of poverty and famine than the First World War and the revolution combined. Both revolutions end in totalitarian governmental control. Napoleon emerged as the dictator in France. And Lenin came to power in Russia, which eventually the power went to Stalin. However, the differences that lie between these two revolutions are the goals. France was in search for a capitalistic democratic state and to abolish the current totalitarian one. On the other hand, Russia wanted a socialistic regime. They wanted communism. Ironically, the immedia te aftermath left both France and Russia with totalitarian governments, like their previous states. Eventually  however, the Soviet Union emerged as the first socialist state, while France eventually became a democracy. It is also important to note that in the aftermath of both these revolutions, each country entered center stage world politics. France became an important factor in WWI, and Russia became a major power on the globe, especially during the Cold War. While Russia and France pursued a revolution in pursuit of two very different goals- communism and democracy respectively, they both managed to create a totalitarian government again in the end. The revolutions hold mainly similarities amongst how they were initiated and executed. They even hold some similarities as well in the aftermath. Despite their minimal differences, they held a lot of the same ideas and problems. Both revolutions were events that changed Europe and the world in ways not only political, but social and economic as well.

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Study Example The HR manager is also considered to be responsible for making the employees acknowledge the rules as well as regulations developed to accomplish success for the company. Thus, the HR manager needs to accept huge responsibilities which are meant to be executed for making certain of an effective performance of the company. The HR manager with regard to the concerned company is required to develop a set of questionnaire in order to interview all the employees. On the basis of the outcome of the interview, a list would be prepared for providing training to the employees in accordance with their capabilities. Specified rules as well as regulations would be developed for enhancing the morale of the employees. The performance of the employees should be scrutinized for motivating them to raise the level of their related performances. Employees need to be awarded on the basis of the degree of service provided towards the accomplishment of the purpose with regard to the company. The HR manage r is also considered to be responsible for assigning tasks to the employees in order to contribute towards the success of the company. The manager would also be accountable for formulating human resource policies as well as participating with the management of the company for developing plans and policies. The HR manager should also take part in designing strategic plans as well as deciding on the requirement of employees for the company. The employees should be selected on the basis of their suitability for the intended job and proper training facilities should be offered to enhance their performances. The employees providing better services should be awarded whereas the others should be encouraged to enhance their performances (Tutebox, â€Å"Roles and Responsibilities of Human Resource Department/Manager†). Thus, the tasks of a HR manager in a medium sized company have been summarized below: Prepare questionnaires for interviewing the employees Create a comprehensive list on the basis of the interviews In accordance with the list, employees would be trained as well as assigned tasks to be performed The performance of the employees should be scrutinized The employees performing well should be awarded while others should be motivated to improve their respective performances Ensure that the employees are working in accordance with the rules as well policies of the company. Accomplishment of the objectives of the company These are the plans which should be presented before the Senior Management with special consideration towards motivating the morale of the employees as well as providing better training facilities for enhancing their performances. Task Two The 15-20 questions to be asked to the employees of the company are: What types of aspects do you find challenging about your job? Is there a team approach in relation to your work? Do you follow individuality in your work, or do you have to pursue strict guidelines? Are you provided with proper traini ng prior to the assignment of new kinds of tasks? What is the work environment like – relaxed, competitive, exciting? What is the probable salary range for someone in this occupation according to you? Are there incentives for upgrading or taking extra courses to improve your performance? What sorts of opportunities for innovation exist? Does your profession obtain the optimum benefit of your

Article Reviews for Theory and Practice of Mediation

Reviews for Theory and Practice of Mediation - Article Example They also gave their insights on its effectiveness & their views on the future of the Cape Cod National Seashore. The strength of this article is how organized it is. The paper has headings and subheadings for each aspect they talked about. Even a person new to the process of mediation will be able to understand this article. The simplicity of the vocabularies used also helped in this regard. The only problem I see in the article is how lengthy it is. Certainly, the descriptions and organization in the writing helped in understanding it. However, because the whole article, excluding the annexes & bibliography, is 15 pages long, a reader may lose interest in the middle of, maybe, A Historical Perspective. Personally, I don’t think this part is even helpful in explaining the value of conflict assessment to stakeholders. This article also presents the results of a research. However, unlike the first one which centered on the process of negotiation, this paper focuses on the parties involved in the conflict. Attention is focused on how the level of information mediator’s have on the issue affects the disputants’ perceptions & behaviors. Instead of an actual situation, this research is based on experiments with variations on the mediator’s recommendations and the information given to disputants representing how much mediators knew about the disputants’ needs and interests. The introduction explains: a) the mediation process, b) the relation between the mediator’s credibility & their level of insight on the dispute, and c) the hypotheses to be tested. It goes on to describe the different elements of the experiment & the results. The paper also gives the writer’s recommendations on similar future researches. For the discussion and concluding part, the article ex plains why peer mediation, such as someone in the company

MONEY AND BANKING ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

MONEY AND BANKING ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example Besides, they also purchase and sell bonds. Macesich (2000) argues further that money plays a vital role in the economic activities since it virtually makes economic transaction possible. When the supply of cash is higher in the economy, consumers tend to have more money. This in turn encourages spending. On the other hand firms or businesses or ventures respond by increasing either raw materials or production. Because business activities tend to be spread, the demand for labor as well as capital goods increases. Increase in expansion of money supply consequently results into increase in prices more so if the growth of output approaches the limited capacity. At this stage, consumers begin anticipating inflation. However, lenders begin aggravating for higher interest rates to balance the anticipated reduction in the purchasing power while offsetting the loans. The converse is true when money supply subsidizes or the growth rate declines. For instant, Federal Reserve policy plays a crucial role in determining money supply. It d oes so by influencing its deposits in the bank. They do this by mandating commercial banks to hold part of the deposits that they accept. These institutions comply by either holding cash in the vaults or holding deposits that they make at the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve in turn manipulates their reserve by lending cash to banks and changing the discount rate on loans. Therefore, when the supply of money in the economy is high, despite the interest rate target, the central banks tend to device mechanism that are aimed at limiting cash flow in the economy. When this is done, the demand for cash that is apparently at the bank reserves increases. This increase in the demand compels the central banks to stop holding money in the reserves. Central banks encounter a challenge of policy enforcement in the domestic banking system

Business Law (David adamson Case) Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Law (David adamson ) - Case Study Example The defendant’s website offered sufficient quantity of contact which implies that it was interested in conducting business in Idaho. The defendant willingly participated in a business deal which culminated into a purchase of its product by minors. Thus, it is reasonable to argue that the â€Å"Makers Mark, Kentucky Bourbon† had sufficient contact to create a business relationship. The second aspect is whether the transfer of the case would uphold the notions of fair play and substantial justice as laid forth in the Intl Shoe Co. v. Wash case. Incidentally, â€Å"Makers Mark, Kentucky Bourbon† engaged in a business relationship that had potential legal implications. It is therefore fair play for the case to be conducted in Idaho since it is the location where the dispute occurred. The delivery of justice in this case would not be compromised since the defendant was already doing business in Idaho and it is therefore reasonable for them to settle a legal dispute in Idaho. In determining the case law to be applied, the court should take account of the place where the alleged dispute occurred. The dispute occurred in Idaho and this implies that the case should be heard in Idaho. The second aspect in choosing the case law is the evaluation of the relevant policies underlying the field of law and justified expectations. According to Bertram v. Norden, it is necessary for the state to have the necessary legal framework to handle the case and the expectations of the aggrieved parties must be addressed. Idaho as the legal framework to handle the case and both parties should reasonably expect the dispute to be resolved at the place of business. The domicile and the place of business relationship of the parties are also important in determining the case law to be applied. In this case, the domicile of the aggrieved parties is different and the place of business relationship is

