Reading Response to Ali and Nino Essay

The most evident and reoccurring theme that I noticed in Kurban Said’s, Ali and Nino was the importance of religion and cultural backgrounds. In many different places in the story it is evident that Ali and Nino have been taught some completely different things about the world in general. The first major example that I found is when Ali speaks with his father and Nino’s father about marrying Nino. Although they are both somewhat supportive of the marriage, they both send completely opposite messages. Ali’s father tells him that the love for Nino is not necessary and that if he wants Ali can still marry up to three more wives. Contrary to Ali’s fathers belief, Nino’s father feels very differently. He feels that he must show unconditional love and treat her with the dignity and respect that she deserves. He also feels that he should focus all her energy and love on her rather than having any other wives. If Nino’s father doubts Ali’s for his daughter, maybe that is part of the reason why he tried to postpone the wedding. The second example I found is when Nino tells Ali he absolutely can not have a harem because it is considered a disgraceful tradition of Ali’s background to Nino and her family. Ali agrees that he will not have a Harem and then the question of whether or not Nino will have to wear a veil. After a bit of deliberation between Ali and Nino, they were still unable to reach a conclusion to whether or not Nino would have to wear a veil. Nino does not understand why a women must wear a veil whereas Ali feels that it is very important that the women does so that Nino will be protected from strangers looks. Although Ali and Nino are very much in love there are very many cultural differences and misunderstandings that make this inter religion/faith marriage a bit more complicated. This idea of religious differences and cultural misunderstandings really hits home for me. As a Jewish adult, it has always been very important to me to marry someone of the same faith and belief system. As I have grown up I do believe that the most important thing is being happy and that being accepting of all peoples values and morals is very much important. Out of personal experience, I have two relatives that both decided to marry out of the Jewish faith. Neither of these marriages have worked out very well in regards to my family. The first relative of mine ended up getting divorced and is now going through a custody battle for his children. The other relative is still married to his wife but does not talk to anyone on our side of the family due to many reasons but mostly because she was not willing to support his Jewish identity and background. It is ignorant in my opinion to think that inter faith marriages can never work out, because a lot of them do. But in my experiences with my family they have not. Regardless if people can make them work, it is definitely harder than marrying someone with the same faith as you. With religion comes a system of ideals, morals and beliefs and if someone has those same values as you do, there will be less cultural misunderstandings and cleavages than if you married someone with different values than you. So the whole idea of cultural differences through religion complicating thing relates both very closely to my life in terms of my family and Kurban Said’s Ali and Nino.

Life in correctional facilities Essay

Prisons are used as correctional facilities which are meant to influence the criminal to be a positively charged individual and accepted by the society. The rehabilitation process should be able to benefit the criminal in his life in and after prison. There are certain factors that make one to become a criminal and adapt to the criminal way of life. Correctional facilities should not be brutal but should guide the imprisoned positively and motivate them to become law abiding citizens. The community should accept the prisoner once he is released and treat him like a citizen and accept that he can change and interact freely with them. Life in prison Prison life can prove to be hard if the correctional facility uses correctional means which are torturous. Prisons are institutions where criminals or those who have gone against the law are kept. They are meant to bring an individual to positive life at the end of their sentence and be able to contribute positively to the community. However, this has not been the case in these institutions. In this paper, we take a look at the effects of what prison life is and how one can be able to adapt while imprisoned. We take a look at some correctional policies that can be introduced in prison and what makes one to become a criminal (Crag 1992). In the past years, prison was based on punishing the inmate by inflicting pain on his body; this has however changed as prison is seen as a form of rehabilitation to the inmate. Prisons have positive and negatives effects to the prisoner. There is the safekeeping of inmates where they are provided with the basic needs of food, shelter and clothing. Prisons are used as correctional facilities which maintain and improve the inmates physically and psychologically through counseling and physical exercise. The safekeeping of inmates includes locking them in a confined environment and allowing room for the isolation of welfare activities which satisfy their needs through recreation and education. It however makes them feel dehumanized and rejected by the society and this could lead to mental depression. Timetables are used in this institutions play a major factor in rehabilitation through procedures. They know where to be at the right time because it indicates time for shower, meals, labor time, recreational activities schedule and what time to go to bed. This method turns the criminal into a hard worker and changes his psychology by restoring responsibilities in him. He knows he has a duty to fulfill at a particular time. When a criminal is imprisoned for twenty years and follow the same routine, he is unable to think of what to do with his time as his psychology is already used to one specific routine (Crag 1992). Use of uniforms in correctional facilities destroys the individual’s personal identity and makes them feel part of a group. They are able to associate with each other easily and all feel are on the same level and no one is more special than the rest. The physical condition of the prisons the thick walls, the barbed wires and the constant supervision they gat from guards shape the criminal’s psychology and think positively in order to be accepted by the society. Being surrounded by walls and the supervision makes the prisoner know he did wrong and for him to be free from the walls, he has to change his behavior in order to be accepted by the society. A prisoner can also be undermined in prison. There have been cases of rape and victimization which caused the affected to commit suicide or be damaged psychologically (Sham 1970). Policies that assist an inmate to adapt to prison life. Having a psychologist to assist the prisoners adapt to the changes they are experiencing as they try to adopt in prison life. A psychologist should help in the emotional changes by making them understand that prison is a correctional facility and not punishment. An inmate should be provided with better medical facilities when they get sick . This will make the inmate develop well socially and emotionally (Sham 1970). Activities like sports, debates and singing should be introduced this occupies their minds and makes them live and develop socially and are used to each other. Holding regular competitions will lead to positive spirits and harmony among the inmates. The use of timetables is seen as a way which assists an inmate to adapt to prison life by knowing where to be and what to do at a certain time. A newcomer adapts easily to daily routine and feels part of the group by following what they should be doing at particular time. This also makes the inmates feel they are all part of the system because no one is treated in a special way. Dividing of tasks among the inmates also assists them to adapt to the environment as they communicate with the other inmates and are oriented to the tasks which are carried out (Sham 1970). The inmates need constant motivational and uplifting seminars which aid them in proper development. Spiritual uplifting gives them hope and make them develop in the right direction. They should also be given guidance and know there is life after prison. The prison authorities should invite guests who will motivate and uplift the prisoners (Sheldon 1982). Prison is intended to assist the criminal to change positively and bring no harm to the society once they are released. Prison should be used to correct the mistakes and uplift them to be acceptable citizens. Many correctional facilities use brutal methods to correct the prisoners like, physical beatings having one meal a day, no free time and lots of labor. This type of treatment damages the inmate physically and emotionally and does not bring any change to the prisoner. The prisons should give less labor to the inmates and time for rest. They should also introduce a system where they earn from their labor. For instance, if they work more hard, they get rewards lie TV, gym, football. This way they will be more motivated to get the work finished because there is a reward at the end of it. More time should also be put to educate the prisoners. The library should be open to all prisoners who feel free to advance their knowledge. Holding competitions like football and debates makes them grow and are able to respect each other. Creating more time with family and friends gives them the assurance that people still care for them and will need to change to be accepted by their families. Having visitations like once a month will enable them to gather confidence in themselves. These methods lead the prisoner know there is more to life than punishment and they can live a good life by causing no harm to the community. Motivating them will make them start businesses once they get out of prison (Crag 1992). There are many reasons which make one become a criminal. One of the many beliefs is when one was abused and depressed as a child or fell into bad company when they were growing up. These changes their psychology as they grow up and they are filled with hate and revenge and will want to cause harm and that is the only way they will feel god about themselves. The environment where one grew up contributes to who they will be in future. If one lives in a neighborhood where people make a living by stealing, selling drugs and kidnapping, they will adopt to this methods slowly without realizing (Sham 1970). A person can also be labeled by society as a criminal and will adapt to that name. The lack of self control, hate and poor socialization skills make people to live with hatred and wanting to cause harm to individuals. Being in prison and seeing how other criminals behave and how they organize their criminal gangs also contribute to making one a criminal as soon as they get out of prison because they will have experience first hand training from experienced criminals. While in prison, most inmates gather hope and confidence that they will be free one day. They should be encouraged to stay out of trouble while in prison and to develop in a way which will be acceptable by the society. A prisoner should not be excommunicated from the society and needs to be embraced in order to move in the right direction. The correctional institution should be seen as correctional centers whose main aim will be to assist the prisoners grow in the positive direction and should not be perceived as a torture chamber. Once out of prison, the prisoner should use the skills acquired and bring positive development to the society and stay out of danger. However, the society will need to accept the imprisoned and treat him in a good way that will not hurt his psychology. References Crag, W. (1992). The practice of punishment. London: Rutledge Press. Sham, S. (1970). The inmate social code. New York: Wiley & Sons Sheldon, M & GreTosh, J. (1982). The pains of imprisonment. California: Sage Publications.

It Is Better to Be the Eldest Child Than the Youngest One in the Family Essay

â€Å"Mr. Chairman, honorable judges, misguided members of the opposition, and members of the floor: Good day to all. â€Å"Standing here today on this breezy morning as the third speaker for the proposition, I wish to continue where my team-mates left off to correct the misleading information presented by the opposition. â€Å"For instance, the second member of the opposition claimed that the youngest child will be treated more leniently than the others. Now, is this an advantage? By being treated too leniently, the child might think that his misbehavior is perfectly acceptable. Ever heard of the expression â€Å"Spare the rod and spoil the child†? It is true. Without strict and loving discipline, a beloved child might end up being the black sheep of the family. Now, the opposition contends that it is an advantage to be spoilt in this way. How can this be? â€Å"The opposition has also pointed out that the youngest child is usually more pampered. I agree. But, again, is this good? It is indeed enjoyable to be fussed over, pampered and mollycoddled but what will this pampered child grow into? It is a maxim that too much or too little is no good: Once a pampered child grows up, he will be overly dependent on others, in other words, spineless. Would you like to be this spineless adult? I leave you to decide. â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen, having straightened out a few delusions of the opposition, I shall present my own points. One of the advantages of being an eldest child is that he is used to being respected and obeyed by his siblings. This is because they know he is wiser and more experienced. This is a good feeling and it creates high self-esteem. This self-esteem will motivate him to succeed in every aspect of life. â€Å"Undeniably, the eldest child will shoulder more responsibilities. He will often be left in charge of the younger ones. The eldest child is also cast as a role model for the younger ones. Thus, he has to try harder to maintain discipline and a high standard of behavior. â€Å"The eldest child, having to cope with his siblings’ antics, will also develop patience. He may have to give in to his siblings because `they are too young to understand’. Thus, he develops tolerance and understanding of other people’s weaknesses. â€Å"All these points were described as ‘disadvantages’ by the opposition. They are only disadvantageous if you are unable to see the long-term benefits. You see, these momentarily trying circumstances will shape the child and prepare him for the challenges that lie ahead. According to a survey conducted by the Home Ministry, an average of 3 out of 5 successful people — corporate leaders, lawyers, politicians — were the eldest children in their families. â€Å"On to my next point, which centers on the word ‘privileges’. In most cases, the eldest child will inherit the greater share of the wealth. According to Chinese custom, the eldest son carries on the family name, therefore he deserves a larger share of the property. In monarchies, the eldest child is the heir to the throne, as in the case of Prince Charles. If you think that the eldest child is only privileged if he belongs to a wealthy family, you are wrong. The distinction is even sharper in poor families where the eldest child may be the only one whom the family can afford to educate or feed properly. â€Å"So, there you have it. Clear arguments to demolish the opposition to this motion. And now I hand over to my opponents, to give the sensible ones amongst them a chance to start defecting over to our side. Thank you.†

Diversity in the workplace Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diversity in the workplace - Term Paper Example Helping understand the concept of diversity, let us take the example of a family system. An entire family consists of individual persons- for example, obviously different sexes, different groups of age, belief systems being different too, bringing up of these individuals and having different values etc. Now why an entire family is like it is. The answer to this question is that there is a want and need to learn about each other and be a part of each other’s lives. Without this, the family system would not be present, like it is today. Usually, the Human Resource Department plays an important part in diversity planning and leadership to build and empower an organizational custom that promotes a respectful, inclusive, knowledge-based atmosphere where each employee has the opportunity to learn, nurture and meaningfully add value to the organizations achievement. Many multinational corporations and big firms have found it a need of the hour that diversity is essential for any business’s success. It helps in retaining employees that are efficient and hard working, lowering the costs by having in-house skills developers, and having a goodwill that is there for the overall betterment of the company. Talking about multinational companies, let us take the example of Coca Cola. Initially Coke has its headquarters at Atlanta, but its business is all over the world and more than fifty percent of the revenue comes from outside the USA. The only reason for doing so is that, Coke believes in diverse workforce and wherever it has gone, it has looked after its employees. They give the locals, key positions in the firm, and listen to what ideas they provide. Obviously, locals are residing there, and they know the market there well. Now if Coke, used the same technique and strategy to sell its products say in India, as it did in the US, straight away failure would be there.