A questionnaire for a career choice Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A questionnaire for a career choice - Term Paper Example A questionnaire for a career choice To begin with, she needed a career path and a sound decision towards the same. She seems to possess confusion as regards her interests. She seems to love poker, cooking, gardening and working out. On the other hand, she has been both a player and a coach of tennis and basketball. It is vital to note that she had an earlier fantasy of being a sports’ writer. There are core problems that she seeks to address through counseling and possible solutions. To begin with, the client has a problem of career choice. She seems not to be satisfied of her current job of bier a consultant at a firm that write programs for professionals. In addition to the same, she has psychological problems. Lastly, she possesses a problem that of balancing her career ambitions with that of her children and her husband. It is vital to note that the client possesses psychological and mental problems. The treatment of the same is essential because it affects the career progress of Alaina. In this sense, the c lient is medically proven to be suffering from a mild form of depression. The medical name of this depression is dysthymia. The suicide and eventual death of a cousin might have triggered this depression. As regards this depression, she has been attending counseling sessions for eight months. It is vital to note that she has had counseling sessions over anger management problems. This also relates to previous anger problems at her school sessions. This is the factor that contributed to her career diversion from teaching to consultancy. This was vital for stabilizing her marriage and finding a sound career line. In this sense, she takes medicine in form of depression tablets. However, she still possesses a problem of suppression to feelings of good things in her life. This means she has no feelings of impression for good things in her life. In addition, she possesses anxiety and sleeping problems. Alaina possesses notable strengths and shortcomings. In her career ambitions and passio ns, Alaina seems to have a robust orientation towards writing. This is notable from her course in college. She had a college course of B.A in English and a minor in journalism. It is crucial to note that this was her subject in her schooling days. Her present job entails offering consultancy services for a firm that write career programs. It is notable that her career ambitions entail being an editorial assistant for a publishing firm or technical writing. In addition, she had an earlier fantasy of being a sports’ writer. Besides, Alaina seems to be aware of her interests. In this sense, she has strong decisions of not preferring educational careers. However, Alaina has anger management problems. This attributes to her uncontrolled anger during her teaching days. In this sense, Alaina needs to work on social relation skills. This regards appropriate emotional response to situations. In our working relationship with the client, I will ensure notable ideas for a solid working r elationship. To begin with, my strategy would involve eliminating the professional outlook to the client. This would be appropriate for establishing an intimate relationship with

PQI Management of Suppliers Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

PQI Management of Suppliers - Article Example Therefore, Tier 1 suppliers should maintain the relationship with PQI. Tier 2 suppliers have the capability to maintain stable supply in the region. It also has strong technical support, and production management ability. Due to this, PQI should continue working with Tier 2 to supply its products in the region. Tier 3 suppliers have low competitive prices, and less ability to produce quality products. PQI should issue warning to Tier 3 suppliers. If the numbers of local customers continue to reduce, PQI should cease working with Tier 3 suppliers and pursue new suppliers. It should share the assessment results because this will enable the suppliers to realize their weakness and improve. This will also enable PQI to keep close relationship with all the suppliers because it wants to take advantage of any technology that might arise. Further, it will be able to minimize on production costs. For instance, maintaining close working relationship with Tier 3 implied that production of die products by a skilled company would play a vital role in assisting PQI to bring new products to the market at a low production cost. 4- The purchasing manager has narrowed its choice of potential supplier for the rush order from the new customer to A, B, and C. If you were Wang, which supplier would you recommend that the purchasing manager place the order with? Explain

Atlantic Diving Supply, Inc. v. Bancroft Global Development Case Study

Atlantic Diving Supply, Inc. v. Bancroft Global Development - Case Study Example A lawsuit was filed by ADS in Virginia Beach Circuit Court in February of 2011. ADS alleged that Bancroft had ordered and accepted the boots along with other products such as battle-dress uniforms, pistol belts and field jackets but only had paid for half of it. Bancroft is accused of breach of contract and conversion. ADS argued that Bancroft held on to the goods that it had actually rejected and hence demanded $1 million. A statement by ADS’s attorney said that Bancroft owed ADS money and hence they are suing it (WTOP, 2012). Bancroft on the other hand countersued ADS for $1.1 million. It accused ADS of breach of contract and fraud. Bancroft argued that the boots supplied were of poor quality and fake military boots. The boots were not intended for military use as they were designed to be costume boots. The quality of the boots is said to be so poor that it would not even serve the purpose of daily regular use, let alone military use (WTOP, 2012). The main reason for the disagreement is that the boots were of poor quality and wore out on just a few uses. Bancroft says that it relied on ADS to provide boots that were of military specification. Even though this was not mentioned in the purchase order, the specifications of the product needed were mentioned in the purchase order by DynCorp which was forwarded to ADS. Hence Bancroft argues that as ADS was aware of the military specifications of the product and still provided with low quality products. Therefore it has indulged in fraud and breach of contract. Bancroft had arranged for the delivery to be picked up by a third party and have it delivered to Uganda. There were no inspection checks done and it is only after the problems surfaced, that an official inspection was conducted and the boots officially rejected (McCabe, 2012). ADS has argued against the above allegation by saying that the products were selected based on the price quote by Bancroft. There are no military boots available in their price range. It also argued that all military specification was carefully removed from the purchase order by Bancroft in order to save money. They argued that Bancroft wanted to the cheapest products at the earliest and they were delivered what they asked for. ADS also blame Bancroft of taking too much time in rejecting the goods. It argues that if the products were detective, then should have been immediately rejected (McCabe, 2012). Judgement has not been reached yet and evidences have been submitted by both parties to prove their claims. Risk Management by both Organizations There are various risk management steps that could have been taken by both organizations to avoid. First and foremost, each organization should have added an expressed condition in the contract that would ensure that their interests are served. An express condition would explicitly set forth the terms and conditions of the deal (Salzedy & Brunner, 1999). Bancroft should have added a condit ion in the agreement to meet the specific quality requirements which would mean that the ADS would have been under the obligation to meet the quality requirements, in this case military specifications. ADS on its part could have added a condition to have the payment made within a specified time length or added a condition would have required Bancroft to reject the products within a time period

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Research Paper

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) - Research Paper Example â€Å"However, defining an addressing system and setting up the correct address on each workstation and server is far from trivial. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol can be a great help.† (Richards, 1997, p. 11). The address assignment of machines on a network is a core issue of network administration and management and is considered a major cost contributor in managing client server environments. There are two options available to network administrators, either they may address each machine on the network themselves, or they may go for a DHCP server to assign IP addresses to all requesting hosts on the network. A DHCP server has a pool of assignable IP addresses and depending on the implementation may also have a pool of IP addresses to be assigned to the restricted users on the network. The address assignment process of DHCP Server, normally called the Lease Process, is an important part of understanding how actually DHCP work and how it can be troubleshoot in case of an a ddress assignment problem. The first step of Lease Process is a DHCP Discover request from a client, which is broadcasted on the network to locate a DHCP server.

Sample Statement of Purpose for Recreation and Leisure Studies Essay Example for Free

Sample Statement of Purpose for Recreation and Leisure Studies Essay Sample Statement of Purpose for Recreation and Leisure Studies The Martial Art (wushu) and the Technique of Deep Breathing (qigong) constitute an integral part of Chinese traditional culture and one of the essential cultural legacies of the world civilization. Even now, those two ancient health-building techniques are still indispensable in facilitating people’s health. Yet, it is regretful to notice that they seem to have stopped developing in the modern era. I believe that the best way out of this dilemma is to integrate those two traditional health-building techniques with the latest research achievements of western recreational and leisure studies. I believe that by undertaking a Ph. D. program in recreation and leisure studies at your esteemed university, I will be well positioned to make contributions to this integration. I completed my undergraduate and postgraduate programs respectively at xxxxx Institute of Physical Education and xxxxxx University, arguably two first-rate sports universities in China. I first majored in the Chinese martial arts then in Chinese traditional Taiji and health Qigong. This systematic and rigorous educational background has given me a necessary academic foundation for your program. My 7-year education allowed me to not only learn the theories and the skills in my specialties but also gain insights into the essence of the wushu and qigong—the perfect union between the physical and the mental. In two programs, I was particularly fascinated by a number of courses such as Martial Arts Serial Exercise Training, Taiji Boxing, Health Cultivation Qigong, Yoga, Exercise Physiology, Sport Medicine, and Sport Anatomy. I benefited from the martial arts training, taiji boxing and qigong exercises by deriving the spirit of perseverance and the pursuit of an active and balanced life characterized by a tactful aggressive attitude. In this way, I maintained a tranquil state of benign physiological-psychological cycle. Energetic and aggressive, I made efforts to win academic successes one after another. Entering the xxxxx Institute of Physical Education as the third top student in my province in that year’s national university entrance examination, I maintained a leading position in my academic performance, not only winning scholarships (available only to the top 5%) every year but also receiving the honor of Outstanding Student, Outstanding Graduate and Excellent Intern. With top scores in the qualifying examinations for the postgraduate program, I was enrolled into Beijing Sport University. As a postgraduate, I had ample teaching assistant experience. First, I taught taiji boxing and health cultivation qigong to undergraduates. Then, because of my sound English proficiency and interpersonal skills, I worked as a teacher of taiji boxing and health cultivation qigong, on behalf of our university’s Foreign Affairs Section, to foreign students and taiji-qigong fans from France, Canada, the United States, Japan and African countries. In addition, I was a voluntary teacher offering free taiji-qigong trainings to the elderly people at Martial Arts Association of China Academy of Sciences and Beijing Ever-Green Geracomium. All those activities helped me accumulate important teaching experience and raise my service awareness. The research I have done in writing my undergraduate thesis and postgraduate dissertation is closely aligned with the program I am currently applying for. Entitled The National Characteristics of Chinese Martial Arts, my undergraduate thesis demonstrates the underlying cultural features and the healthcare medical effect of the martial arts—their ability to temper one’s psychology and cultivate one’s temperament in addition to their direct health cultivation through physical exercises. My Master’s dissertation focuses on the Philosophical Characteristics of Chinese Traditional Sport Health Cultivation Practices. By an in-depth analysis of the theoretical premises of Chinese traditional sport practices, such as â€Å"the supremacy of prevention†, â€Å"parallel development of internal and external mechanisms,† and â€Å"equal emphasis on mental and physical cultivation†, the dissertation offers an interpretation of the philosophical basis of those practices. I also examined how those philosophical principles are embodied in the actual practices. I applied an interdisciplinary approach in writing this dissertation, soliciting constructive comments from senior professors in Chinese medicine, arts, social sciences, and, of course, sports. My work experience since the completion of my Master’s program is related to sports administration as I have been working at the Center of Health Qigong Administration, State Administration of Sport. Our center is a governmental organization devoted to providing consultations to elderly citizens concerning sports activities and exercises. Apart from drafting major government policies, I have taken part in important academic activities over the past two years. I have been a member of a research team on two research projects sponsored by the State Administration of Sport and other relevant departments—Creating and Standardizing Certain Health Qigong Practices from Chinese Traditional Health Cultivation Forms and Evaluating their Physical Effect and Research into the Current State of Public Health Qigong Activities. For the first project, I have received the National Award for Sports Science and Technology Advances. In addition, I have co-authored four books published by the People Sports Publishing House, including Tendon Changing Classic of Health Qigong Practices (please refer to my Resume for detail). I have also attended important academic conferences, acted as research assistant and trainer. In this way, I have developed valuable practical experiences, enhancing my teaching, training and research abilities. In my proposed program, I am deeply interested in studying recreation and leisure. My work experience shows that Chinese traditional health cultivation practices like qigong and martial arts, themselves recreational and leisure events, have sound preventive and therapeutic effects. It is a pity that, without scientific guidelines, we have not made full advantage of those important resources. The underlying reason is that we have not been able to perform systematic and comprehensive research. Another reason is that, even though people now enjoy much more spare time than ever before, they have little idea how to spend their leisure and undertake recreation in an intelligent manner. I hope that I can help people understand the importance of the principle of â€Å"live well through healthy lifestyle. † I also hope that, through your program, I can continue to broaden my administrative knowledge so that I can ultimately facilitate recreation and leisure activities through government and community channels. I would like to apply for admission into the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation of xxxx University. Your program of Recreation and Leisure Studies offers an interdisciplinary study that encompasses a rich variety of subjects ranging from Recreation Management to Leisure Behavior. You have advanced facilities, mature curriculum and effective research methodologies, thereby providing a sound condition for me to carry out my studies and research. I would like to concentrate on Therapeutic Recreation, Recreation Administration, Recreational Sport Management, and Leisure Studies, Leisure and Health, Leisure and Healthy Lifestyles, Leisure and Aging, Sports for Seniors. I am particularly interested in Therapeutic Recreation because I hope to focus on exposing the socially underprivileged people, that is, the weak and the elderly, the patients of chronic and deeline diseases, the handicapped and the mentally retarded, to a satisfying leisure lifestyle by practicing yoga, taiji boxing, qigong, and martial arts. I wish that your program will develop me into a researcher, administrator, teacher and/or counselor in recreation and leisure who can treat and rehabilitate people in need by using recreational sports and therapeutic recreational services. My undergraduate and postgraduate specializations and my work experiences all point to my qualifications as a worthy candidate for your Ph. D. program. I believe that my Oriental background, especially my understanding of traditional Chinese philosophy and my skills in Yoga, Taiji boxing, Qigong and Martial Arts will be a unique contribution to the diversity of your program.