The Cost of High Stakes On Little League Games Essay

The Cost of High Stakes On Little League Games - Essay Example The parents who constantly push their children to excel can not seem to understand that not all children are meant to be over-achievers or future sports superstars. That is why they constantly shout at their kids to do better during the game and get loud, foul-mouthed, and dangerously aggressive towards the Little League officials during certain games. Although I do not have children of my own to use as the basis of comparison for this paper, I will have to say that I have attended quite a number of Little League games where my nephews were participants, and I would have to agree with Nevius in this case; the violence in the stands and on the field that is caused by the parents made me want to yank my nephews off the court more than a few times. Little League is no longer a fun weekend activity for kids these days. Instead, it has transformed into a pressure cooker for the children whose parents expect them to be the next big name in sports and the star jock of their college or unive rsity. Parents put so much pressure on their children to succeed in Little League due to their future interests in the child's welfare that I would not wish a Little League membership on the child of my worst enemy. Little League now has high stake costs because the parents have blown the Little League success of their children out of proportion. The high stakes cost of the Little League games is not limited to the amount of time that the child spends training, attending sports clinics, or even the cost of professional coaching that the parents insist that their children must have in order to succeed in Little League. Rather, the high stakes of these games come at the price of the lives of the participants. The coaches are often getting the brunt of the ire of the parents. It is these people, the hired hand, whose lives are placed on the line because of a parent's uncontrollable temper. Which is why some kids, such as Jesse Cayas, give up the mainstream Little League sports altogeth er. He explains: â€Å"A lot of parents would get into fights (arguments) sometimes. They'd yell at each other.† (qtd. in Kroichick). The situation as described by Cayas is one that is replicated at thousands of Little League parks across the country. The parents are either yelling at the kids to improve their game, or they are at the throats of the coaches, umpires, or referees for making what they perceive to be bad calls during the game. Parents, who are expected to be the epitome of proper behavior in public and dignified calm in the face of defeat, turn into wild animals who attack those whom they feel have prevented their child or children from achieving victory. Our country has developed an unhealthy habit of turning any game into an all out sports war. From the early beginnings of the NBA games on television, these days, parents and the public do not think of the humiliation and embarrassment that children feel when every Little League game that can gain air time, eve n on local television stations only, becomes such a big deal for all concerned. Having the Little League of Baseball series aired does not do any of the playing teams a favor either as the children are forced to play out their eventual loss or win over television. These types of events place undue stress on the children and the parents (Stenzler, â€Å"Little League World Series: Children are Thrust into the Media Glare†). Exactly when did embarrassing the child on local or national television become a part of the enjoyment

Global Financial Crisis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global Financial Crisis - Coursework Example The intention of this study is a financial crisis as a situation where economic markets are interrupted because of controlled credit to businesses and households and the real markets of services and goods are unfavourably affected. There are immense causes or roots available for a financial crisis irrespective of any nation. Basically, the structural factors like confusion arising between the free and the continuous deregulation of markets, a remarkable rise in the role of investment markets prevailing in both banking and non-banking economic organisations, rapid use of new global monetary mechanisms, declining transparency of the free markets, increasingly spreading out high business risks, inequality in a particular businesses origination and distribution factors among others are a few of the major causes or roots of a financial crisis. Also the general factors like regular conflicts regarding the market interests among the free and capital market contributors, deviation between in dividual bank interest rates with central bank’s policy rates, extremely minimum risk-free interest rates in major economies like the US and Japan among others, growing gap between maximum capital profits and low cost of capital, spreading out unfavourable low credit difficulty across all mechanisms also constitute a few of the crucial roots of a financial crisis that are prevailing in a particular organisation or in a particular nation. (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, 2008). In the paper, the regulatory failures that especially the western industrialised countries faced and which led to the universal economic crisis in the year 2008-09, is examined along with the findings about the causes or roots of the arising financial crisis along with certain immediate tasks that should be followed in order to cope up with the financial crisis has also been discussed. Evolution of the Financial Crisis The international financial crisis was originated with the ‘sub- prime mortgage’ crisis and was eventually faced especially by the western industrialised countries during 2008-09. With the result of increase in rate of interests along with decline in home prices, there was a sharp jump in non-payment and foreclosures. In that particular period, there arose certain doubts regarding the liquidity of those assets and eventually became tough to fetch adequate price (Rangarajan, 2009). As a result of raising this crucial doubt, it gradually started to affect the prevailing institutions for their enormous investments made in their respective products. Thus, the entire financial system of the western industrialised countries was recognised to be in an acute crisis. There was a mutual distrust among the financial institutions in the western countries which led to freezing up of several markets including the inter-bank market. This crisis in a financial system had moved to affect the real sectors in various significant methodologies (Rangarajan, 20 09). Due to the evolution of financial crisis during 2008-2009 in the western industrialised countries, the emerging market risks, the bank lending flows, the foreign direct investment (FDI) flows and the export volumes among others had turned negative. The economic activities were contracted rapidly and particularly the western industrialised countries experienced large decline in their respective industrial production which weakened their credit growth (Berglof, 2010). Causes of the Financial Crisis in Western Industrialised Countries The financial crisis has been brought about by a combination of unsuitable monetary policies, extreme risk taking of certain financial organisations and

Analyze the relationship between humans and technology in the novel Essay

Analyze the relationship between humans and technology in the novel and in the present - Essay Example But amidst the shining avenue of technological advancement, human civilization forgets the curse that it brings with it. The dark abbeys lying behind the gleaming and shining pavement of human civilization is casted with curse, tears, agony and bloodshed of million innocent people who become mere scapegoats and prey in the hands of lured and power hungry class who tear asunder the faith and the dreams of numerous innocent faces for their own interest and power play. The novel ‘Fail Safe’ by Eugene Burdick, throws light on the darker side that the technological glitch brings and discusses about the apocalyptic attitude which Americans possessed during the peak hours of the Cold War. This feeling and foreboding eclipsed the entire American society and pervaded throughout the nation. First introduced in the year 1962 to its readers, the novel ‘Fail Safe’ was written when entire America was still staggering from the Cuban missile crisis. At such point of time ‘Fail Safe’ was written to portray the fact that more the countries would indulge into the development of nuclear capabilities, more the potential for newer enemies would prowl on their horizon. ‘Fail Safe’ is written against the background, when disaster would have trucked any moment and during the period of political doldrums â€Å"Fail Safe† continued to deliver powerful response through the issues captivated within the periphery of the novel. Before trying to relate the difference of relationship between the humans and technology in the novel and the similar articles during the contemporary time, it is quite essential to note and understand the background of the write-up. Analyzing the background of the write-up essentially and poignantly involves the background of the creative mind behind the framing of the plot. The background of the writer who yields various documentations in the form of hypothesis or direct testimony of his experience or recorded experience

Semiotic examination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Semiotic examination - Essay Example The TV show is a host talk show where there are some audiences. Those involved in the talk show are three significant individuals; they include the talk show host, the invited guest, and another person participating through a video link on the show. The show is taking place in an auditorium where the host and the guest are on the stage the audience is upfront, and the host is taking the guest to task through questions (Dreyfus, 2011). The effect of the video can be drawn from the reaction of the audience present. Applauds are heard as the guests authoritatively responds to these questions. The significant components of the video clip include some introductory graphics introducing the title show. The appealing colors used catch the attention of the viewer at the initial start. As the clip progresses the trademark logo of the show is evident background instrumentals soundtrack is being played this goes inline of demonstrating the whole thing as captivating, which creates a perception o n the viewer that what waits is exciting. Through the use of fading effects, the talk show is ushered where the hosts instantly is captured on the introductory remarks. First introducing the person participating through a video link seen on a screen on the backdrop of the page, Which is made up of various screens and graphics which are symbolic appearance; the video shows an up-close view of the host and guests; the guests irregularly engage the audience who respond with applauds, the video is motivational from the context of what is being discussed, and it is likely to have an inspirational effect on the viewers. The video clip is made of a high resolution which may be highly appealing to the viewer, in addition to the bright silver, colors. That suits the entire event and also an active audience. The stated components have various effects on to the viewer this include their reactions perceptions and conclusions. The introductory graphics and soundtrack and the graphics try to move the viewers’ attention to continue watching the rest of the clip. Research has proved, that 80% of those who watched any visual contents decide to do it depending on the impression made in the first few seconds of the video clip. The soundtrack creates an ambience that is inspiring, and in line with the content of the video. The backdrop consists of several screens and colorful graphics with colors which offer a high appeal not only to the viewer but also the participating audience. The most important part is the fact that the viewers can identify with the topic of discussion due to its motivational nature this creates a feeling of relativity, which encompasses the viewer to the line of thinking making the video more and more appealing to him. The video conferencing link on the start of the video makes the whole context real coupled up with the occasional laughter from the participants and the guests present. The setting of the participants is unique to other talk shows, and this gives an edge to the clip. The setting in which the video is done also adds to its appeal the body language and posture assumed when paying attention to the video link participant shows the different angles it portrays, it makes the video to be exhaustive in regards to all the participants involved. The presence of a life audience in the video adds to the personal touch and relates to how they express their emotions and convey their feelings to the subject

The Impact of Globalization on the UAE and Dubai During The Last Essay

The Impact of Globalization on the UAE and Dubai During The Last Decade - Essay Example This paper demonstrates that globalization has been an integral part in the economic growth of the Dubai. Globalization influenced economic, political and social advancements in the region. The impact of globalization on the UAE and Dubai is considered positive over the last years. Dubai, which is one of the wealthiest member countries in the Middle East, has benefited from globalization. Globalization has influenced Dubai significantly because it has increased the foreign investments, encouraged domestic investment and even stimulated free trade with other countries. Dubai has for a long time enjoyed global economic success since the discovery of oil and gas deposits. Before the oil and gas, Dubai was just a poor desert country but since the discovery of the resources, its market changed rapidly. However, oil is a resource that does not exist forever and one day all the oil resources will run out. However, thanks to globalization, the economic situation in Dubai will still remain stable and continue to enjoy dominance in the global market. The flourishing real estate business and industrial development is because of globalization. Globalization has opened up the country not only on foreign trade but also on import and export market. Globalization has resulted to openness of the country that has its negative impact on culture and tradition. The government must be able to manage the foreign investment flow to have a stable economy. It should be stated, that globalization is not a solution to every economic situation in a country.