Traditional Monoclonal Antibodies and Recombinant Antibodies

Traditional Monoclonal Antibodies and Recombinant Antibodies Introduction: Antibody is a special molecule that present in our bodies to fight against infections and stimulate immune response. Typical antibody is a Y shaped molecule consists of two H (heavy) and two (light) chains. Two antigen-binding fragments (Fabs) are linked with a constant region (Fc)(Brekke and Sandlie 2003). After the discovery of murine monoclonal antibodies produced by hybridoma cells developed by Kohlor and Milstein(Kohler and Milstein 1975), the role of monoclonal antibodies in therapeutics and clinical diagnostics are increasingly important in the last three decades (Laffly and Sodoyer 2005). The term monoclonal antibody is defined as an antibody molecule which is monospecific and derived from a single B cell clone. Results in using fully murine monoclonal antibodies in therapeutics are not ideal and problems aroused in triggering unwanted human immune responses. These problems force the generation of recombinant antibodies in the replacement of traditional monoclonal antibodies. Tailor-made recombinant antibodies fragments increase flexibility both in immunotherapy and immunodiagnostics. The application of minimal form of functional antibodies single-chain antibodies (scFvs) are the most popular form of recombinant antibodies fragments as diagnostic agents (Hagemeyer et al. 2009). In this assignment, the comparison between traditional monoclonal antibodies and recombinant antibodies as therapeutics agents and diagnostics tools will be discussed. From the example of tragedy TGN 1412, the potential risk of using recombinant antibodies in therapeutic agents should not be ignored. Finally, future perspective of recombinant antibodies in gene therapy and using polyclonal antibodies as novel immunotherapeutic strategy will be discussed. Theoretically, probably any kind of monoclonal antibodies can be produced with the aid of hybridoma technique. The continuous culture of hybridoma cells creates an inexhaustible supply of monoclonal antibodies in the laboratories by cell culture or rodent(Nelson, Reynolds et al. 2000). Its highly specificity, stability and homogeneity are ideal for diagnostics and in therapeutic purposes. After the introduction of the first FDA approved drugs OKT3 launched into the market in 1986, the results of using fully murine monoclonal antibodies in human was not promising (Chatenoud, Baudrihaye et al. 1986; Chatenoud, Jonker et al. 1986). This is because murine originated monoclonal antibodies triggered several immunogenic responses in human body. One of the problems arise is human anti-mouse antibodies (HAMA) or anti-globulin antibodies (HAGA) response (DeNardo, Bradt et al. 2003; Presta 2006) generated against the administrated murine antibodies. Studies showed that around 30-75% of patients with solid tumors and relapsed B-cell malignancies developed HAMA response after exposure to murine antibodies (Smith, Nelson et al. 2004; Majidi, Barar et al. 2009). The activation of HAMA response is mainly due to the host antibodies generated against the idiotopes of the administered murine antibodies. Moreover, rapid clearance of murine Abs shortens its serum half-life and relatively ineffective to trigger cytotoxic effect (e.g. ADCC and CDC) compared to human antibodies hindered murine Abs as therapeutics agents (Presta 2006). Based on the above unresolved problems, with the aid of genetic engineering, murine monoclonal antibodies are modified to become less immunogenic and enhance potency in therapeutics and diagnostics. Three different types of recombinant antibodies are generated: chimeric, humanized and human antibody. In chimerization, the murine variable region is fused with the human constant region forming chimeric antibodies(Presta 2006). This modification imitates the human immune system. Although chimeric antibodies is less immunogenic but may trigger human anti-chimeric antibody responses (HACA)(Baert, Noman et al. 2003). Further maturation technique is humanization (hyperchimeric). In this technique, only the complementarity determining regions (CDRs) from the murine antibody was grafted into a human constant and variable regions (Smith, Nelson et al. 2004). By resurfacing, reshaping and hyperchimerisation of hyperchimeric antibody, the antibody binding affinity improved. Although the above me thods minimize immunogenicity, but immune response result of xenografting may occur. Finally, human antibodies can be generated by transgenic mice and in vitro combinatorial libraries (Brekke and Loset 2003; Brekke and Sandlie 2003; Presta 2006). Antibodies which generated under this method are expected to be identical to human antibodies with clinical significant without any side effects. One of the examples in combinatorial library approach for the selection of antibodies is by phage display technology in which antibody variables domain are expressed as fusion protein as coated on the surface of the bacteriophages. Under combinatorial library approaches and transgenic mice, the chance of getting fully human antibodies are higher when compared to hybridoma and chimeric antibody technologies. In addition, single-chain variable fragment (scFv) and Fab fragment can be isolated (Brekke and Loset 2003; Brekke and Sandlie 2003). Therapeutics application Fc portion in an intact antibody trigger effector function which is undesirable for therapeutic applications. Therefore, for a desirable antibodies design for cytokine inactivation or receptor blockage, the main considerations of antibody design are: size, tissue penetration, distribution, half-life, effector function, affinity, stability and immunogenicity. scFv and Fab fragments are preferred as choice of preference when compared to traditional antibodies because of smallest in size, high binding affinity, specificity, good tissue penetration and reducing immunogenicity due to HAMA response. scFv and Fab antibodies have a shorter half-life than whole antibodies and this drawback can be overcome by PEGylation. In addition, the attachment of PEGylation of murine monoclonal antibody reduces HAMA response of the host after administration(Laffly and Sodoyer 2005). Applications of monoclonal antibodies are vastly employed in therapeutic agents (e.g. treatment of cancer) and in clinical diagnostic (e.g. histopathological diagnosis). Humanized mAbs (transgenic mice) (resurfacing, reshaping and hyperchimerisation, etc) Phage display technology (Fabs and Fvs) In recent years MAbs have become very important commercial reagents, and currently contribute to over 30% of biopharmaceuticals in development and production. To date, 10 different MAbs have achieved FDA approval, with others in phase III trials.4 Applications Antibody conjugates (Majidi, Barar et al. 2009) Unconjugated mAbs (Majidi, Barar et al. 2009) rAbs for cancer therapy immunohistology genetic immunotherapy(Pelegrin, Gros et al. 2004) scFv for diagnostics tools (size, immunosensor, inhibition of imnflammation and complement system) (Hagemeyer, von Zur Muhlen et al. 2009) Problems polyclonal vs monoclonal therapeutics (Haurum 2006) TGN1412 incident (Self and Thompson 2006) References: Baert, F., M. Noman, et al. (2003). Influence of immunogenicity on the long-term efficacy of infliximab in Crohns disease. N Engl J Med 348(7): 601-608. Brekke, O. H. and G. A. Loset (2003). New technologies in therapeutic antibody development. Curr Opin Pharmacol 3(5): 544-550. Brekke, O. H. and I. Sandlie (2003). Therapeutic antibodies for human diseases at the dawn of the twenty-first century. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2(1): 52-62. Chatenoud, L., M. F. Baudrihaye, et al. (1986). Restriction of the human in vivo immune response against the mouse monoclonal antibody OKT3. J Immunol 137(3): 830-838. Chatenoud, L., M. Jonker, et al. (1986). The human immune response to the OKT3 monoclonal antibody is oligoclonal. Science 232(4756): 1406-1408. DeNardo, G. L., B. M. Bradt, et al. (2003). Human antiglobulin response to foreign antibodies: therapeutic benefit? Cancer Immunol Immunother 52(5): 309-316. Hagemeyer, C. E., C. von Zur Muhlen, et al. (2009). Single-chain antibodies as diagnostic tools and therapeutic agents. Thromb Haemost 101(6): 1012-1019. Haurum, J. S. (2006). Recombinant polyclonal antibodies: the next generation of antibody therapeutics? Drug Discov Today 11(13-14): 655-660. Kohler, G. and C. Milstein (1975). Continuous cultures of fused cells secreting antibody of predefined specificity. Nature 256(5517): 495-497. Laffly, E. and R. Sodoyer (2005). Monoclonal and recombinant antibodies, 30 years after. Hum Antibodies 14(1-2): 33-55. Majidi, J., J. Barar, et al. (2009). Target therapy of cancer: implementation of monoclonal antibodies and nanobodies. Hum Antibodies 18(3): 81-100. Nelson, P. N., G. M. Reynolds, et al. (2000). Monoclonal antibodies. Mol Pathol 53(3): 111-117. Pelegrin, M., L. Gros, et al. (2004). Monoclonal antibody-based genetic immunotherapy. Curr Gene Ther 4(3): 347-356. Presta, L. G. (2006). Engineering of therapeutic antibodies to minimize immunogenicity and optimize function. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 58(5-6): 640-656. Self, C. H. and S. Thompson (2006). How specific are therapeutic monoclonal antibodies? Lancet 367(9516): 1038-1039. Smith, K. A., P. N. Nelson, et al. (2004). Demystifiedrecombinant antibodies. J Clin Pathol 57(9): 912-917.