Literatrure Review Research Paper on Teen Pregnancy in the UK Case Study

Literatrure Review Research Paper on Teen Pregnancy in the UK - Case Study Example These contraceptives have been found to be used only after the individuals have become sexually active, and this has created a situation where unwanted pregnancies are barely prevented in this state. It has further been found that of all the pregnancies that take place in the United Kingdom, nearly half of them are unplanned and of these, almost a quarter are terminated, while thirty eight percent end up being unwanted children (DiCenso, Guyatt, Willan & Griffith 2002, p.1426). The abortion rate in the United Kingdom is among the highest in the developed world, only being surpassed by Canada and the United States; a fact which can be said to be serious indeed. Despite the fact that Britain takes for granted its progress in maternal health, because of its substantial improvement over the years, it still has the challenge of teenage pregnancies to consider. Teenage pregnancy in the United Kingdom can be considered an area that is a very serious public health problem that has to be effe ctively tackled if prevention is to be achieved. The detrimental social and health results that tend to accompany unplanned teenage pregnancy have over the years come to be realised in the United Kingdom. Despite the fact that birth rates amongst teenagers have dropped considerably in many areas of Europe, the opposite has been taking place in Britain, whose rates are considered the highest in Europe. ... It has therefore become necessary to make a study of the causes and effects of teenage pregnancies in the United Kingdom since it is an ideal environment where such a study can be conducted in the developed world. Literature Review The growing problem of teenage pregnancies, most of them unwanted, in the United Kingdom, has come to raise a lot of concern to such an extent where plenty of literature is being written about. Most of the new literature about this phenomenon not only focuses on the development of statistics, but they also focus on the causes, effects, as well as the possible solutions that can be developed to curb this problem. In previous years, the literature written concerning teen pregnancies often ignored the psychosocial problems that these cases often cause for those teenage mothers involved. Among the psychosocial problems that often plague teenage mothers are the following; the interruption of their education, the limitation of their job opportunities, the separa tion that develops between the teenage mother and her child’s father, and finally, the increased risk of repeat pregnancies (Silles 2011, p.766). It has been recognised that the causes of teenage pregnancies are quite diverse and complex in a number of ways which include pressure from older partners, a lack of sex education, a delay of the use of contraceptives, as well as the failure of contraceptives after they have been used (Chevalier & Viitanen 2003, p.325). In Britain, it has been found that there is extensive geographical disparity, with the highest rate of teenage pregnancies being among girls in Barnsley, Doncaster, and southeast London. This case can be distinguished from that in eastern Surrey, which has for the most part, low

World of Business. Delta airlines and Northwest airlines Merger, Essay

World of Business. Delta airlines and Northwest airlines Merger, Eastman Kodak Bankruptcy,Digitalization, Kodak Reorganization - Essay Example The merger which was approximately $3.1 billion is expected to restructure the US airline industry and will use the Delta name in its operations with its headquarters situated in Atlanta. This huge merger between the third largest Delta and the fifth largest Northwest airlines will help in creating a global giant with more than 700 jets, 6400 daily flights, almost $35 billion revenue yearly and the new company’s value of almost $17.7 billion, far above their current market value. The merger will also have approximately 75000 employees globally with no hub closures expected and a 1.25 delta share for each of the Northwest airlines shareholders in addition to the seniority protection of the frontline employees for both airlines via fair and equitable seniority integration. The merger of the Delta and the Northwest airlines was also facilitated by the fact that they have very few overlapping routes which may interfere with their operations since Delta had most routes in Europe an d Latin America while Northwest concentrated its business in Asia (Fedor Web). This major merger in the airline industry will further marry the Delta’s route networks in Europe and Latin America with the Northwest’s Asia networks and further create more routes thus widening its networks. This giant merger is expected to initiate significant and plausible efficiencies that will undoubtedly make the US and world’s customers’ gain greatly from savings on expenses for airport operations, technology and suppliers as well as heightening competition in the carrier industry. The merger was aimed at benefiting the two parties involved by making them more efficient in service provision and their respective operations. The merger was also intended to increase international presence and the ability to fund long term investments in the airline industry as well as offsetting the higher fuel prices which has fundamentally affected the financial viability of the airline operations. The merger will not lay off any employee but will tend to raise the salaries of all the employees for both airlines and further reduce their previous pay cuts that existed before the merger (Fleming Web). The merger of Delta and Northwest airlines is intended to provide a better solution of meeting the stakeholders’ objectives. The merger is expected to help the financiers, employees and passengers achieve their main intentions since it will allow the new company to make profits that will be used in increasing the dividends, raising workers pay, and satisfying their clients respectively. A stable and continuous profit will be maintained by the company to sustain its operations hence improving the various stakeholders’ aims. Other benefits that may be accrued are creating a global US carrier that intensively competes with other foreign airlines as well as enabling their customers from across the world get access to a global route system that will allow them to travel anywhere just by using same company’s facilities (Fleming Web). Increase of destinations greatly helps in adding further schedule options and extra opportunities to make more money while redeeming frequent flyer miles thus making a more financially stable airline company with a vast opportunity of growing and expanding. All the customers from both the airlines will benefit from each other’s greater services and strengths to various destinations as well as easing the integration risk due to their complementary networks and common membership in the Sky Team alliance. Although this merger was initially opposed by the Northwest’s airline due to the anticipation of job loss, there was a great

Reality TV is a huge success to the television industry in the 1990s Essay Example for Free

Reality TV is a huge success to the television industry in the 1990s Essay Reality TV is a huge success to the television industry in the 1990s. As a genre description, reality TV is widening its usage from news magazine programmes based round emergency service activities to talk shows, docusoaps and a variety of first-person programmes (Creeber, 2001: 135). Reality TV with extensive meaning becomes popular to describe any factual programme based on an aesthetic style of apparent zero-degree realism in other words a direct, unmediated account of events, often associated with the use of video and surveillance-imaging technologies (Creeber, 2001: 135). While Barnfield has criticized the loose usage of the term, suggesting that over the last decade such a wide range of productions have been categorized as Reality TV that one wonders if the term is too general to be helpful'(Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 3). It is true that reality TV is not explicit enough in meaning. However, it is the best word applicable to all situations and never unilateral. It gives producers more space to innovate new programmes as to prosper this genre. Reality TV evolves with the development of new technologies. New sub-genres emerged as the hybrids of established genres. It challenges traditional documentary and changes the serious content to more entertainment elements. Every format is close to everyday life to convince the audience as real programming. In the short history of only two decades, reality TV has evolved into various formats. I will focus on five main forms which have either had a remarkable effect on television history or unprecedented audience ratings with reference to relevant representative programmes of British television. Contested Generic Identification: Definition of Reality TV It seems difficult to issue a particular definition of reality TV to attest to debates over it. As Su Holmes and Deborah Jermyn point out: Producing a particular definition of Reality TV is nevertheless complex. This is partly because of the fundamentally hybrid nature of the forms in question. Yet it is also because of the range of programming to which the term Reality TV has been applied, as well as the extent to which this has shifted over time with the emergence of further permutations in reality-based texts. (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 2) Jon Dovey characterised this genre by reference to the dominant and original forms of Reality TV that feature police and emergency service work (Dovey, 2000: 80). In his opinion, as form and construction, reality TV should be: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ camcorder, surveillance or observational actuality footage; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ first-person participant or eye-witness testimony; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ reconstructions that rely upon narrative fiction styles; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ studio or to-camera links and commentary from authoritative presenters; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ expert statements from emergency services personnel or psychologists. (Dovey, 2000: 80) These elements are helpful in interpreting the origins of reality programmes and in understanding its sub-genres and new development. Only by bearing these elements in mind can we make reference to relevant programmes when we trace back history to discuss the evolution of reality TV. Is it American Innovation? : Historical Precedent of Reality TV There is no consensus about the first reality programme. Jon Dovey thought that Reality TV is generally historically located as beginning in the US with NBCs Unsolved Mysteries in 1987 (Dovey, 2000: 81). While Bradley D. Clissold considered that during the years that it aired, Candid Camera (US, 1948- ), arguably the first Reality TV programme, proved itself to be one of US TVs most memorable, enduring and popular shows (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 33). There is a consensus that the earliest reality programme came out in America. In addition to these mentioned above, other commentators like Richard Kilborn, Chad Raphael and Gareth Palmer all agreed with this conclusion (Kilborn, 2003: 55; Palmer, 2003: 21). In the commercial environment in America, technologies like cable, satellite and digital prospered reality programmes in television market. However, reality TV as a television genre has evolved into a very strong Eurpoean form with regional variations in each country (Dovey). In mid-1980s, when surveillance technology such as CCTV (closed-circuit television) became accessible, Britain produced its own reality programmes, which revealed real accidents, crimes and emergencies. By using CCTV footage, these reality programmes departed from traditional documentary and were quickly accepted by the curious audience because of their witness techniques. They were real shows without actors and noted for low-cost which was attractive to most programme-makers. Among these early reality programmes, Crimewatch (BBC, 1984- ) was most influential. Jon Dovey said it has been seen as central to the development of the form, particularly in respect of debates around criminology and the media (Creeber, 2001: 135). Deborah Jermyn, who is experienced in studying television crime appeal, commented on Crimewatch: Promoting the growth of crime-appeal programming in Britain with a format where serious unsolved crimes are reconstructed, police and victims families interviewed, images of suspects publicized and the public encouraged to phone in and volunteer information by this time the series had comfortably established itself as Britains foremost crime-appeal programme. (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 71) The effectiveness of Crimewatch as a detergent to crimes has been under much debate. It entertained the audience, but it was weak as a warning to the criminals. As Jermyn commented: indeed some criminals have claimed that the poor-quality CCTV footage they witnessed on Crimewatch actually gave them an incentive to commit crime (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 82). The use of CCTV conspicuously enhances the programmes claims to authenticity and underlines its sense of a privileged relationship with real crime and actuality, qualities which programme-makers evidently believe to be ratings winners (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 83). In this case it is exciting for the audience to see the raw footage without caring much about its effect of crime appeal. These early reality programmes about crime appeal, accidents and emergencies formed a new documentary format, which was the precedent of a new genre-reality TV. Later popular factual entertainment programmes are based on these elements to innovate. Their effect is remarkable in a long term. Fly-Off-the-Wall: Video Diaries Known as Access TV The 1990s was a golden era for the prevalence of reality TV. Jon Dovey points out: it seems that ordinary people, non-professional broadcasters, have never been more present on our screens (Dowmunt, 1993: 163). Camera is no longer simply fly-on-the-wall to observe and record, but closes to the object to become active fly-off-the-wall. For a long time, access TV, as new reality television, has been in a great demand. According to Jon Dovey, there are some fundamental principles that identify access programming; they centre around control and power over the programme-making process, especially the authors should have control over the whole process of representation (Dowmunt, 1993: 165). Camcorder and video technology opened up expansive space for access TV. Non-professional broadcasters became a leading role in making these programmes. As Patricia Holland commented on this innovative style: The video diary style, in which programmes are made with domestic video equipment by members of the public rather than by television professionals, has introduced a new way of making programmes. Low-tech, with a less polished appearance, they seem to bring the audience even closer to the realities they show. (Holland, 1997: 158) Video Diaries, produced by the BBC Community Programme Unit from 1990-1999, was a representative of access TV. From these series of programmes, Jon Dovey noted: the Unit solicits and researches ideas from potential diarists with a compelling story to tell. Once chosen, the diarist is trained in the use of an S-VHS camera and packed off to shoot their story, with support from the Unit should it be needed. In this way the diarists are given not only editorial control but also control over the means of production. They return with anything up to 200 hours of material and attend all the edit sessions, from an initial assembly which is viewed and discussed at length to the offline and online edit processes. (Dowmunt, 1993: 167) The format of Video Diaries is a development of documentary. Gareth Palmer has explained that it imported the authorizing and legitimizing discourse of documentary into the personal, and in doing so it imported also documentarys ordering principle into individual lives (Palmer, 2003:168). It was popular to the audience and also gained acclaim from the critics because of its flexibility in recording reality. Nevertheless there were debates that the producers had already controlled the programme by selecting the diarists, and there were also problems of quality and legality. New Observational Documentary: Emergence of Docusoap Docusoap is one form of the new observational documentary and one sub-genre of reality TV. It is a hybrid of documentary and soap-opera. It improves from serious documentary to emphasize on entertainment, especially everyday lives. Developed in the UK in the mid-1990s, the docusoap enjoyed unprecedented success for roughly a four-year period (1996-2000) (Kilborn, 2003: 87). Docusoap combines documentary and drama. There are elements of narration, interviews and background music, and similar sequences as soap-opera. Each episode has a certain title and focuses on character, personalities, plot or situation. Technological advances promote the development of new observational documentary. New technologies like lightweight cameras, portable sound equipment and non-linear editing system accelerate editing process with better quality and effect. Besides, financial benefits also attract producers to choose new technologies. As Paul Hamann has commented, docusoaps already cost on average only a third of the price of the equivalent in light entertainment or sitcoms (Bruzzi, 2000: 77). The entertainment factor of docusoap makes it popular with audience. Driving School peaked at 12.45 million viewers (Bruzzi, 2000: 86). It focused on the trials and tribulations of people preparing for their driving test (Kilborn, 2003: 96). Compared to the core character of reality TV, docusoap is blamed to be less factual with aesthetic reconstruction. According to Bruzzi: The sequence most frequently cited is that in which Maureen Rees, on the eve of another attempt at her theory exam, wakes in the middle of the night and asks her husband Dave to test her on the Highway Code. The sequence is a reconstruction, and Jeremy Gibson (head of BBC Television Features, Bristol) and others have gone on record exonerating themselves from blame, commenting that, having gleaned that Maureen did get up at night ghrough panic, it was perfectly legitimate to recreate such a sequence without the film crew having to camp out in her bedroom for an entire night. (Bruzzi, 2000: 87) The producers intervention revealed obvious dramatic skills, which aimed at telling a complete story. In any case, under these circumstances one can never expect a totally natural performance from the character with the presence of camera. These factors make docusoap not so real, but the audience appreciate it for the entertainment value and these factors do not affect their enjoyment. However, by the end of 1990s, this new documentary format had gradually lost its popularity. Critics and executives of TV channels began to complain the similar content with in the same format between series. It was also blamed as a challenge of serious documentary. Then new factual programmes emerged and replaced docusoap in TV schedules. Docusoap is remembered as a creative hybrid of documentary and fiction with high ratings in the history of reality TV. Serve the Public: Prevalence of Lifestyle Lifestyle is another sub-genre of reality TV, of which BBC has been one of the biggest providers (Gareth Palmer; Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 173). It originated in the 1990s and is still popular today. It occupies a large part of TV schedule, shown usually in the daytime and prime time. There is a series of choices in dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cor (House Invaders [Bazal for BBC1, 1999-2002], Changing Rooms [Bazal for BBC1, 1996- ]), clothes (What Not To Wear [BBC2, 1999- ]) and manner (Would Love To Meet [WLTM, BBC2, 2001-3]) (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 174). People now have strong sense that they are citizens and consumers. They are eager to improve their lives. Many are glad to show their private life in front of camera. For habitus, Gareth Palmer commented: Britain is a nation of homeowners clutching close the belief that the home represents a sort of castle. Hence, it makes sense to produce programmes aimed at the house-proud (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 179). For fashion, according to Palmer, in looking at fashion programming we come closer to seeing how the individual should ideally be styled according to the new class of experts (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 181). There is a debate as to whether fashion shows need be bitchy. Palmer has an interesting opinion: fashion without bitchery, like academia without snobbery, is inconceivable (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 184). Bitchery makes fashion programming as amusement. It does happen frequently in our life, which is a factual element of lifestyle. Lifestyle programming is an innovation that television is not only observing peoples life, but also changing peoples way of life. It serves the audience by giving instructions, which is the nature of European television, compared to marketing the audience of American commercial television (Ang, 1991). Lifestyle is a good illustration how culture affects social life. New Interactive Reality Show: World Success of Big Brother Endemols jewel in the crown, Big Brother was thirty months in development and was the brainchild of co-principal, John de Mol. First broadcast on Veronica in 1999 and an immense ratings success, the programme has been adapted in over eighteen territories in Western Europe, the UK, the US and elsewhere. (Albert Moran, the Global Television Format Trade; Hilmes, 2003: 120) Big Brother, a new reality programme is based on established genres such as game show, quiz show, documentary and soap opera. It is a social experiment, in which we witness the reaction of the participants to their new environment and changing circumstances are often beyond their control. With the feature of game show, Big Brother sets its game rules as: The programme involved ten housemates interned together over a ten-week period in a specially designed hermetically sealed environment. The housemates were supplied with food and drink and had access to all amenities, but were isolated from all contact with the media and the outside world; there were no television sets, radios, newspapers. Every week each housemate had to nominate for eviction two fellow-contestants; the two with the highest number of nominations would then be subject to public voting. It was the role of the public to select, by telephone vote, which of the two was to survive. By the final week there would be only two housemates remaining the winner was decided by the public, and took away a cheque for à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½70,000. (Palmer, 2003: 182) From the above description, it is obvious that this programme innovatively uses interactive voting. The audiences have opportunities to join the programme and play a crucial role in deciding the result. In early 1990s, Mike Wayne criticized programmes at that time: broadcasters and programme makers have paid relatively little attention to the way in which people watch television. They have been concerned with how many people see a programme, rather than the way audiences interact with the images on the screen: what they absorb, what they challenge and what they discard (Hood, 1994: 43). It seems that Big Brother answers all these criticisms. Compared to the audience, the participants are powerless to control the programme. They are observed at all times and their lives are exposed to the public. Weve been looking at the housemates through the eyes of thirty-one unforgiving cameras we have seen them at their best and also at their worst (Ritchie, 2001: 279). What they need is just to relax and enjoy their time. For all of them, without exception, it has been an amazing experience. They have learned a great deal about themselves, and the rest of us have learned not just lots about them, but also about human nature in general (Ritchie, 2001: 279). However, all the participants are under much pressure exposing their lives to millions of audience. There is probably some negative effect on the psychology of most participants. Gareth Palmer calls the programme a psychological experiment. Programme experience is not always as wonderful as Ritchies comment in the above paragraph. In Sweden there was a suicide of a participant on a similar programme (Palmer, 2003: 185). So in Big Brother a team of mental health professionals will oversee both the selection process and the psychological well being of the participants while they are in the house (Palmer, 2003: 185). Big Brother creates a small society for the housemates away from the outside world. There are conflicts and also friendship. The participants are competitors and also partners. As the audience watch the trivia of their daily routine, the voiceover commentary helps them understand the situations. Big Brother, a hybrid of different forms with popular interactive elements, is a new format of reality TV. It is leading a new trend of reality programming. Many independent television production companies are professional and experienced in making these new reality shows. Channel 4 and ITV, such non-mainstream commercial channels have shown many this kind of reality programmes. The audience are looking forward to more innovation of reality TV. BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, R. C. and Hill, A. (2004) the Television Studies Reader, London: Routledge Ang, I. (1991) Desperately Seeking the Audience, London: Roughtledge Bruzzi, S. (2000) New Documentary: A Critical Introduction, London: Routledge Creeber, G., Miller, T. and Tulloch, J. (2001) the Television Genre Book, London: British Film Institute Dovey, J. (2000) Freakshow: First Person Media and Factual Television, London: Pluto Press Dowmunt, T. (1993) Channels of Resistance: Global Television and Local Empowerment, London: British Film Institute Gunter, B. and Svennevig, M. (1987) Behind and in Front of the Screen: Televisions Involvement with Family Life, London: John Libbey Hilmes, M. (2003) the Television History Book, London: British Film Institute Holland, P. (1997) the Television Handbook, London: Routledge Holmes, S. and Jermyn, D. (2004) Understanding Reality Television, London: Routledge Hood, S. (1994) Behind the Screens: the Structure of British Television in the Nineties, London: Lawrence Wishart Limited Kilborn, R. (2003) Staging the Real: Factual TV Programming in the Age of Big Brother, Manchester: Manchester University Press Ishikawa, S. (1996) Quality Assessment of Television, Luton: John Libbey Media Livingstone, S. and Lunt, P. (1994) Talk on Television: Audience Participation and Public Debate, London: Routledge Macdonald, K. and Cousins, M (1996) Imagining Reality: the Faber Book of Documentary, London: Faber and Faber Limited Palmer, G. (2003) Discipline and Liberty: Television and Governance, Manchester: Manchester University Press Ritchie, J. (2001) Big Brother 2: the Official Unseen Story, London: Channel 4 Books Swallow, N. (1966) Factual Television, London: Focal Press Limited Winston, B. (1995) Claiming the Real: the Documentary Film Revisited, London: British Film Institute