Inter professional Team Working Risk Management Resuscitation department

Inter professional Team Working Risk Management Resuscitation department This assignment focuses on teamwork and the management of patients requiring emergency treatment. In health care, teamwork or inter-professional collaboration is an essential component of safety. As breakdowns in teamwork can lead to poor patient safety, I aim to critically evaluate and defend the importance of inter-professional collaboration in the resuscitation department. Example scenarios of patients that were brought into the resuscitation department requiring immediate care management will illustrate different team approaches to working, barriers to effective team working, and leadership of teams. The nurses role in the maintaining patient safety via risk management strategies will also be explored. This is important because the resuscitation department is a fast paced environment potentially vulnerable to risks. I intend to conclude how each scenario was managed and from these, draw up recommendations for streamlined nursing care and inter-professional team working in a resus citation department. A reference list is included. Introduction In the Accident and Emergency (AE) department, a key function is to receive asses and treat injured or sick people quickly at any time of the day or night. Anything can appear in an AE department; from patients with cuts, sprains and limb fractures, to patients with more serious life threatening conditions such as cardiovascular emergencies, gastrointestinal problems, neurovascular emergencies and traumatic injuries. Due to the nature of work in this environment, nursing care and management often occurs as a rapid sequence of events commencing with the recognition of life-threatening needs (Etherington 2003). Patients attending AE are seen immediately and there needs for treatment assessed. This initial assessment is a process known as triage designed to allocate clinical priority (See appendix). The Manchester triage group set up in 1994 is the most widely used triage method in the UK. The system selects patients with the highest priority first and works without making any assumptions about diagnosis. This is deliberate as AE departments are largely driven by patients presenting with signs and symptoms (Mackaway-Jones 1997). Once patients are triaged they are categorised according to a scale of urgency. The triage scale is colour coded for example: patients requiring immediate resuscitation and treatment are coded red, and would normally be met by a team standing by after prior notification by the ambulance service (Crouch and Marrow 1996). People presenting with serious injury or illness require a skilled team who follow recognised life support protocols within agreed roles (Etherington 2003). This assignment will focus on red coded patients brought into a resuscitation department requiring immediate care management for the preservation of life. Effective management of these patients is pivotal in reducing mortality rates and a skilled team is of great importance. In health care, teamwork or inter-professional collaboration is an essential component of safety. Research suggests that improvement in patient safety can be made by drawing on the science of team effectiveness (Salas, Rosen and king 2007). However, literature regarding emergency teams suggests that human factors such as communication and inter-professional relationships, can affect a teams performance regardless of how clinically skilled the team members are (Cole Crichton 2006, Lynch and Cole 2006). Ineffective teamwork can lead to errors in diagnosis and treatment (Salas, Rosen and king 2007) and is apparent in the many accusations of poor care and inadequate communication evident in malpractice lawsuits (Gro ff 2003). As breakdowns in teamwork can lead to poor patient safety, I aim to critically evaluate and defend the importance of inter-professional collaboration in the resuscitation department. Example scenarios of patients that were brought into the resuscitation department requiring immediate care management will illustrate different team approaches to working, barriers to effective team working, and leadership of teams. The nurses role in the maintaining patient safety via risk management strategies will also be explored. This is important because the resuscitation department is a fast paced environment potentially vulnerable to risks. I intend to conclude how each scenario was managed and from these, draw up recommendations for streamlined nursing care and inter-professional team working in a resuscitation department. Throughout this essay, I will adhere to confidentiality as stated in the Nursing Midwifery Councils Code (2008) and no identities regarding the patients or the trust shall be named. I acknowledge that some reference sources used in this assignment are dated, however they are still commonly cited in much up-to-date literature. The resuscitation room and the nurses role The resuscitation room is designed for the assessment and treatment of patients whose injury or illness is life-threatening (Etherington 2003). Anything can emerge with little warning (Walsh and Kent 2000) however, departments often receive prior warning of a patients arrival which allows the preparation of the resuscitation area and the team (Etherington 2003). All team members should be appropriately prepared to care for the patient in a systematic manner. AE nurses are vital components of the team (Hadfield-Law 2000) because they are usually among the first team members to meet patients and typically remain with them throughout their stay within the department (OMahoney 2005). A nurse with advanced life support (ALS) training is best placed to care for patients in the resuscitation room (Etherington 2003). This is where their training can be best utilized and this assists the inter-professional team to practice mutual working skills modelled on evidenced based protocols (DH 2005). Successful resuscitation depends on a number of factors, many of which can be influenced by AE nurses such as the environment and the equipment. Patient (2007) highlights various elements of AE nurses role in the preparation for patient arrival. This would include preparing the area, having equipment in ready and working order and having a team on stand by. These tasks underline the risk management strategies involved in maintaining a safe environment such as checking and cleaning everything on a regular basis (Etherington 2003), a practice which I observed is routinely carried between patient occupancy. The importance of carrying out such checks contributes to teams being prepared with equipment ready and working to treat patients safely. Once the patient has arrived, other roles and tasks the AE nurse might undertake include: maintaining a patients airway, patient assessment, taking vital observations, monitoring intravenous therapy, managing wound care, pain management, keeping rubbish clear to maintain a safe working environment, catheterisation, and communication and liaison between patients, relatives and the inter-professional team (Patient 2007, Etherington 2003). McCloskey et al., (1996) cited in Drach-Zahavy and Dagan (2002) describe this linking role of nursing as glue function as it is nurses who maintain the holistic overview of the care given to the patient by all members of the inter-professional team. From the literature (Patient 2007, Etherington 2003, McCloskey et al., 1996), it is evident that nurses working in the resuscitation area must be able to integrate with the inter-professional team and not only maintain the safety of the patient, but also everyone working in that environment. It is the nurses responsibility to manage the resuscitation room which incorporates preparing the environment and ensuring equipment is in working order. Investigation into the resuscitation room and the nurses role within that area has highlighted that nurses have many important management roles to carry out. For the purpose of this assignment, focus will be upon the nurse working as part of the inter-professional team, and the risk management strategies that take place to support that team. I had the opportunity to observe how inter-professional teams worked together to benefit the patient and ensure safety. Two examples of patients brought into the resuscitation department within the same week will now illustrate different team approaches to care management. Example 1 10:00 Saturday morning, the department receives a call from ambulance control warning that they have a patient with cardiac arrest on the way in approximately ten minutes. Immediately the lead nurse of the emergency department informs the two nurses managing the resuscitation department of the patient en route. The Nurses put a call out to the emergency inter-professional team to stand by and prepared the area by having the defibrillator in position, the oxygen mask ready and the adrenaline at hand. The emergency inter-professional team start flooding into the area and there is a mixture of bodies standing around in rubber gloves and aprons. The team consisted of three nurses, an anaesthetist, a physicians assistant, two junior medical students, two nursing students, a registrar, and a consultant equating 11 people. The ambulance crew arrived and they rushed the patient in promptly transferring her over from stretcher to trolley. The paramedic commenced a detailed handover to the team. The patient was a 69 year old woman who was found unconscious and not breathing at a holiday camp. The ambulance crew had been doing cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for 45 minutes from scene to hospital. The patient was still not breathing. During the time of this handover, it was observed by the nurse that there was a short hesitancy between continuity of CPR. After the ambulance crew transferred the woman over to the trolley, no one took the lead of directing the team or continuing CPR. After this brief hesitancy a nurse took the lead by suggesting someone start CPR. Another nurse then stepped forward and commenced chest compressions whilst the anaesthetist placed a bag and mask over the patients airway. The team crowded around and the consultant stepped forward and started making orders loudly in relation to current advanced resuscitation guidelines. The defibrillator was attached and the team was advised by the nurse operating it to stand clear. Shocks were delivered without success. The team took it in turn to do chest compressions for fifteen minutes whilst other members gathered around obtaining intravenous access. The consultant then suggested that they stop. The team stood back and started to disperse out of the resuscitation room leaving the nurses to continue care and management of the patient and her family. The patient was disconnected from the defibrillator and a nurse cleaned the resuscitation area. Example 2 At 02:30 ambulance control report that they have a patient involved in a road traffic collision (RTC) on route due in approximately twenty minutes. The lead nurse informs the two nurses running the resuscitation area who then inform the inter-professional team to stand by. The resuscitation area is prepared and a team of seven including two nurses, a registrar, an anaesthetist, a physicians assistant, an orthopaedic doctor, and a nursing student await the patients arrival. The team pre-decided on who is to do what tasks. The ambulance crew arrive with the patient on a spinal board. The crew hand over the patient, a 42 year old male who was intoxicated with alcohol and overdosed on analgesics, had been involved in a high-speed police chase and sped off the road overturning his car and going through the windscreen. The patient had recently discovered that his wife was having an affair and this was the suspected cause of his actions. The police awaited outside the resuscitation department. The patient was semi conscious maintaining his own airway. The registrar took the medical lead advising calmly who to do what. The anaesthetist took the management of the airway, a nurse provided comfort and reassurance to the patient whist taking observations. Another nurse cut the patients clothes off him and covered him with sheets. The protocol used for patients involved in trauma is the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) system (American College of Surgeons 1997) which is a widely adopted management plan for trauma victims. Initial assessment consists of preparation, a primary survey, resuscitation, secondary survey and definitive care phase which is the ongoing management of trauma. Because the ATLS involves medical and nursing staff, they encourage inter-professional learning. This occurs when two or more professions learn with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care (DH 2007). Most AE departments use the ATLS protocols (Etherington 2003) as this system of managing the severely injured has now become part of best practice (Royal College of Surgeons 2000). The registrar and the nurses all appeared highly familiar with ATLS protocol and a primary survey, secondary survey followed by definitive care phase was carried out systemically and smoothly. The team anticipated each others actions and care management resulted in the patient being able to maintain his own airway, breathing and circulation. Other team members that became involved in the care management of this patient included the radiographer, lab technicians and the police. The nurses liaised with all these people and acted as a mediator of communication between the team. This reinforces Drach-Zahavy and Dagans (2002) concept of glue function as it is nurses who maintain the holistic overview of the care given to the patient by all members of the inter-professional team. It is worth noting that these examples are comparatively different in relation to the time of day they occurred, the teams that attended, and the age and presentation of the patients. These factors will be taken into consideration during discussion of the two examples. Inter-professional team working Nurses are obliged to adhere to the NMC Code which in relation to team working, clearly states that nurses must work effectively as part of a team and respect the skills, expertise and contributions of colleagues (NMC 2008). The importance of inter-professional working has been emphasised in a succession of government white papers addressing care (Hewison 2004) which call for more team working, extended roles for professionals and the removal of hindrances to collaboration (DH 2000a/b, 2004, 2005). During a critical care emergency, effective teamwork, prioritising and speed of care delivery may mean the difference between life and death (Denton and Giddins 2009). National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA 2008) and National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE 2007) agree that healthcare professionals are required to be able to respond appropriately in emergency situations. This entails an up-to-date knowledge of current evidence-based resuscitation guidelines (Resuscitation Council 2005, 2006) and the need for a team approach to care management of acutely ill individuals (Denton and Giddins 2009). An exploration of inter-professional team working in a resuscitation area will now follow, using the above examples to appraise the importance of inter-professional collaboration. Teams and team effectiveness will be discussed as this is essential in identifying the mechanisms of teamwork involved in patient management and safety (Salas, Rosen and King 2007). The DH (2005) recognise that outcomes of health care services are a product of teamwork and, the use of the word team is a broad spectrum term aimed to include all healthcare professionals working inter-professionally. Mohrman et al., (1995) definition includes individuals who work together to deliver services for which they are mutually accountable and, integrating with one another is included among the responsibilities of each member. Leathard (1994) depicts inter-professional practice to refer to people with distinct disciplinary training, working together making different yet complementary contributions to patient focused care. The philosophy of care in the local AE department incorporates these definitions stating; professionals aim to promote team spirit with support to each other and encourage relations with other disciplines (Trust AE nursing philosophy 2008). Salas, Rosen and King (2007) suggest effective teams have several unique characteristics including: a dynamic social interaction with significant interdependencies, a discrete lifespan, a distributed expertise, clearly assigned roles and responsibilities, and shared common values and beliefs (Wiles and Robinson 1994). These characteristics require goal directedness, communication and flexibility between members (Webster 2002). From these definitions, it is apparent that in healthcare a common and vital feature in teamwork is shared values and goals (Salas, Rosen and King 2007, Wiles and Robinson 1994). This serves as the teams focus point and appears to be at the pinnacle of what members strive towards. In example 1, shared values and goals are evident in the ALS protocols that the team followed. However, individuals roles were not clearly recognised and the team did not seem to be familiar with one-another. In example 2, the team again demonstrated shared values and goals by following agreed protocols (ATLS). This was further demonstrated in how the team interacted with each other and anticipated one-anothers actions. Pre-agreed tasks were organised by the team and they demonstrated mutual understanding of one-anothers roles. When members of trauma teams are given pre-assigned roles, they can perform a practice known as horizontal organisation which refers to the ability of performing several interventions simultaneously (Patient 2007 and Cole 2004). Taking on pre-agreed roles and responsibilities can influence patient outcomes, limiting resuscitation times and lowering mortality rates (Lomas and Goodall 1994). Salas, Rosen and King (2007) advise teams take time to develop a discipline of pre-brief where the team clarifies the goals, roles and performance strategies required. Example 2 demonstrates how, this preparation is proven to amplify performance levels when functioning under stressful conditions (Inzana et al., 1996 cited in Salas, Rosen and King 2007). A team approach in resuscitation has proved highly effective in reducing mortality rates (Walsh and Kent 2000). However, evidence suggests that human factors such as poor communication and lack of understanding of team members roles can breakdown team effectiveness leading to poor patient safety. (Xyrichis and Ream 2008, Atwal and Caldwell 2006). In relation to example 1, there were many team members present; nobody knew clearly who was who. To understand what makes an effective team, barriers inter-professional teams face and what can be done to overcome these obstacles shall be explored. Barriers to Inter-professional team working We have established that emergency care management involves many professionals each with their own discipline, knowledge and skills. Due to this diversity, professionals may have limited knowledge of each others roles and so undervalue the contribution of care delivered to patients, making inter-professional team working difficult (Spry 2006). Also, the way which individuals work together depends greatly on personalities and individual compatibility (Webster 2002). If personalities clash, this is a barrier to team effectiveness. In example 2, the team were familiar with one another and had evidently worked together in many trauma care situations as they seemed to trust and respect each other. This team were on their 3rd consecutive night shift working together therefore they had built a rapport with each other. Similarly in Cole and Crichtons (2006) study exploring the culture of a trauma team in relation to influencing human factors, many respondents described an amity and familiarity. They argued that teams work when people know their roles, have the required technical expertise and are knowledgeable about trauma. Cole and Crichton (2006) interviewed a consultant team leader who reports; you can have the most gruesome scenario where you have a new surgical SHO and a new anaesthetic SHO, no-one knows each other and its atrocious! Teams made up of individuals who are familiar with each other work with greater efficacy than teams composed of strangers (Guzzo and Dickson 1996 cited in Cole and Crichton 2006). This report illustrates the challenges that team unfamiliarity poses. In Cole and Crichtons (2006) study, focused ethnography was used to explore the culture of a trauma team in a teaching hospital. Many ethnographic studies focus on a distinct problem amongst a small group. This method is appropriate when focussing on the meanings of individuals customs and behaviours in the environment in which they are occurring (Savage 2000). Six periods of observation of trauma teams attending trauma calls was undertaken followed by 11 semi-structured interviews with purposively chosen key personnel. Their findings are based on the trauma teams working in one hospital; therefore this study is quite narrow. Cole and Crichton acknowledge that this method of study can be criticized for producing only one snapshot in time, potentially reducing its credibility. Taking these limitations into account, I believe their findings could be used to inform best practice where if the opportunity existed teams could be facilitated to practice working together. This would allow me mbers to become familiar with each others personalities and roles. Teams operating within an emergency medicine context face complex, dynamic and high-stress environments (Salas, Rosen and King 2007). However Denton and Giddins (2009) suggest staff in these areas become experienced in managing emergencies, know each others roles and have developed close team-working skills. Example 2 shows evidence to support this. Conversely, in example 1, the team seemed disjointed and nobody seemed to know each other. They assembled for the resuscitation but a lack of role perception hindered the teams ability to work effectively together. Research into inter-professional team working and resuscitation attempts is limited (Denton and Giddins 2009). However, a small study of cardiopulmonary resuscitation conducted in a trust hospital by Meerabeau and Page (1999) found that, although team members of a resuscitation attempt may have a common goal (to resuscitate the patient) and some of the attributes associated with effective teams, many features may not be present . These features encompass regular interaction and clear roles as their evidence concludes, CPR teams generally did not work together nor practice their skills together. These findings support Cole and Crichtons (2006) results and could be applicable to example 1 indicating that; although CPR teams trained specifically to react in CPR situations, factors such as regular interaction and clear roles influence team effectiveness. If integrated inter-professional working is to become a reality, it is fundamental that people have opportunities to work closely together to build up personal relationships and understand others roles (Hewison 2004). Professional education needs to play a vital part in supporting this (Webster 2002). The DH actively encouraged initiatives in the NHS and in higher education institutions to encourage greater role awareness amongst health professionals and support effective team working (DH 2007, 2004a, 2000b). This allows team members to devise precise expectations of their team mates actions and requirements during high-stress work episodes (Salas, Rosen and King 2007). This is a logical solution but like Salas, Rosen and King (2007) note, teams come together for a discrete lifespan and depend upon who is on duty and time of day. Consequently having opportunities for developing personal relationships and understanding each others roles becomes a challenge. A lack of specialist skills required to manage the care of critically ill patients is a potential barrier to delivering effective team care as this could escalate into inter-professional conflict. This is when nurses skills and doctors expectations of these skills differed (Tippins 2005). This barrier highlights the relevance of the ATLS training. Patient (2007) confirms that individuals who have undertaken the ATLS course claim they have gained an insight into each others roles and resultantly, can communicate with one another better (Hadfield-Law 1994). The number of staff available varies between departments and is influenced by time of day (Etherington 2003). Example 1 took place on a busy Saturday morning and the department was bustling with staff. The team that attended to the patient was large and appeared disorganised. There were 11 members to this team, 4 of which were students who were perhaps encouraged to attend and observe the situation. The team that attended the patient in example 2 was comparatively smaller and appeared more organised. In an article by Tippins (2005) exploring nurses experiences of managing critical illness in an AE department, one nurse describes how the nature of the experiences depended on the size and dynamics of a team: Because it was such a big trauma, there were so many people there, actually you feel its not managed very well because there were so many people. It was just a bit chaotic really. This example along with example 1 demonstrates that large numbers of people can make inter-professiona l working difficult. The ideal number of team members in a resuscitation team is uncertain (Patient 2007). Etherington (2003) reinforces that effective teamwork is possible with just 3 people present providing leadership, trust and collaboration are achieved. Relating back to example 2, leadership, trust and collaboration was evident. There was also a strong awareness of roles and task distribution as opposed to example 1 where the team appeared to gather in an unorganised fashion. These examples demonstrate that the size of a team does not reflect quality. It is influencing factors such as role perception, communication and good leadership that make an effective team. Within inter-professional teams individuals also need emotional intelligence to work effectively with colleagues and patients (Mc Callin and Bamford 2007). According to Goleman (1998), someone with high emotional intelligence is aware of emotions and how to regulate them and use this data to guide their thinking and actions (Faugier and Woolnough 2002). Self-awareness, social awareness and social skill are central to emotional intelligence. This is the heart of effective teamwork and influences excellence and job satisfaction (Mc Callin and Bamford 2007). The team in example 2 displayed emotional intelligence in their interactions amongst each other and the patient. For example, the registrar and the nurses constantly communicated with the patient recognising his distress. Team members also displayed horizontal organization demonstrating their awareness and anticipation of one anothers roles and task allocation. Breakdown in communication has been highlighted a root cause of serious incidents (National Patient Safety Agency 2006) and trauma resuscitations are especially vulnerable. Heavy workload and constantly changing staff can inhibit communication between team members and so affect adversely patient outcomes for example; medication errors or amputation of wrong limbs (Lynch and Cole 2006). Salas, Rosen and King (2007) highlight how communication often breaks down in the inherently stressful nature of responding to crises which can consequently result in clinical errors during decision making. Paradoxically, this is when communication needs to be at its finest (Haire 1998). Many examples of high-quality nursing practice in managing critically ill patients involve good communication skills between staff, patients and relatives (Tippins 2005). Good communication begins and ends with self (Dickensen-Hazard and Root 2000). This relates back to the concept of emotional intelligence and awareness where every person, particularly the leader, should have a clear picture of self, of what is valued and believed and how that blends with the organisation served. Overall, clear, precise and direct channels of communication need to be in place to enhance patient outcome, team functioning (Haire 1998), patient safety and quality care. Leadership The concept of inter-professional team working and the barriers that hinder team effectiveness has been discussed. Now an analysis on team leadership will follow. Leadership is defined as a particular form of selected behaviour that manages team activity and develops team and individual performance (Lynch and Cole 2006). There is a strong focus on leadership within the health service as a resource for delivering quality care and treatment. This is noted in the NHS plan (DH 2000b) which states: Delivering the plans radical change programme will require first class leaders at all levels of NHS. By having visible leaders at all levels contributes to setting high standards and amending errors efficiently. Consequently this contributes to maintaining a safe environment. A resuscitation team needs a visible leader who has the knowledge and communication skills to direct team members (Etherington 2003). In relation to example 1, there was no immediate visible leader who took the task of preparing the team. Only later did the consultant take the lead. As suggested earlier, resuscitation teams are effective when team members adopt specific, pre-agreed roles, which can be carried out simultaneously. The consultant was unable to prepare the team as he arrived only seconds prior to the patient. In the AE department, effective leadership is of prime importance due to the fast paced nature of the environment, which lends potential for staff to feel threatened by the perceived chaos. The leader needs to foster an environment where care delivery has some structure, and staff have guidance and security (Cook and Holt 2000). This role of team leader is pivotal for the effective functioning of the team (Cole and Crichton 2006). The consultant in example 1 and the registrar in example 2 were the identified team leaders. There are few recommendations made about the education necessary to become a team leader other than experience and seniority. The Royal College of Surgeons (2000) report that the team leader should be experienced in emergency management from either an emergency, intensive care or surgical specialty and have completed an ATLS course (Cole and Crichton 2006, American College of Surgeons 1997). From observation of leadership in the local resuscitation department, it appears that the most senior team member takes the lead. Etherington (2003) argues that many AE nurses perform the leader role as well as their medical colleagues. Meanwhile, Gilligan et al., (2005) argue that in many emergency departments AE nurses do not assume a lead role in advanced resuscitation. Their study investigated whether emergency nurses with previous ALS training provided good team leadership in a simulated cardiac arrest situation concluding that, ALS trained nurses performed equally as well as ALS trained emergency Senior House Officers (SHOs). This study was conducted at five emergency departments. All participants went through the same scenario. Participants included 20 ALS trained nurses, 19 ALS trained emergency SHOs, and 18 emergency SHOs without formal ALS training. The overall mean score for doctors without ALS training was 69.5%, compared with 72.3% for ALS trained doctors and 73.7% for ALS trained nurses. The evidence drawn from Gilligan et al., (2005) suggests it may be