Society and Physical Appearance

Society and Physical Appearance Nowadays people feel a responsibility to fit into todays society. People want to look as better as possible due to the outside influences one has. In the online article written by Jane Shure readers are able to realize how the surroundings have a great effect on choices that we make. This article points out three major categories on which tries to explain in more detail the troubles with body images. Readers are able to see how cultural background plays an important role on peoples body image. Couple of factors that influences notoriously on todays society is the media and advertising companies. These two change peoples perspectives in having an idea on what we should look like, being that just of myth that is not a reality. Many people tend to follow this ideal look due to the reason that media is exposing visual and audio messages every day, which is unrealistic. Some may even get to the point of having health issues becoming bulimic or anorexic due to the reason that they want to fit into those role models that the media exposes. Readers are also able to see that peers and family could affect positively or negatively in the way one feels. Most of the time peoples body image is negatively affected due to the fact the parents neglect to provide confidence for child wasnt sufficient enough for them to feel positive themselves and create that confidence on how they look and how they think people look at them. Peers also play an important role on peoples body imagines. As a one is growing up, peers tend to criticize by the outside appearance because of you physical appearance. For example, kids tend to be shorter, fatter, and skinnier than others are. Due to the many studies that have been done from a psychological perspective, body image could be explained through the social cultural perspective. Sociocultural perspective refers to behavior one follows due to the surroundings the individual has from how they act and how they look at things from their point view. This varies because we all come from different background and we each have different beliefs that make us act different from one another depending the situation we are in. One can clearly see how this sociocultural perspective strongly relates to the article written by Jane Shure in that it explains the influences that affects ones behavior. An example would be that body image is greatly influenced by family and peers (Shure, 2009). This is important because through this readers can realize that growing up as a child family and peers have a great influence in the way we act and behave to others. This is an example of sociocultual perspective because family and peers are an outside influencers that due to the interaction that people have day by day, they influence greatly in the choices and ideas one has (Wade, 2008). Another example of the article that relates the sociocultural perspective is the way media influences society in what they should look like. An example would be how the fashion industry does a great job in influencing what we should buy in order to fit in (Sadaba, 1997). This is important because through this one can see how the media manipulates ones actions and preferences as to what we should and should not like. According to the sociocultural perspective this example relates strongly to this perspective in that people dont chose what they really want, they rather follow the crowd by listening to what society is advising them to acquire (Wade 2008). Lastly, another example that could help us understand better, how the sociocultural perspective relates to the article would be the challenge individuals could face in changing the idea of what our body should look like. Because our surroundings have great influences in how we see and look at ourselves, it is very difficult in changing the idea that media, family, and peers have influence us in believing what the ideal image should be (Sadaba, 1997). This is essential in that because one has been influenced since childhood; it would be difficult to change the way you see yourself and others. Through this one can see the sociocultural perspective in that the cause of how we fell physically living in our body is due to the fact that the body image that has been established through our surroundings (Wade, 2008). In conclusion, studying the issue on physical appearance from a sociocultural perspective would help in solving this problem in helping individuals look at themselves more positively. On example in how studying this issue from this perspective would help others would be in that they can realize that they do not have to follow the unrealistic model ideal look that they media portraits that we should look like. This would help in changing the individuals body image that one should look like in loving themselves and loving other how they are and not judge them by their physical appearance. Another example that studying this issue from this perspective can help in solving this problem would be that one should surround ourselves with family and peers that can positively can help us in increasing our confidence. This would be very important because individuals would surround themselves by people who would love and not judge them by their physical appearance. References Sadaba, Stanley W. Applied Social Psychology. (1997). New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Shure, Jane, PHD (2009). How Body Image Impacts Self-Esteem. Submitted on Feb. 19, 2009 from http://www.selfgrowth.com Wade, C. Tavris, C. (2008). Invitation to Psychology (4th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

Study Of Symptom Management Strategies For Palliative Care Nursing Essay

Study Of Symptom Management Strategies For Palliative Care Nursing Essay This essay revolves around Claire, her symptoms, her ability to cope as well as her husband Andrew. More precisely, it will focus on strategies which can be employed for symptom management. Central to any form of management strategy for Claire is a holistic assessment of her circumstances followed by planning, implementation and evaluation. This can often be accomplished by with the assistance of an assessment model which are all, to a large extent, broadly based on this plan, but each can analyse the problem from a different perspective. (Fawcett J 2005) If one first considers the situation under the aegis of the Roper Logan Tierney model (Roper, Logan Tierney 2000), this model analyses the major issues of patient management in terms of solving the patients difficulties in adapting to and coping with daily living, particularly if such coping is affected by either a physical disability or a disease process. In terms of those with malignant disease, this is clearly one of their major issues. Even a brief overview of the literature demonstrates that this model is extensively utilised and is possibly one of the most widely accepted models of patient management (Holland, Jenkins, Solomon Whittam 2003). One of the major weakness of this model can be seen in the fact that it is not particularly effective in producing management strategies that can be effective in dealing with patients who are frankly manipulative or are presenting with symptoms that are overtly psychological in nature. Whilst there is no suggestion that Claire is overtly manipulative, Johnson points to the fact that the management of psychological issues in palliative care is every bit as central to a successful outcome, as dealing with ostensibly more obvious symptom features such as pain control (Johnson 1999.) Management of such patients can be better if the healthcare professional views such functional behaviour as a adaption process to the illness role as described by the Roy adaption model. (Roy 1991) which seeks to describe patient behaviour in terms of the ability of the patient to adapt to whatever stimulus is generating the behaviour. In the case of the patient with malignant disease, knowledge of a terminal diagnosis is a potent stimulus for behaviour change. Utilisation of this model allows for the nursing management decisions to respond to the evolving trajectory of the illness. This model can prove useful insofar as it determines why the patient tends to exhibit different behaviour patterns or coping strategies in response to their illness trajectory but it is of no real value in circumstances where a patient enters a period of overt denial of their terminal situation. To use Claire as a case in point, it would appear that she is presenting her symptoms individually rather than as part of a spectrum associated with the primary pathophysiological cause. It is not uncommon, in such circumstances, for a person to present with an illness that is obviously terminal, but who insists on trying to continue their daily life pattern as if there was no immediate problem. To a degree, her expression of surprise at the fact that people have come out of the woodwork to visit her is an demonstration of this fact. In contrast to the other two models discussed, the adaption model would describe this as a variety of cognitive distortion rather than overt denial. Clearly the patient cannot adapt to something that they are choosing not to overtly confront. (Steiger Lipson 2005) Claire appears to be somewhere between these two eventualities. Obviously she is aware of her diagnosis, but is expressing surprise that people would suddenly want to visit her. The Johnsons behavioural model would probably be the most appropriate for this scenario as Claires behaviour pattern will almost certainly change as her symptomatology progresses. It follows that one has to take a view on the specific causation of the symptoms before one can take a rational view of the evidence base supporting any management strategies. Prior to the active consideration of the management of the symptoms, in the context of the behavioural model of patient management, one must comment on the huge spectrum of skills and requirements that are currently expected of the modern professional nurse. Yura et al. state, in their authoritative overview paper, that to be functional and effective the nurse must understand the human condition from the viewpoint of the pathophysiology, the psychology, the human dynamic and socio-economic elements of the patients presentation and disease trajectory . (Yura Walsh 2008). In Claires case, this is particularly appropriate. In terms of exploring the evidence base for symptom control. If one uses a biomedical symptom model, then the only significant symptoms are increasing breathlessness, cough and fatigue. There is also an element of insomnia which leads to tiredness during the day. Other, harder to define symptoms, which nevertheless stem from the underlying pathophysiology, but are not generally described in biomedical terms, include her feeling of lack of control of her life, and, by inference there is the issue of her increasing dependence on her husband, Andrew. If one considers the evidence base for symptomatic treatment, one should ideally first consider the four primary dimensions of palliative care as outlined by Cicely Saunders as they are particularly relevant to Claire, namely the physical, social, spiritual and psychological dimensions. (Saunders Regnard 1989). It follows that, although this essay will primarily consider symptomatic treatment of breathlessness, it must be understood that this should be delivered within the context of the holistic assessment of the patient discussed in the early paragraphs of this essay. In the words of Valente et al., The patient, whole and entire, has relatives, friends, beliefs and previous experiences all of which must be integrated into management strategy. (Valente Saunders 2010 Pg 25) Breathlessness, as a specific symptom, is the result of a complex interaction between the physical body and the conscious mind. It is the most commonly reported symptom found in association with lung cancer and one of the most potentially distressing. (Knower, Dunagan, Adair Chin 2007). Breathlessness, unlike the pain commonly associated with malignancies, is difficult to treat with any degree of success. The huge evidence level IIb Higginson trial of lung cancer patients clearly demonstrated that the prevalence of breathlessness rose as death approached and that treatment became progressively more ineffective (Higginson McCarthy 2008). In another large prospective evidence level IIb study by Edmonds et al. it was found that although clinicians and patients both tend to associate lung cancer primarily with pain, breathlessness has a similar incidence to the extent that 85% patients with lung cancer experienced pain and 78% had significant breathlessness in the last year of their li fe. (Edmonds, Karlsen, Khan Addington-Hall 2007) Treatment of breathlessness is particularly problematic. According to Knower et al. this is because the symptomatology is both varied and multifactorial. It is not simply a matter of too little tidal volume in the lungs, it is a multisystem disorder with many possible subtle neurohormonal abnormalities and interactions in skeletal and respiratory muscle structure and function. In addition, the experience is extremely subjective with the feeling of breathlessness being modified by not only previous experience of the symptom but also by pathways from a number of different areas within the central nervous system. Dorman et al. classify malignancy-associated breathlessness into four groups by their different causative mechanisms. An increase in the sense of respiratory drive or effort to overcome an imposed load (e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD) An increase in the proportion of available respiratory muscle force required for breathing, observed in neuromuscular weakness in which respiratory motor output and the sense of effort increase (e.g. paraneoplastic syndromes) An increase in the patients ventilatory requirements (e.g. anaemia, hypoxaemia) The contribution of higher cortical experience to the sensation. Memory and previous experience as well as fear and anxiety will all modify the sensation of breathlessness. (Dorman, Jolley, Abernethy, Currow et al. 2009) The evidence base for treatment shows that one effective mechanism is to treatment any underlying additive cause, such as anaemia, hypoxia or bronchospasm. (Hatley, Laurence, Scott Thomas 2008) If one considers the physical elements first, a common factor in the experience of breathlessness in all these circumstances is anxiety. One common effective strategy to reduce the subjective sensation is for the patient to learn relaxation and calm breathing techniques and then to consciously use them whenever they feel anxious and breathless. Oxygen therapy is frequently useful in relieving the symptoms of breathlessness and the presence of a nasal catheter or mask is often reassuring for the patient. The main evidence base for symptomatic control however, comes from the use of the opioid and benzodiazepine group of medications. Opiates have by far the strongest evidence base with the evidence level Ib paper by Pharo et al. clearly demonstrating the reduction of both subjective and objective measurements of breathlessness in patients with lung cancer. (Pharo Zhou 2005). The authors point out that the side effects of opiates, as a class, must be carefully weighed against their probable clinical benefits. Careful examination of the evidence base supporting benzodiazepine use shows that it is less secure. Some authors (viz. Wotton 2004) reporting that they have reduced the sensation of dyspnoea in patients, the majority of randomised controlled trials (viz. Maher, Selecky, Harrod Benditt 2010,) have not been able to demonstrate any convincing benefit whilst showing significant side effects. They are also known to decrease respiratory drive and compromise lung function, worsening exercise tolerance. ( Franco-Bronson 2006). On balance, the evidence base does not support the use of the benzodiazepine group for t he relief of breathlessness in malignant disease. Anxiety and depression, both common associations of malignant disease, are commonly associated with increased perceptions of breathlessness. There is a substantial evidence base to show that aggressive treatment of both can produce significant improvement in subjective assessments of the symptom. Treatment of these conditions are complex and specialised and therefore will not be considered in detail. Kunik et al. have demonstrated in an evidence level IIa study that both anxiolytics (buspirone ) and psychological relaxation techniques are capable of producing significant decreases in levels of both anxiety and dyspnoea, as well as improved exercise tolerance among breathless patients. (Kunik, Azzam, Souchek, Cully, Wray, Krishnan, et al. 2007) In the interests of providing a comprehensive and balanced argument, note should be taken of the recent evidence level IIa paper by Lewith et al. which noted the positive, but not statistically significant effect of acupuncture on patients suffering from breathlessness. It should also be noted that these were patients with breathlessness as an all-cause symptom rather than specifically from malignant disease. (Lewith, Prescott Davis 2006) The evidence base relating to treatment of cough, a common symptom in lung cancer. It is generally taken to indicate involvement of the airways rather than the lung parenchyma, primarily because of the location of cough receptors. Kvale published a particularly helpful Medline review in 2008 which explored the evidence base for treatment options. (Kvale 2008). The paper itself is both extensive and comprehensive. Confining the discussion to the relevant portions of the paper shows that both surgery and radiotherapy (where appropriate) are both effective in reducing troublesome cough symptoms. A patient undergoing chemotherapy is less likely to have their cough symptoms reduced. There is a substantial evidence base to support the view that the use of inhaled bronchodilators and corticosteroids can be useful, but not in all cases. Specific antitussive centrally acting drugs that have been subjected to randomised controlled trials include codeine, hydrocodone, and dextromethorphan. Each of these has a strong supporting evidence base and minimum side effects. Dihydrocodeine has been specifically noted as having the dual purpose of both pain relief and cough suppression. (Homsi, Walsh, Nelson 2001). The opiate group in general, in addition to relieving pain and breathlessness are also strongly active in cough suppression. The authors make the point that many trials have noted the cough suppression effect of placebos in randomised controlled trials. This has not only the effect of adding an element of bias into the results, but also offers a line in management of cough in resistant cases. Fatigue is a common symptom associated with malignancies and certainly with lung cancer. This latter association is postulated to be related to the levels of chronic hypoxia in the later stages of the disease. (Higginson, McCarthy 2008) The Dagnelie et al. study is particularly useful in this respect as it considered the effect of fatigue on the quality of life of patients with lung cancer and found that it has clear statistical associations with the stage of the disease process, the degree of support that the patient has and also the mental state of the patient. (Dagnelie, Pijls-Johannesn, Lambin Beijer 2007). They found that those patients who had good support networks, and who were not depressed and who were able to maintain a good level of physical activity were the ones who were least likely to report significant levels of fatigue. A substantive literature search has failed to reveal any good quality trials which support these findings from a therapeutic perspective but intuitively, one might suggest that including the maintenance of a support network and direct assessment for depressive symptoms into a holistic management plan is likely to reduce levels of fatigue experienced by the patient. In passing, one can consider the very recent Breitbart study which looked at the use of psycho stimulants in cases of malignancy-related fatigue and found promising results from Modafinil, which is a new category of psychostimulant commonly referred to as wakefulness-promoting agent in the literature. It appears to be well tolerated and with few side effects. The results are too new to have yet been replicated with a larger randomised controlled trial and the authors also point to a large possible placebo effect in their trial. In these circumstances, the evidence base should perhaps be considered unproven until further evidence emerges. (Breitbart Alici 2010) The case study makes reference to passing reference to Andrew, Claires spouse, who retired two years ago and is clearly the main carer in this scenario. He does the shopping, cooking and various other domestic duties for Clare. Although we are told that this makes him feel useful the experienced and empathetic healthcare professional should be aware that the levels of occult depression in cancer-afflicted patients spouses is extremely high. (Kim, Duberstein, Sorensen Larson 2005) It has commonly been found to be the case that as the focus of care and intervention is generally targeted towards the patient, the carers, and particularly the spouses, do not have their needs either explored, considered or addressed. (Braun, Mikulincer, Rydall, Walsh Rodin 2007) It is part of the holistic assessment of the patients situation that the carers should be actively considered and managed as actively as the patient. This has the direct effect not only of trying to optimise the overall levels of care for the patient, but also promoting the spoken exchange of information, thoughts and feelings which are very likely not to be addressed of recognised, if not explicitly facilitated. (Kim, Schulz Carver 2007) The evidence base for these interventions is not strong. There is a considerable evidence base, from a large number of qualitative studies, which underlines the fact that spouses and carers, if supported, can improve the quality of life for the patient. It also appears to be the case that spiritual well being of the patient is improved if spouses and carers are encouraged and facilitated to talk about the situation, especially impending death, which is often regarded as a taboo subject in a household with a patient with a malignancy. Qualitative studies certainly strengthen the evidence base, but, in terms of guidelines and management strategies, they are generally not seen as being as robust as quantitative studies. (Gomm Davies 2008) In conclusion, the evidence base to devise a management strategy for Claire is dependent primarily on the mechanisms used to define her symptom base as well as her circumstances. It appears likely that Claire is adapting to her illness trajectory with a minimum of cognitive distortion, and is taking a rather fatalistic view of her situation. Management should clearly be primarily supportive, both of her and her spouse. The evidence base for symptom control is fairly strong. Pain is not a feature at the moment. Breathlessness could be tackled, initially by the instigation of anxiety-relieving behaviours and possibly by small doses of opiods. Cough can be helped by the use of dihydrocodeine if it is troublesome and fatigue needs careful evaluation to determine whether there is any depressive or psychological factors which are either primary of additive to the symptomatology. Claire may also need to be given permission to rest during the day and be told to pace herself with physical activity so that her fatigue is not such a problem for her. Healthcare professionals need to consider their interventions with the family very carefully. Claire perceives that they come out of the woodwork, which suggests that they are an unwelcome reminder of the fact that they are only there because she has a serious and ultimately terminal illness. Claire may need to be encouraged to talk and expand on this issue as the family may find it difficult if they are not welcomed, and Claire may need to be helped to confront the reality of her situation more directly. Andrew must not be overlooked when constructing a management strategy for this situation. It is a common finding for healthcare professionals to perceive that the spouse is being strong, but this may be a faà §ade for their partner. It is a useful strategy for the healthcare professional to make time to talk to Andrew on his own so that he can have the opportunity to raise issues that he may be unclear about. It may be that he does not know what to expect and is uncertain of the best way of handling the situation. Although possibly premature at the moment, part of the management plan should be to discuss how Andrew is going to approach a worsening situation. An essay such as this can only realistically consider the situation from a general approach. It is clearly the case that every strategy and intervention should be considered on the basis of a holstic assessment of the individual and the management tailored directly to the specific circumstances of the individual. Appendix I Classification of evidence levels Ia Evidence obtained from meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Ib Evidence obtained from at least one randomised controlled trial. IIa Evidence obtained from at least one well-designed controlled study without randomisation. IIb Evidence obtained from at least one other type of well-designed quasi-experimental study. III Evidence obtained from well-designed non-experimental descriptive studies, such as comparative studies, correlation studies and case studies. IV Evidence obtained from expert committee reports or opinions and/or clinical experience of respected authorities. (SIGN 2001) Appendix II Case Details Clares general practitioner has just referred her to the community palliative care service. Clare is a 65 year old woman, with lung cancer, an eventually fatal condition. She lives with her husband Andrew in their family home. Her two grown children are married and live interstate. Clare suffers from breathlessness, cough and fatigue. She gets distressed by her inability to catch her breath. Sometimes she has trouble sleeping at night and is frequently sleepy during the day. Clare says she doesnt have many strategies to help her manage her symptoms. She views her illness as a challenge as it impacts on what she can do and she doesnt feel in control of her life. Clare tells you that personal relationships are more meaningful for her now and she misses seeing her children, even though she keeps in frequent phone contact. She is surprised by the number of people who have come out of the woodwork and have come to visit her at home. Andrew retired two years ago so is able to do the shopping, cooking and other domestic duties for him and Clare. He says this makes him feel useful and its easier for him to do things than to talk about things. Andrew asks you if there is anything more he can do to help Clare.

Supervisor :: essays research papers

Maslow ¡Ã‚ ¯s hierarchy of needs theory Abraham Maslow is known for establishing the theory of a hierarchy of needs, writing that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be satisfied. According to Maslow, there are general types of needs (physiological, safety, love, and esteem) that must be satisfied before a person can act unselfishly. He called these needs "deficiency needs." As long as we are motivated to satisfy these cravings, we are moving towards growth, toward self-actualization. Satisfying needs is healthy, blocking gratification makes us sick or evil. In other words, we are all "needs junkies" with cravings that must be satisfied and should be satisfied. Else, we become sick. A figure of Maslow ¡Ã‚ ¯s hirerarchy of needs model has shown as follows: Æ’8 ¡5 Physiological Needs Physiological needs are the very basic needs such as air, water, food, sleep, sex, etc. When these are not satisfied we may feel sickness, irritation, pain, discomfort, etc. These feelings motivate us to alleviate them as soon as possible to establish homeostasis. Once they are alleviated, we may think about other things. Æ’8 ¡5 Safety Needs Safety needs have to do with establishing stability and consistency in a chaotic world. These needs are mostly psychological in nature. We need the security of a home and family. However, if a family is dysfunction, i.e., an abusive husband, the wife cannot move to the next level because she is constantly concerned for her safety. Love and belongingness have to wait until she is no longer cringing in fear. Many in our society cry out for law and order because they do not feel safe enough to go for a walk in their neighborhood. Many people, particularly those in the inner cities, unfortunately, are stuck at this level. In addition, safety needs sometimes motivate people to be religious. Religions comfort us with the promise of a safe secure place after we die and leave the insecurity of this world. Æ’8 ¡5 Love Needs Love and belongingness are next on the ladder. Humans have a desire to belong to groups: clubs, work groups, religious groups, family, gangs, etc. We need to feel loved (non-sexual) by others, to be accepted by others. Performers appreciate applause. We need to be needed. Beer commercials, in addition to playing on sex, also often show how beer makes for camaraderie. When was the last time you saw a beer commercial with someone drinking beer alone?

Case Study Of Carnival Corporation :: Business Marketing management Essays

Case Study Of Carnival Corporation The history of the Carnival Corporation begins in 1972, when Ted Arison set up Carnival Cruise Lines as a subsidiary of the American International Travel Service. The first ship ran aground, but Arison remained steadfast in achieving his vision of a cruise line offering affordable vacation packages to middle-income consumers. By 1977, Carnival had three ships, and ten years later, as the industry leader, the company went public. In the early 1990s, Carnival began to diversify into land-based entertainment, thus changing its name to Carnival Corp. The company is the world's #1 cruise operator with about a third of the market. Carnival Corporation is comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines; the world's largest cruise line based on passengers carried, Holland America Line, Windstar Cruises and Seabourn Cruise Line. It owns 25 cruise ships serving customers worldwide and has 6 new ships under construction. It basically has three market segments: Contemporary, Premium and Luxury. Carnival also operates 14 hotels in Alaska and Canada and runs Holland America Westours, which markets sightseeing tours. Carnival has a 29.5% stake in Airtours, one of the UK's largest tour operators, and is bidding for control of cruise line NCL. CEO Micky Arison and family control Carnival. Carnival was able to increase profits through the acquisition of Holland America Line in 1988 and consequently Carnival expanded its cruise lines to a broader market, however Carnival experienced a loss of $135 million from disposal of the Crystal Palace Resort & Casino in 1991. The company’s current strategy is to attract more repeat cruisers and new cruisers of different segments by offering different types of packages. Such differences include choice of shorter or longer cruises, a low to moderate price for affordable cruises for middle class, and longer luxury cruises for affluent classes. As part of the company’s plan, Carnival is "going global" through a joint venture with Hyundai Merchant Marine to the Asia market. Strengths Carnival’s strategy focused on the "Fun Ship" concept, beginning with the Mardi Gras, which targeted people of all ages. In recent years the driving force behind why a person needs to take a vacation has changed. Today vacationers look to get away from everyday stress, and opt for a stress-relieving cruise. Carnival is considered the cruise industry’s leader, and in the past few years, Carnival has increased its market share through acquisition and joint venture. In 1988, Carnival acquired Holland America Line to expand its market share in Alaska, Mediterranean, and South Pacific.

management :: essays research papers

Introduction: The report is about Teenstuff Magazine. The magazine was established 9years ago in Egypt by Manal El Mahdy to target teenagers in high school and university. Later on the magazine became more tailored to the high school youth. The purpose of the report is to analyze the management of this organization through review of it’s external and internal environment, mission statement and SWOT analysis. Interviews were carried out with the assistant marketing manager Sandra Adel and the distribution manager Yasser Hashem. Aside from the print magazine there is an online one and another Arabic magazine â€Å"Kelmetna†. II-Body: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  External environment: a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  General: From the general environment in the external environment the economic and political dimension are considered to be the most two influential dimensions on the organization. The economic dimension affects a lot of decision in the organization including day to day business especially that the economy in Egypt is unstable. For example when the Egyptian pound was floated and the price of the dollar increased the costs of printing in the magazine increased and the price had to be increased like wise which had a huge effect on the overall organization and customers. Secondly, the effect of political dimension is manifested in the censorship practiced. When, the country is in state of chaos and instability censorship increases. The international dimension doesn’t have a very influential effect because the magazine’s market is mainly Egypt and the online version that aims to target Arabs outside Egypt is new too. There is no worry from the socio-cultural dimension since the maga zine whether content or appearance is highly adaptable to changes in the society. As for the technological dimension, the magazine benefits hugely of course from new developments as long as, its costs is reasonable and affordable by the magazine. For example the editors and designers use Apple computers and special programs for the layout and design of the magazine. b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Task : The magazine is considered a category leader since it’s the first English youth targeting magazine in Egypt and till this moment there is no real direct competition. There is an indirect competition from other magazines such as campus and g-mag. There is only one supplier with whom the magazine deals with; SAHARA printing press. The magazine has a certain quality which only 2 printing press houses in Egypt can achieve, they left IBH because of problems that has to do with the paper binding and deadlines. management :: essays research papers Introduction: The report is about Teenstuff Magazine. The magazine was established 9years ago in Egypt by Manal El Mahdy to target teenagers in high school and university. Later on the magazine became more tailored to the high school youth. The purpose of the report is to analyze the management of this organization through review of it’s external and internal environment, mission statement and SWOT analysis. Interviews were carried out with the assistant marketing manager Sandra Adel and the distribution manager Yasser Hashem. Aside from the print magazine there is an online one and another Arabic magazine â€Å"Kelmetna†. II-Body: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  External environment: a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  General: From the general environment in the external environment the economic and political dimension are considered to be the most two influential dimensions on the organization. The economic dimension affects a lot of decision in the organization including day to day business especially that the economy in Egypt is unstable. For example when the Egyptian pound was floated and the price of the dollar increased the costs of printing in the magazine increased and the price had to be increased like wise which had a huge effect on the overall organization and customers. Secondly, the effect of political dimension is manifested in the censorship practiced. When, the country is in state of chaos and instability censorship increases. The international dimension doesn’t have a very influential effect because the magazine’s market is mainly Egypt and the online version that aims to target Arabs outside Egypt is new too. There is no worry from the socio-cultural dimension since the maga zine whether content or appearance is highly adaptable to changes in the society. As for the technological dimension, the magazine benefits hugely of course from new developments as long as, its costs is reasonable and affordable by the magazine. For example the editors and designers use Apple computers and special programs for the layout and design of the magazine. b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Task : The magazine is considered a category leader since it’s the first English youth targeting magazine in Egypt and till this moment there is no real direct competition. There is an indirect competition from other magazines such as campus and g-mag. There is only one supplier with whom the magazine deals with; SAHARA printing press. The magazine has a certain quality which only 2 printing press houses in Egypt can achieve, they left IBH because of problems that has to do with the paper binding and deadlines.

Levi’s Swot Analysis

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY—————————————————————- 2. CURRENT SITUATION—————————————————————— 2-1-Strategic Posture 2. 2. Current Performance 3. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE——————————————————– 3-1-Board of Directors 3-2-Top Management 4. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS—————————————— 4-1-Societal Environment 4-2-Task Environment 5. INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS————————————— — 5-1-Corporate Structure -2-Corporate Culture 5-3-Corporate Resources 6. ANALYSIS OF STRATEGIC FACTORS —————————————— 7. STRATEGIC ALTERNATIVES AND RECOMMENDED STRATEGY — 7-1-Review of Mission and Objective 7-2-Strategic Alternatives and Recommended Strategy 8. CONCLUSION—————————————————————————- BIBLIOGRAPHY————————————————————————- 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2. CURRENT SITUATION Levi Strauss & Co. s a privately held American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. The core Levi's was founded in 1873 in San Fr ancisco, specializing in riveted denim jeans and different lines of casual and street fashion. Levi Strauss received a U. S. Patent to make the first riveted men's work pants out of denim: the first blue jeans. The company briefly experimented (in the 1970s) with a public stock listing, but remains owned and controlled by descendants and relatives of Levi Strauss' four nephews. Levi Strauss & Co. s a worldwide corporation organized into three geographic divisions: Levi Strauss Americas (LSA), based in the San Francisco headquarters; Levi Strauss Europe, Middle East and Africa, based in Brussels; and Asia Pacific Division, based in Singapore. The company employs a staff of approximately 11. 400 people worldwide. 2. 1 STRATEGIC POSTURE Vision and Core Values Levi’s believes that business can drive profits through principles, and that core values as a company and as individuals give the company a competitive advantage. Empathy — walking in other people’s shoes Empathy begins with paying close attention to the world around. Levi’s listens and responds to the needs of customers, employees and other stakeholders. Originality — being authentic and innovative The pioneering spirit that started in 1873 with the very first pair of blue jeans still permeates all aspects of the business. Through innovative products and practices, the company breaks the mold. Integrity — doing the right thing Integrity means doing right by the employees, brands, company and society as a whole. Ethical conduct and social responsibility characterize company’s way of doing business. Courage — standing up for believes It takes courage to be great. Courage is the willingness to tell the truth and to challenge hierarchy, accepted practice and conventional wisdom. It means standing by Levi’s convictions and acting on beliefs. Levi’s is the embodiment of the energy and events of time, inspiring people from all walks of life with a pioneering spirit. Generations have worn Levi’s jeans, turning them into a symbol of freedom and self-expression in he face of adversity, challenge and social change. Customers forged a new territory called the American West. They fought in wars for peace. They instigated counterculture revolutions. They tore down the Berlin Wall. Reverent, irreverent — they took a stand. 2. 2. CURRENT PERFORMANCE For its first 100 years, Levi Strauss & Company was a private company. Relatives of founder Levi Strauss owned nearly all the stock, and company employees owned most of the remaining shares. In 1971, the company went public to finance growth and diversification. However, in 1985, the company again went private, which it remains today. In September 2004, Levi Strauss announced plans to sell its Dockers casual-clothing brand to Vestar Capital Partners (a private equity fund) and an apparel industry executive for about $800 million. Selling the Dockers brand would have allowed the company to reduce its heavy debt and refocus attention on turning around the Levi brand. However, the company soon changed its mind and chose instead to reinvest in and revitalize the popular Dockers brand. Recently the company produces only for men under Dockers brand. Its products are sold in more than 110 countries worldwide through a combination of chain retailers, department stores, online sites, and franchised and company-owned stores. As of August 28, 2011, the company operated 499 stores within 31 countries. Levi Strauss & Co. ’s reported fiscal 2010 net revenues were $4. 4 billion. Regional net revenues for the quarter were as follows: The reported net revenues increase in Europe was due to currency; net revenues were down on a constant-currency basis. Gains from the expansion of the company-operated retail network and the continued success of the Levi’s Curve ID collection for women were more than offset by declines in the wholesale business. Revenue growth in Asia Pacific, primarily driven by the Levi’s brand and continued expansion of the company’s brand-dedicated retail network in China and India, offset the revenue decline in Japan. Cash Flow and Balance Sheet As of August 28, 2011, cash and cash equivalents were approximately $231 million, and $337 million was available under the company’s revolving credit facility. Cash provided by operating activities during the nine-month period in 2011 was $17 million, compared with $96 million for the same period in 2010; the decline reflected higher inventories, due primarily to the increased cost of cotton, increased selling, general and administration expenses and increased pension plan contributions. Net debt was $1. 75 billion as compared to $1. 6 billion at the end of 2010. 3. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 3. 1Board of Directors Fernando Aguirre, a director since July 2010, is currently Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Chiquita Brands International, Inc. a position he has held since 2004. From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Aguirre served as President, Special Projects for The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G), a manufacturer and distributor of consumer products. From 1980 to 2002, he served P&G in various capacities, including in an executive capacity with P&G's Global Snacks and U. S. Food Products business. Mr. Aguirre is also a director of C oca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. Chip Bergh, a director since September 2011, is the President and Chief Executive Officer. He joined the company in September 2011. Prior to joining Levi Strauss & Co. , Mr. Bergh was Group President, Global Male Grooming, for The Proctor & Gamble Company (P), a manufacturer and distributor of consumer products. During his 28-year career at P, he served in a number of leadership positions. Mr. Bergh previously served on the Board of Directors for VF Corporation and on the Economic Board, Singapore, and was a member or the US-ASEAN Business Council, Singapore. Vanessa J. Castagna, a director since 2007, led Mervyns LLC department stores as its executive chairwoman of the board from 2005 until early 2007. Prior to Mervyns LLC, Ms. Castagna served as chairman and hief executive officer of JC Penney Stores, Catalog and Internet from 2002 through 2004. She joined JC Penney in 1999 as chief operating officer, and was both president and Chief Operating Officer of JC Penney Stores, Catalog and Internet in 2001. Ms. Castagna is currently a director of SpeedFC and Carter’s Inc. Robert A. Eckert, a director since May 2010, is currently Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Mattel, Inc. , a position he has held since May 2000. He previously worked for Kraft Foods, Inc. for 23 years, most recently as President and Chief Executive Officer from October 1997 until May 2000. From 1995 to 1997, Mr. Eckert was Group Vice President of Kraft Foods, Inc. and from 1993 to 1995, Mr. Eckert was President of the Oscar Mayer foods division of Kraft Foods, Inc. Robert D. Haas, a director since 1980, was named Chairman Emeritus in February 2008. He served as Chairman of the Board from 1989 until February 2008. Mr. Haas joined Levi’s in 1973 and served in a variety of marketing, planning and operating positions including serving as our Chief Executive Officer from 1984 to 1999. Peter E. Haas Jr. , a director since 1985, is a director or trustee of each of the Levi Strauss Foundation, Red Tab Foundation, Joanne and Peter Haas Jr. Fund, Walter and Elise Haas Fund and the Novato Youth Center Honorary Board. Mr. Haas was one of the managers from 1972 to 1989. He was Director of Product Integrity of The Jeans Company, one of the former operating units, from 1984 to 1989. He served as Director of Materials Management for Levi Strauss USA in 1982 and Vice President and General Manager in the Menswear Division in 1980. Leon J. Level, a director since 2005, is a former Chief Financial Officer and director of Computer Sciences Corporation, a leading global information technology services company. Mr. Level held ascending and varied financial management and executive positions at Computer Sciences Corporation from 1989 to 2006 and previously at Unisys Corporation (Corporate Vice President, Treasurer and Chairman of Unisys Finance Corporation), Burroughs Corporation (Vice President, Treasurer), The Bendix Corporation (Executive Director and Assistant Corporate Controller) and Deloitte, Haskins & Sells (now Deloitte & Touche). Mr. Level is also currently a director of UTi Worldwide Inc. Stephen C. Neal, a director since 2007, became Chairman of the Board in September 2011. Mr. Neal is currently the chairman of the law firm Cooley LLP. He was also chief executive officer of the firm until January 1, 2008. In addition to his extensive experience as a trial lawyer on a broad range of corporate issues, Mr. Neal has represented and advised numerous boards of directors, special committees of boards and individual directors on corporate governance and other legal matters. Prior to joining Cooley LLP in 1995 and becoming CEO in 2001, Mr. Neal was a partner of the law firm Kirkland & Ellis. Patricia Salas Pineda, a director since 1991, is currently Group Vice President, National Philanthropy and the Toyota USA Foundation for Toyota Motor North America, Inc. an affiliate of one of the world’s largest automotive firms. Ms. Pineda joined Toyota Motor North America, Inc. in September 2004 as Group Vice President of Corporate Communications and General Counsel. Prior to that, Ms. Pineda was Vice President of Legal, Human Resources and Government Relations and Corporate Secretary of New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. wi th which she was associated since 1984. She is currently a director of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and a mem ber of the board of advisors of Catalyst. 3. 2 Top Management in Turkey Hakan Atalay is the general manager of Levi’s Turkey since 2008. He graduated from Textile Engineering Department from Istanbul Technical University and he also has a graduate degree from the Management Department of Marmara University. He has a 16 years of experience in retail, sales and product management in local and multinational companies like Mexx Turkey, Network and Unitim. Lately he was the country sales director of Nike Turkey. He is now responsible for the management of Levi’s and Dockers brand operations and for the development of strategic vision of those brands in Turkey. Kayhan Ongun is the sales director of Levi’s Turkey since 2010. He graduated from Management Engineering Department from Istanbul Technical University and he has a Management of Business Administration degree from Rowan University. He worked at various sales positions in Michelin and Nike Turkey. Lately he was Football Sales Manager in Nike Turkey. Korhan Oz is the finance manager of Levi’s Turkey. Korhan Oz is a graduate of Istanbul University Department of Economics. He has in particular substantial experience in finance. He worked as Country Financial Controller at Ernst Audit, Intergen and Nokia and then worked as Executive Vice President for Financial Affairs at Krea Group. Orhan Ors is the Information Technology Director of Levi’s Turkey. He has been working for Levi’s for 22 years. Ozan Duman is the Human Resources Director of Levi’s Turkey since 2011. Lately, he was HR Manager of Kimberly Clark Turkey. Ipek Bekiroglu is the Marketing Manager of Levi’s Turkey since 2006. Lately, she was working as a Brand Manager in Carslberg Turkey. 4. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS: OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS 4. SOCIETAL ENVIRONMENT Socio-cultural Turkey has the youngest population in Europe with 31M under 25 and the population growth rate is 1. 35%. Life style changes heavily affect trends in casual apparel design and market. Being thin and skinny creates a trend in the market where skinny and tight jeans dominate the market. Economic There is a shortage in cotton supply in the world combined with high cotton prices due to several important factors: First, global stocks of cotton were drawn down sharply as less cotton was grown and shipped through the global supply chain due to competition from other crops. Second, climate changes and bad weather undermined global cotton production. Thirdly, government actions further aggravated the situation where India, one of the world’s largest cotton producers, slapped export quotas on raw cotton. And finally, demand for textiles and apparel rose. Retail landscape is evolving with the opening of many new malls and locations. In addition street store rents are increasing, so brands are investing on shopping malls in primary and secondary cities. In line with this development, traditional outlet stores on the highway breakpoints have been converted to outlet malls. Extended seasonal sale months, attractive promotions are offered throughout the year. There is high investment cost on one hand; as the average shop size is growing, rents are getting higher. On the other hand however, shopping malls have made significant discounts in their rents or currency rates have been fixed due to global crisis. Technological E-commerce is getting more popular with private shopping concept. (Trend-Yol, Markafoni and Limango are the main players in Turkish Market. ) Social media has a narrow effect right now but it is increasingly becoming a part of ompanies’ marketing strategies. Political legal There is continuous financial instability in Turkey that strongly affects the spending power of Turkish people. Income difference between regions is dramatic in Turkey which affects the spending power. However, lower income classes’ and regions’ spending is increasing. Environmental standards and regulations against hazardous jeans production are in creasingly applied by many countries and companies (The blue dust that stems while sanding jeans is a heavy irritant to the lungs). In the European Union, the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations enacted 1 June 2007 require clothing manufacturers and importers to identify and quantify the chemicals used in their products. These regulations may even require manufacturers to inform consumers about potentially hazardous chemicals that may be present in their products. Actual end products are governed by stipulations of the European Equipment and Product Safety Act, which regulates the use of heavy metals, carcinogenic dyes, and other toxics used in textile manufacture. Additional consumer protection is offered by the European Union’s Oko-Tex Standard 100, a testing and certification program established in 1992. The standard gives the textile and clothing industry uniform guidance for the potential harm of substances in raw materials as well as finished products, and every stage in between—these include regulated substances as well as substances that are believed to be harmful to health but are not yet regulated (such as pesticides). The standard also governs elements such as colorfastness and pH value. Along with these standards, Levi Strauss and Co. Turkey does not produce jeans with sanding. 4. 2TASK ENVIRONMENT Rivalry among existing firms There is a heavy weight of local players in Turkish casual apparel market. Local retailers like Mavi, LC Waikiki, Colin’s, LTB (Little Big) have their own denim production facilities so that they can sell with reasonable prices. This fact that the competitors have low entry prices makes â€Å"price† the main differentiator. International and local brands are investing in key cities and key locations. (Zara, Mango, Adidas, Nike, Mavi, Colin’s). In addition, local competition is investing on O stores which are bigger than 200 sqm. Mavi was acquired by Turkven (private equity fund) with 35% share in 2008. The company has aggressive revenue targets and invests heavily in ATL communication. The company is focusing on head to toe look and as a result of this approach, their women and tops share increased. Colin’s is re-vamping the brand identity launched a new logo. The company focuses on O (owner and operator) model. In accordance with this approach, they re-fit O stores in major shopping malls. Lee is losing ground, they have no presence in stand alone stores, and they focus on department stores. LTB is re-fitting their O stores in premium shopping malls. Diesel has not been aggressive in communication for a long period. Jack & Jones is entering department stores. Grey market is an important factor that has a huge impact in the competition. The high number of grey market producers impacts the competition between the existing firms as especially the local denim producers try to differentiate themselves by price. Threat of new entrance New brands entered the market (H- 5 stores in 5 months) whereas local brands have elevated their retail environment to attract the young consumer. A will be opening their first store in Turkey in 2012. EFAS TABLE External FactorsWeightRatingWeighted ScoreComment SROpportunities O1Turkey’s young population 0. 103. 00. 3 O2E-commerce and social media; new distribution channel0. 053. 00. 15 O3Malls; increasing number of shopping malls0. 105. 00. 5 O4Seasonal sale months extension, attractive promotions0. 04. 00. 4 O5Life style changes; new products0. 104. 00. 4 O6Environmental standards and regulations0. 052. 00. 1 Threats T1Financial instability0. 105. 00. 5 T2Grey market0. 103. 00. 3 T3High operational costs (O)0. 104. 00. 4 T4Marketing investments of the local brands0. 054. 00. 2 T5Increasing number of new competitors0. 053. 00. 15 T6Low cotton supply and high cotton prices0. 105. 00. 5 Total1. 003. 9 5. INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS: STRENGTHS AND WEAKN ESSES 5. 1CORPORATE STRUCTURE The worldwide leadership team, which includes the CEO and ten executives, sets the company’s overall direction and is responsible for all major strategic, financial and operational decisions. Many of the senior-most leaders have risen through the company ranks over the past two or three decades. But to maintain the lead in the fast-changing fashion industry Levi’s leadership team also includes executives who bring leading-edge expertise and new ideas from other consumer companies and other industries. Levi Strauss Co. as a corporation has operations divided under three main regions: Asia Pacific, Europe and America. The company has headquarters in Singapore, Brussels and San Francisco. Every region is under the management of a Vice President. Country General Managers are directly reporting to their respective Regional Vice Presidents. In Turkey, human resources, information technology and finance departments are directly reporting to their respective region and they are indirectly reporting to Turkish General Manager. However, sales and marketing departments are directly reporting to Turkish General Manager and they are indirectly reporting to their respective region. Retail Operations and Sales Manager and Wholesale Sales Manager are directly reporting to Sales Director. Retail Operations and Sales Manager manages four District Managers and Wholesale Sales Manager manages three Account Managers in Turkey. 5. 2CORPORATE CULTURE Levi Strauss & Company as a multinational company embodies its vision that has four main values at the core: empathy – walking in other’s shoes; originality – being authentic and innovative; integrity – doing the right thing; and courage – standing up for what they believe. In addition to guiding the strategic decisions and actions, the company’s values also guide its social responsibility in various ways – through the grants provided by the Levi Strauss Foundation, through the support provided to communities in which it has a business presence, through its employee community-involvement program, and through its ethical code of conduct for its business partners. The company’s strategic move to outsourcing has presented its own challenges because of Levi Strauss’ strong commitment to socially responsible business practices. In 1991, Levi Strauss became the first multinational company to establish a comprehensive ethical code of conduct for its alliance partners in manufacturing and finishing. This code, titled the Global Sourcing and Operating Guidelines, establishes business practices such as fair employment, worker health and safety, and environmental standards. The company remains committed to ensuring compliance with its â€Å"Code of Conduct† at all facilities and works onsite with its contractors to develop responsible business practices and continuous improvement. Trained inspectors closely audit and monitor the contractors and if it is determined that a business partner is not complying with the terms, Levi Strauss requires that the partner implements a corrective action plan within a specified time period. If a contractor fails to take corrective actions, the business relationship is terminated. By nature, the company is externally focused and determined to stay that way. This means constantly scanning developments that affect the business, and acting on that information to surprise their customers. The above are part of Levi Strauss’ global corporate citizenship culture. To make these to also diffuse to Turkish Levis’ employees working environment, the top management team is making radical moves. 5. 3CORPORATE RESOURCES STRENGTHS Levi Strauss and Co. is a member of Better Cotton Initiative. Better Cotton is a different way to grow cotton that decreases the negative environmental impacts and has the potential to improve the livelihood of the 300 million people involved in cotton farming worldwide. At its heart, the Better Cotton Initiative aims to make all cotton grown around the world more sustainable by reducing water and chemical use (including pesticides and fertilizers), protecting the health of the soil and promoting important labor standards including bans on child labor. The Better Cotton Initiative also focuses on training and empowering farmers to improve their long term financial profitability. This is a conscious effort made by all partners of the Better Cotton Initiative to help prevent prices for Better Cotton from rising dramatically in the short term. This is an advantage on behalf of Levi? s Turkey as the competitors in Turkish market are not involved in this initiative. Levi’s always had been described as a fashion innovator, as the company created the jeans market. The company continues to recognize the importance of the right products to its future success. One of Levi Strauss’s critical strategic goals is to â€Å"innovate and lead from the core,† and it continues to introduce product innovations. For instance, since 2001, the Advanced Innovation Team for the Dockers line has introduced several groundbreaking product innovations. For instance, in 2004 and 2005, the team developed three new and exclusive product innovations. The first was the Never-Iron Cotton that dramatically minimizes wrinkling. Another was the Thermal Adapt Khaki pants that adjust to body temperature. And the third was Dockers Shirts with Perspiration Guard, a special finish that wicks away moisture from the body and eliminates the appearance of perspiration marks. This is a strength that differentiates Levi? s from its competitors. In addition to this, the company recently decided to make a tradeoff and it stopped producing for women under Dockers brand. This is another wise strategic move on behalf of the company. And furthermore- in line with the above tradeoff- Levi’s was one of the first companies to tap into the mass customization trend by offering made-to-order jeans. In 1999, the company announced that it would begin offering customized versions of its classic denims to fit every woman’s body type, but this move was not successful at that time. In 2011, the company re-launched the same project under the name of â€Å"Curve ID† for women and now it proved to be a great success to regenerate growth on women? s product line. This is another important advantage that makes the brand stronger than the other brands. Youth panel- as a method of consumer-driven brand innovation- is a qualitative consumer panel focused on the consumer typologies that the company believes exercise greatest influence on the dynamics of change within the casual apparel market. The panel has been built up in most fashion significant European cities and comprises between 50 and 100 of the most fashion-forward youth. It is convened twice a year to fit into the line development calendar. This tool is strength for Levi? as it provides the best indication the business has of how much momentum a particular trend has in it, and so serves to guide both general businesses forecasting as well as specific product life cycle management. Every second quarter the brand and design teams dedicate a day to working with the insights coming out of the panel. It helps set the strategic agenda and also enables some very effective and immediate trouble- shooting. WEAKNESSES One of the company’s most valuable assets is its Levi’s brand. However, that venerable Levi’s brand had lost much of its popularity. Although Levi Strauss has one of the best-known names in the world, its market power has declined. An annual ranking of global brands with the most impact showed Levi’s ranked at number 32 in 2001, number 34 in 2002, and number 56 in 2003, and rebounding to number 44 in 2004. The products that baby boomers in the 1960s defined as hip and anti-establishment were now perceived as non-trendy and dull. In the brutally competitive apparel market, that type of image, particularly with younger consumers, has proven to be a disadvantage. As a way to span the consumer market, the company launched several new brands in USA and several other countries. But the same product strategy is not applied in Turkey and the product range is not diversified to cover all customer segments as far as price competition is considered. The company chose to stick with low-tech, in-store posters and other promotions; rather than mass media coverage – television and print ads which the biggest competitors in Turkey extensively use. The company doesn’t invest on brand image and use localized advertisement. But the competitors are using constant brand communications strategy including celebrities, outdoor events. IFAS TABLE Internal FactorsWeightRatingWeighted ScoreComment SRStrengths S1High brand awareness 0. 155. 00. 75 S2Member of Better Cotton Initiative0. 053. 00. 15 S3Advance innovation competence0. 154. 00. 60 S4Profit growth0. 103. 00. 30 S5Product category fragmentation (Curve id-women; Dockers- men)0. 104. 00. 40 Weaknesses W1Inflexible pricing strategy 0. 155. 00. 75 W2Misuse of marketing communications budget0. 154. 00. 60 W3Brand image deterioration 0. 155. 00. 75 Total1. 004. 30 6. ANALYSIS of STRATEGIC FACTORS A. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS SWOT- SFAS TABLE SRInternal FactorsWeightRatingWeighted ScoreComment S1High brand awareness (global reach and scale)0. 05. 00. 50 S3Advance innovation competence0. 105. 00. 50 S5Product category fragmentation (Curve id-women; Dockers- men)0. 053. 00. 15 S6Financial strength0. 054. 00. 20 W1Inflexible pricing strategy 0. 054. 00. 20 W2Misuse of marketing communications budget0. 053. 00. 15 W3Brand image deterioration 0. 105. 00. 50 O1Turkey’s young population 0. 055. 00. 25 O3Malls; increasing number o f shopping malls0. 104. 00. 40 O4Seasonal sale months extension, attractive promotions0. 054. 00. 20 O5Life style changes; new products0. 053. 00. 15 T2Financial instability0. 055. 00. 25 T3Grey market0. 053. 00. 5 T4High operational costs (O)0. 104. 00. 40 T5Marketing investments of the local brands0. 054. 00. 20 T6Increasing number of new competitors0. 053. 00. 15 Total1. 03. 70 7. STRATEGIC ALTERNATIVES and RECOMMENDED STRATEGY 7. 1 Review of Mission and Objective 7. 2 Strategic Alternatives and Recommended Strategy TOWS MATRIX Internal FactorsStrengths S1. High brand awareness (global reach and scale) S2. Member of Better Cotton Initiative S3. Advance innovation competence S4. Profit growth S6. Financial strengthWeaknesses W1. Inflexible pricing strategy W2. Misuse of marketing communications budget W3. Brand image deterioration External Factors Opportunities O2. E-commerce and social media; new distribution channel O3. Malls; increasing number of shopping malls O4. Seasonal sale months extension, attractive promotions O5. Life style changes; new products1. Levis can continue to growth with new openings in different malls 2. Through high brand awareness, easy to take place in social media and cooperate with e-commerce websites as new distribution channels 3. Levis can adapt its products for different preferences1. New online campaigns to improve the brand image Threats T2. Grey market T5. Increasing number of new competitors T6. Low cotton supply and high cotton prices1. Developing new production technologies in order to use the raw materials effectively 2. Support social responsibility initiatives worldwide 1. Assessment of local competitors in order to redesign the marketing campaigns Recommended Strategy Functional strategy, marketing strategy; positioning should be made according to the target audience. Through social media and online campaigns Levis can improve its brand image and can reach Turkey’s young population. After several researches, it has been found out that the potential age group for both men and women is 14-25 in Turkish casual apparel market. However, it must also be taken into consideration that it is the 18-35 age group that consumes more and that women are the ones who increase the overall sales in general. The private shopping companies are growing very fast in Turkey. Levis can use e-commerce websites as new distribution channels to improve the brand penetration among 24-35 years old, worker segment. Levis is using its global marketing communications campaigns in Turkey, as they are. The company does not try to assess its competitor’s strategies or to adapt the tone of the messages according to local needs and preferences. However the local competitors are really aggressive in communication. Levis has to redesign its communication campaigns and reallocate its marketing budget. 8. CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY 1)http://www. levistrauss. com/ 2)Company’s 2012 plan 3)Company’s distribution strategy 4)Inspiring the organization to act: a business in denial, International Journal of Market Research Vol. 44 Quarter 2, 2002, the Market Research Society 5)Denim Pazar? nda Marka Konumland? rmalar? n? n Karsilastirilmasi,