Causes of Underage Drinking Essay -- Alcohol Drinking Binge Essays

Causes of Underage Drinking Today, many teenagers experience different things in the world. Whether it is their first date or first day in high school, teens are always eager to try something different or new. One of the things that teenagers try is drinking alcohol. Unfortunately, underage drinkers often abuse alcohol. In this paper, I will try to shed some light on some of the reasons why teenagers drink alcohol at such premature age. The causes of underage drinking include peer pressure, family problems, low self-esteem, and of course curiosity. Must students who enter college in the United States are about eighteen years of age. They find a new kind of freedom on college campuses away from the supervisory eyes of their parents being away from home gives these students the freedom to make their own decisions regarding school, their finances, and their social lives. Some students feel that they finally can do what ever they want including drinking alcohol even though they perfectly know that the drinking age in many states, including Texas, is twenty-one. According to Dr. Richard Yoast, Ama’s director of the office alcohol and other drug abuse, says that 80 percent of students have consumed more than a few sips of alcohol by the time they finish high school. â€Å"Among youth 12 to 20, an estimated 10.1 million used alcohol,† he says. â€Å"Of these, 6.8million were binge drinkers and 2.1 millions w ere heavy drinkers.† Dr. Yoast continues to illustrate the seriousness of the ...

Six-minute walk test Essays -- Health, Exercise

Six-minute walk test There are many tools to assess functional exercise capacity most of which provide good information about body system. The most popular clinical exercise tests are stair climbing, a 6MWT, a shuttle-walk test, detection of exercise-induced asthma, a cardiac stress test and a cardiopulmonary exercise test) (ATS, 2002). In the past, the functional exercise capacity was assessed by asking patients â€Å"How many flights of stairs can you climb or how many blocks can you walk?†; but, this assessment was a subjective measurement. In addition, the first objective tool was in 1960s which was 12 minute walking test; however, it was so exhausting for patients. As a result from that, a 6 minute walking test (6MWT) was found to be used as an objective measurement tool for functional exercise capacity in patients with mild or moderate respiratory diseases and cardiac diseases (ATS, 2002). Many studies have concluded that 6MWT is inexpensive test andâ€Å"†¦ it is easy to administe r, better tolerated, and more reflective of activities of daily living than the other walk tests† (ATS, 2002). Therefore, this essay will describe the 6MWT and comment on administration, application, reliability and validity based on the literature reviews. Chang (2006) mentioned that 6MWT measures the distance that patients can walk on a flat surface as fast as they can with stops needed by patients within 6 minute. In addition, 6 MWT can reflect the exercise level needed for daily tasks. Morales-Blanhir, Vidal, Romero, Castro, Villegas, Zamboni (2010) showed that the major indications for 6MWT are to measure the response to the intervention given to the patients and it can be used for measuring the functional status of patients, as well as a predic... ...patients with Left Ventricular Dysfunction were involved in the study. 6MWT was one of the assessment tools and the authors have done the 6MWT in the beginning then they repeat it after 242 days. The authors have compared patients with high 6MWD with patients with lower 6MWD. As a result, they concluded that patients with lower 6MWD had a significantly greater chance of dying (Morales-Blanhir et al, 2010). The 6MWT is the best indicator of existing types of walk tests of functional capacity for children and it can be used to evaluate cardiopulmonary disease. In 2005 a group of authors have examined 74 patients with a mean age of 14.2  ± 1.2 years, and they concluded that 6MWT can be used to evaluate and assess pediatric patients with cardiac and lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis or bronchiolitis obliterans (Morales-Blanhir et al, 2010). .

Promotion Strategies Essay

Did you happen to catch the season finale of â€Å"Friends† on May 6th? â€Å"The exhaustively hyped series finale of â€Å"Friends† drew 52.25 million viewers for its extended 66 minute running time.† A 30-second commercial spot garnered a cool $2 million, costing advertising heavyweights such as Allstate, Anheuser-Busch, Chevrolet, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, as well as Walt Disney and Universal Studios a mere four cents a head. For the purpose of this assignment I will characterize mass media’s and telemarketing’s role as part of the promotional mix, who pays for them, and how they are perceived by consumers with regards to their objectivity. I will also explain how traditional Word-of-Mouth works and round up the assignment discussing â€Å"buzz† advertising. First, let’s discuss television mass media’s role in the promotional mix. Mass media’s (television, radio, magazines, etc) role in the promotional mix is advertising. In particular, television commercial advertising is a paid form of non-personal communication. Companies use commercial advertising because it is an effective means of mass-marketing as indicated by the â€Å"Friends† series finale. The objectives to advertising include: informing consumers of a new product, persuading the consumer to remain with or switch to a particular product, or remind consumers of the value of a product or where to locate it. The objective of mass-marketing is to reach out to as many consumers in one fail swoop to create brand awareness, brand interest, brand equity, to obtain competitive advantage, and to increase market share. The advertiser’s ultimate goal is to accomplish the company’s marketing objectives. In regards to advertising, companies use a pull selling strategy, to â€Å"build up consumer demand.† A typical commercial is comprised of the source (the company/distributor/retailer) whose product or service is featured) that encodes the message using symbols such as words, illustrations, or images; the message (the combination of symbols) transmitted to the receiver (consumers) who then decodes the message (hopefully interpreting the message in the same way it was encoded); and feedback (through purchase, attitude change about the product/service, or non-purchase). Finally, noise, plays a role in advertising. With current technology such as TiVO, consumers can  choose to skip past commercial segments. The advertising company, its’ distributor, or its’ retailer pays the network for the commercial air time. If more than one of these pays for the commercial air time it is called cooperative advertising. Using vehicles as an example, either the manufacturer pays for the commercial or the car dealership does. However, in the overall scheme of things, successful commercials can be paid for by consumer purchases. The court of public opinion considers the objectivity of advertising dependent upon the type of message. According to a 1990 survey conducted by the Roper Organization concerning public opinion â€Å"with regard to the content of promotion messages, 60 percent of those surveyed believe ads with money-back guarantees, 57 percent believe ads with products approved by medical or health groups, 38 percent believe ads where comparisons to competitors are made, 29 percent believe ads using hidden-camera interviews, and 25 percent believe ads featuring celebrity endorsements.† While no current data is available, it appears consumers remain skeptical concerning advertising messages. Telemarketing is an example of direct marketing in the promotional mix. However, the court of public opinion indicates displeasure in this type of promotion. One could say the public pays for telemarketers with interrupted dinners and misleading or deceptive telemarketing schemes, but the business or charitable organization that uses this service pays for it in cash. It’s interesting to note that an Eyewitness News investigation in Rock Hill, South Carolina revealed that the South Carolina Police Officers’ Association â€Å"charity raised more than $600,000 in 2002, but spent barely $5,000, or less than one percent, helping police officers and their families.† With telemarketing it is truly a â€Å"Buyer Beware† promotion. Most consumers are probably more skeptical when it comes to this type of promotion than any other. There is the noise factor in this type of promotion as well. The national â€Å"do not call registry,† telephone company telemarketing blocker services, and products such as the Telezapper significantly decreases the telemarketer’s sales. I personally just inform telemarketers I am not  interested in their pitch and to place me on their â€Å"do not call† list. If this doesn’t work, I just hang up. Another promotional technique is word-of-mouth. When consumers communicate their experiences connected to a particular product, they are essentially providing the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer free advertising. Word-of-mouth can accelerate brand recognition. The heart of word-of-mouth marketing is giving consumers something to talk about. An excellent example of successful word-of-mouth is the Atkin’s Diet. I initially read one of Dr. Atkin’s diet books more than 10 years ago. While I do not remember the name of the book, I do recall I never tried his diet because I dreaded giving up on favorites such as pasta. Last year I was struggling to lose the weight I had gained following a thyroidectomy. I was running three to five miles per day, counting calories and fat grams and lost absolutely no weight whatsoever in three months. Then two colleagues of mine began losing considerable weight with very little effort. They told me about the Atkin’s diet and that each had lost more than 20 pounds in a month. I started researching the diet on the web and found other testimonials as well. Hordes of people are devoted to this diet. I began the diet and maintained my exercise routine and lost 30 pounds in eight weeks. The hottest new trend in word-of-mouth marketing appears to be buzz. The buzz marketing described in the BusinessWeek article we were tasked to read appears to be a fad. I don’t consider it an advanced form of word-of-mouth but rather an insidious, deceptive practice. Consumers have a right to feel â€Å"cheated† because these buzz marketers are treating the American consumer as if they were complete idiots. Once American consumers figure it out, and they will, it will be gone the way of the sandwich board. No wonder it is referred to as â€Å"viral marketing.† Too bad doctors don’t have a cure for this virus. In review, I discussed mass media’s role in great detail because it is perhaps the most widely used form of promotion. I focused on television commercial advertising discussing how marketers use commercials to inform, persuade, or remind consumers about a particular product or service. Then I  discussed how the communication process fits into commercial advertising. I followed with a discussion on who pays for commercial advertising and cooperative advertising. Then I provided a survey example to illustrate how consumers view commercials in regards to their objectivity. I also discussed telemarketing as a direct marketing approach to promotion. The next topic was word-of-mouth. I discussed how word-of-mouth is essentially free advertising and the heart to its success of giving consumers something to talk about. I ended this assignment with my view buzz marketing. I feel this is a deceptive promotional tactic that appears to be just a fad. Once consumers recognize how they are being used, it will fade into the sunset. Overall, the promotional mix appears to be a driving factor in a product or service’s success. Works Cited The One Where ‘Friends’ Puts Up Massive Finale Ratings. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 8 May 2004: http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271%7C88037%7C1%7C,00.html Promotion – Push and Pull Strategies. Tutor2U ®. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 9 May 2004: http://www.tutor2u.net/business/marketing/promotion_pushpull.asp Evans, Joel R. and Berman, Barry. (1994) â€Å"Marketing,† Sixth Edition. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York, New York. Page 584. Charity Organization Pays Telemarketers Big, Police Little. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 9 May 2004: http://www.wsoctv.com/specialreports/2885811/detail.html Works Referenced How to Establish Promotional Mix. Edward Lowe Organization. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 8 May 2004: http://www.att.sbresources.com/SBR_template.cfm?docNumber=PL12_3600.htm#under standing Kumar, S. Ramesh. Getting the promotional mix right. The Hindu. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 6 May 2004: http://www.hinduonnet.com/ct/2002/09/05/stories/2002090500110200.htm Lancaster, Geoff Above- and below-the-line promotion. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 6 May 2004: http://www.da-group.co.uk/geoff/communications.htm Nucifora, Alf. Keep Up With the Buzz On Buzz Marketing. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 6 May 2004: http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2002/10/07/focus2.html?t=printable Marketing: Promotion. Tutor2U. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 8 May 2004: http://www.tutor2u.com/ Pride-Farrell Marketing. Part 5. Promotion Decisions. Integrated Marketing Communications. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 8 May 2004: http://www.gsm.uci.edu/~rwheeler/2 Promotion and the Promotion Mix: A Part of the Marketing Mix. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 8 May 2004: http://www.creighton.edu/~hutchens/nps_c_08.html Promotion Answers. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 8 May 2004: http://www.learnmarketing.net/promotonanswers.htm Reed, Keith. (2002) Through the grapevine: PR firms tout ‘buzz’ marketing. New Mexico Business Weekly. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 6 May 2004: http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2002/10/07/focus2.html Wegert, Tessa. (2003) Four Online Media Mix Essentials. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 7 May 2004: