A Journey into Self-Discovery in Araby by James Joyce and...

In â€Å"Araby†, author James Joyce presents a male adolescent who becomes infatuated with an idealized version of a schoolgirl, and explores the consequences which result from the disillusionment of his dreams. While living with his uncle and aunt, the main character acts a joyous presence in an otherwise depressing neighborhood. In Katherine Mansfield’s, The Garden Party, Mansfield’s depicts a young woman, Laura Sherridan, as she struggles through confusion, enlightenment, and the complication of class distinctions on her path to adulthood. Both James Joyce and Katherine Mansfield expertly use the literary elements of characterization to illustrate the journey of self-discovery while both main characters recognize that reality is not what†¦show more content†¦The short story begins as the Sherridan household, as they are preparing for an extravagant Garden-Party that will be held within the confines of their large estate. Laura’s personality is characterized early in the story, when she is instructed by her mother to tell the manual laborers where to put the marquee. Her adolescence is symbolized as she initially speaks to the men in a poor attempt at copying her mother’s voice, then immediately thereafter, feeling â€Å"ashamed, and stammering like a little girl† (Mansfield, 164). After dealing with the workers, as Laura watched one worker snuff the smell of lavender, which she never would have thought a man of a lower class cared to do. Laura yearns for a more mature man than the â€Å"silly boys she danced with and who came for Sunday night supper† (Mansfield, 165). This marks the beginning of the transition from her adolescence into young adulthood. Throughout the onset of the story, there are many instances of Laura tentatively arguing with herself in an internal struggle. Subsequently, when Laura and her older sister Jose are informed about the death of a lower class neighbor, Laura is shocked wh en Jose does not take the news seriously. When Laura tells her mother the same news, she is astonished that her mother reacted like Jose, as her mother tells Laura â€Å"people

The System Adoption Is Successful Or Failed - 1315 Words

1 Introduction PT. Pertamina (later named as Pertamina) is a state owned energy company in Indonesia where one of its main business activity is distribute fuel/gas to its retailers agents (later named as customers). These customers operate fuel/gas stations to provide fuel to end customers across the country. Pertamina has more than 5000 customers which in daily average do at least 13.000 order transactions which valued close to USD 60 Million per day (Pertamina, 2013; Cholidy, 2014). This paper’s objective is to analyse an information system (IS) implementation case whether the system adoption is successful or failed. Author select IS implementation case in Pertamina where the author works from 2007 until the time of this writing. During†¦show more content†¦2 Host to Host Sales Order System IS (includes its information technology components) plays major role in today’s business world. IS helps enterprises improve business processes, drives revenue growth, helps them achieve cost efficiency and more importantly, maintaining a competitive edge in the market place Through period of time Pertamina implements numbers of IS to address various corporate’s business activities. Instead of gaining cost efficiency, these numbers of IS actually require company to put more budget in order to operate and maintain the systems. At this point ERP system comes as solution to this problem. Such as ERP’s objective which is to integrate business processes across enterprise by using a single IS (Wagner and Monk, 2008; Laudon and Laudon, 2012), Pertamina also manage to integrate all its business IS into one main system using ERP. Since 2003 ERP systems is used as Pertamina’s core platform where other business applications developed on top of it. Regardless of the implementation of ERP system has been covered all business activities in the company, Pertamina’s sales order activity is still being served through limited point of sales. Pertamina’s point of sales spread throughout 7 regional offices across the country (Pertamina, 2013). This make sales activities less efficient, moreover it cannot meet customers’ expectations. To address this challenge, by using new information technology availability, Pertamina develop new IS

How to practise Ethical Decision Making In an Organization

Introduction The Decision making process has been an important criteria that has to be given due attention in case of the organizations. The complexity in the business processes and rapid enhancement across all the areas of the organization requires managers to not only make the sound decision, but also to make them at no time. The success of an organization to a larger extent depends upon the ability of its management to take good and effective decisions (Kinicki 2008, 249-50). In order to fulfill the complex needs of the customers on a timely basis, it has becomes essential that the management should try to adopt every possible means in order to satisfy such complex demands. The competition in the market has driven to all these changes and businesses are compelled to take quick decisions. In addition to this, there has been rapid enhancement in the field of technology that has also provided with various tools to the management in order to support their decisions. Such tools enable the managemen t to not only takes the sound decision, but also to comply with all the major requirements of the customers. In addition to this, the customers are also quite attentive in this complex modern era and they are more concerned with the decisions being undertaken by organizations. They are highly aware about the ethical aspects concerning the major decisions taken by the organizations and as such, it has also become necessary for the organization to consider the ethical aspects as well, while undertaking big decisions. It has been found that customers use to purchase the products of that organization, which is ethically sound enough in making its business decisions. Thus, in order to survive in this complex modern era, it becomes essential for the businesses to not only make the sound decisions, but also to ensure ethical aspect in their decisions as well (Ferrell, Ferrell and Fraedrich 2005, 40-42). Apart from all this factors, the cultural aspects also have a major role to play in the ethical decision making process. As the companies are globalizing their activities, they are facing a totally different culture, which also affects their ability to take ethical decisions (Srnka 2004, 1-32). This paper is basically concerned with a brief discussion on the decision making processes that are being followed in the organizations, in order to effectively meet out the complex demands of the modern customers. In addition to this, the paper will also include a brief discussion on the ways through which managers can transform these decisions into a more ethical one in the context of contemporary organizations. Finally, the paper concludes with a brief conclusion on the major findings from the analysis about the decision making processes in the given paper. Decision Making Processes Decision making is an important perspective that persists in case of almost all the organization whether it is big or small organization. It becomes essential for the managers to take decisions in order to conduct the activities of the organization in the most efficient manner. Managers in the organization are best referred to as the decision makers and as such, the success or the failure of the organization to a larger extent depends upon its decision makers. Good decision by managers would lead to overall success and a bad one would lead to the failure of the organization. This implies that decision making is quite crucial for the success of the business organization. Decision making is usually done in case of a complex changing environment which comprises of constantly changing factors. As a result, best managers of the successful companies sometimes make blunder while taking important decision for the entire organization. As the business environment is changing at a rapid pace, m anagers in organizations are dealing with a higher percentage of non programmed decisions. This implies that the complex decision making environment have increased the difficulties in the decision making process and as such, there is a need for a new decision making processes in the organization, for the purpose of ensuring effective decision making that leads to the overall success of the organization. However, the managers should adopt a rational decision making approach while dealing with the complex problem of the organization. This is because, the rational approach focus on the need for systematic analysis of a problem which is followed by a logical step by step sequence. A systematic procedure should be followed by the managers while taking important decisions. A deep understanding to the managers about the decision making process would help him in taking better decisions even there exists a lack of clear information (Lozano 2001, 126-128). The decision making processes that s hould be followed by managers in solving the complex problems of the organization is discussed as follows: 1. Monitoring the Decision Environment The first step in the effective decision making process is to monitor the decision environment. The manager should monitor the internal as well as the external information and should try to find out deviations in the planned and acceptable behavior (Daft 2009, 450-57). 2. Define the Decision Problem The next major step in the decision making process is to define the problem. The deviations as identified in the first step would help the managers in defining the decision problem in the most effective manner, as it will provide with the exact reason for such deviations. 3. Specifying Decision Objectives The objectives to be achieved from the decision should be specified by the managers. In simple words, it implies the aim that should be achieved from the entire decision making process. 4. Diagnose the Problem This implies the critical evaluation of the problem. A proper analysis should be conducted in order to identify the major reason for the occurrence of the problem. In order to facilitate the diagnosis, additional data should be collected if required. A proper understanding of the major reason for the problem would lead to a better solution of the entire problem and would help the managers in taking decisions in future in a more appropriate manner (Daft 2009, 450-57). 5. Develop Alternative Solutions Before moving towards a decisive action plan, the manager should have a clear understanding of various options that are available to him in the achievement of the desired objectives. In order to have a better understanding, the manager may seek ideas from the other people of the organization. 6. Evaluate Alternatives The alternatives as identified in the above mentioned step need to be evaluated for the purpose of making the best possible decision to the problem in hand. The ideas from different people in the organization would result into various solutions and as such, the best possible one has to be identified by making a critical evaluation of all such ideas (Daft 2009, 450-57). 7. Choosing the Best Alternatives The evaluation of all the alternatives would provide with the solution of the given problem with the best possible alternatives. Thus the alternatives that seem to be best among the others should be chosen, so that a better decision can be possible. 8. Implementation of the Chosen Alternatives The final step in the decision making process is the implementation of the chosen alternatives to achieve the desired objectives. The manager should use his skills and abilities in order to ensure that decision is carried out. This is the important step of the entire decision making processes as an improper implementation of the decision would result into a failed decision. The implementation of alternatives would be followed by a monitoring process (Daft 2009, 450-57). The first four stage of the entire decision making process can be regarded as the problem identification stage and the next four implies the problem solution stage of the decision making process. Ethical Transformation of Decisions One of the major area that needs attention in the current decision making process is the ethical decision making. The management of ethical behavior in the organization is one of the major problems as faced by managers in the organizations today. The decisions of the employees to behave in an ethical manner or not is highly influence by the situational factors. Decision history, personality and the managerial philosophy are the few factors through which the employees behavior can be changed towards the more ethical one (Stead, Edward and Stead 1990, 233-42). This implies that the managerial philosophy have a major role to play in transforming the decisions into an ethical one. In order to ensure ethical decision making by managers and individuals in organization, Thomas M Jones (1991) suggest an issue contingent models which contains a new set of variables known as moral intensity. Moral intensity can be defined as a construct that considers the extent of issue related moral imperative to a particular situation. The moral intensity is not concerned with traits of the moral decision makers or the organizational culture, rather its major emphasis is on the moral issue, so that ethical decision making and behavior can be ensured in the organization by focusing on the characteristics of moral issue (Jones 1991, 366-95). Linda Klebe Trevino (1986), have proposed an Interactionist model in order to ensure ethical decision making within the organization. There has been a huge attention being given to the ethical decision making in organization, particularly because of variety of reasons such as increasing public concern about the ethical behavior of the organizations, managers cynicism etc. The interactionist model of ethical decision making implies that the situational and the individual variables interact with the cognitive component in order to determine the ways in which the managers behave in response to an ethical dilemma. Such behaviors can be identified and necessary actions can be taken in order to transform the decisions of the managers towards a more ethical perspective (Trevino 1986, 601-17). The decisions of the managers in the organizations would affect by a numerous number of factors in future such as the social, environmental as well as the economic concerns as well. In order to effectively combat such complex situation and to take decision that are ethically acceptable, it becomes essential that the Decision Support System of the organization should embrace procedures that can effectively deal with such complexities and enables the managers in taking a more of ethical decisions (Courtney 2001, 17-38). Thus, all the above mentioned models as proposed by various scholars in the past can be made use of, in transforming the decision of managers towards more ethical oriented decisions. In addition to all these models, the decision making processes as discussed above, can also be made use of for encouraging managers to take ethical decisions. A study conducted by James W Dean and Mark P. Sharfman (1996) on the importance of decision making process implies that the decision making processes are related to the success of the decision. By following each and every steps of decision making processes, managers can ensure success of the entire decision making and ultimately the compliance of such decision with that of the ethical aspects as well (Dean and Sharfman 1996, 368-96). Conclusion A brief discussion on the decision making processes and the ethical aspects of the managerial decision provides a significant learning about its importance in the complex business environment. The decision making has been a crucial aspect that leads to the success as well as the failure of the organizations. As such, it should be taken with great care. A brief discussion on the various decision making processes implies that there are various stages in the entire decision making process and proper compliance of all such processes by the managers would enable the managers to take better decisions. In addition to this, there is an increasing pressure on the managers to ensure the compliance of ethical aspects in their decision making. The increasing awareness about the environmental concern among the public have been the major reason driving the managers to take ethical decisions. As such, it becomes essential that the decisions of the managers should be transformed towards a more ethic al decision and this could be possible with the help of various models as proposed by various scholars such as interactionist model, moral intensity, decision support systems etc. In addition to this, the decision making processes would also help in achieving success in the decision making process and ultimately in ensuring a more ethical decision as well.

Reputation Plays A Very Important Role In The Play Othello. The Charac

Reputation plays a very important role in the play Othello. The character of Iago uses his reputation as an honest man to deceive Othello and other characters in the play. To Cassio reputation meant everything. Othello's reputation played an important role in the play. Iago's reputation played a very key role in the play. Everyone thought of Iago as an honest man. " O, that's an honest fellow " , "You advise me well ........ goodnight honest Iago " - "........that's an honest fellow " " I know thou'rt full of love and honesty ". Iago has everyone fooled into believing that he is a noble honest man. Without this reputation of being honest he could never get Othello to believe that Desdemona was cheating on him. Othello would have probably killed him if he didn't have the reputation of being an honest man. Iago knew that an important man like Othello couldn't ignore the possibility that his wife was cheating on him. Nobody suspects that Iago is a deceitful man and would plot and plan t o destroy Othello, Cassio and Desdemona in such a cunning way. Iago used his reputation, and the insecurities of Othello being a Moor, to allow him to manipulate Othello. Othello had a reputation of being a military man, and a courageous leader. "Valiant Othello, We must straight employ you..." "Here comes Brabantio and the valiant Moor." Othello has been a soldier since he was seven years of age, and has experience on the battle field. Othello was chosen when they went to fight the Turkish fleet. Because of his reputation, it wasn't hard for other people to accept the relationship between him and Desdemona. As Iago started putting ideas in Othello's head about Cassio and Desdemona being together, another side of Othello's personality started to surface. Because Iago had the reputation of being an honest man, Othello couldn't ignore his insinuations about Desdemona. Othello wondered if Desdemona really loved him, or if she was just using him to rebel against her father. With Iago co nstantly putting these ideas in his head, Othello was convinced to kill his wife. Cassio was known to be a good soldier, and is proud of that reputation. After Iago gets him drunk, and he gets in a fight, he ruins his reputation with Othello. Othello demotes him because Othello will not tolerate that kind of behavior in his Lieutenant. Desdemona pleads his case to Othello, because she knows him to be a good man. Iago uses the fact that Desdemona is interceding on Cassio's behalf, to further convince Othello that Desdemona is cheating on him, with Cassio. He hopes this will remove Cassio and open up the way for him to become Lieutenant.. Othello could always wonder if Desdemona really loved him, or if she was just using him to rebel against her father. With Iago constantly putting these ideas in his head, Othello was convinced to kill his wife. Often, reputations and a person's true character are very different. People rely on their previous experiences or knowledge of others to make judgments about them. Iago used this to his advantage to manipulate everyone. He was a great deceiver.

There Were Many Philosophers Throughout The Enlightenment Period. Some

There were many philosophers throughout the Enlightenment period. Some of these great thinkers shared similar views on related ideas, others differed completely. I personally agreed most with John Locke's philosophies. Locke was born in 1632 and died in 1704. His works concerned human nature, how the structure of a society should be set up, and other issues to that effect. Locke's philosophies and books are all applicable to our society today and some of our country's political foundations are based on his notable philosophies. I agree with his reasoning on why an absolute monarchy is no form of a civil government. I believe that the people who make the decisions for their country are their country and that ?the people' should have equal power and all be on the same level socially and politically. Like Locke, I believe that a superior to judge between right and wrong and to punish those who do wrong is absolutely necessary, yet the power should be in the hands of the people and not a monarch. Before the enlightenment, both secular and religious worlds were in a power struggle and became extremely corrupt, proving that ?absolute power corrupts absolutely'. Locke stated "...and have a common established law and judicature to appeal to, with authority to decide controversies between them and punish offenders" (Civil Society). I have no doubt that to have structure and a judicial system in a society is essential and without it there would be complete and utter chaos. I also agree with Locke on the subject of why a civil society is better and more productive then living in the state of nature. Locke's "state of nature" was a state of liberty, and all people were considered equal, but there was no authority to enforce the law which I believe to be greatly problematic. Without laws or government, a state or country is bound to be inextricable and completely disorganized which are not good conditions. With such disagreeable circumstances the people are bound to fight with one another and act bestial causing the overall conditions of the state to worsen even more. Locke philosophized that a civil state should be formed for three significant reasons; an established law was needed, authority to judge right from wrong according to the established law, and a power to"back and support the sentence when right and give it due execution" (Why Form a Civil Society). I find these three reasons to be substantive in our society today and without those factors our society would be in a disordered situation where nothing functions correctly and all people are corrupt.

Commitments Essay essays

Commitments Essay essays Fame and success in the entertainment business will reveal the worst in some people. Conceit is one of the main attributes of these few. In the film version of Roddy Doyles The Commitments by Alan Parker, the egotistical attitude of the band members is a direct result of the vast amounts of praise showered upon them by an adoring public, that in turn gives the members the feeling of supremacy. There are various examples in the film, as well as in Hollywood. Although all members of the band displayed some degree of self-absorption, several severe egotistical attributes are shown in the behaviour of; Deco Cuffe the lead singer; Dean the sax player, as well as the film star, Jim Carey. Deco Cuffe, the leader singer, acts condescendingly to his band members and his thoughts of superiority are quite evident in the way he speaks throughout the movie. In the beginning of the film when the manager of the Band, Jimmy Rabbite, asks him to sing for the band, he is timid at first, and then agrees. As the band practices more, and everyone applauds Decos talents, he seemingly becomes more self-involved. He has a mind set that he is irreplaceable. At their last performance Deco announces that he has an offer to sing for another band with a record deal. When the band members react in a cynical way to the news, he defends himself by saying. I have my career to think of. This statement implies he is saying that he is better than the group, therefore deserves the finest. He seems to think that he is a superstar. He demands that when he comes off stage he wants a proper towel not a tea towel, and bottle of mineral water. He also makes the comment, Wilson Pickett and Deco Cuffe, t ogether at last Making an inference that he is as great as Wilson Pickett, a renowned soul singer, that finally the two greatest singers will be united. Deco Cuffe is the ultimate example of ego...

Children Face Asthma Risk If Mothers Exposed to Pollutants Essay

Children Face Asthma Risk If Mothers Exposed to Pollutants - Essay Example The article is based on research from Denmark which states that children exposed to chlorinated chemicals before their mothers gave birth to them are more likely to have asthma before they are 20 years old. Five other PCB compounds apparently have a weak relationship with asthma. The article describes how these pollutants are usually found in fish and other marine species and in pesticides. The author also points out that some PCBs were widely used in the 1960s and 1970s but now are banned. They have a tendency to linger in human cells, however, and this means that babies can be affected through their mothers. They can suffer wheezing and asthma because of these chemicals.After reading this article I realized that environmental pollution can have very long term effects. If people are using harmful products today, then it is possible that they will also harm the children of the future. This is an invisible danger which is hidden within the world around us and inside human bodies. What we need to do is read more articles about the environment and spread this kind of information across the world. If we ignore this problem, then our children and our children’s children will suffer in the future. It is our responsibility to think about the results of our actions. It is also our responsibility to take action when evidence like this is found. It is the time that we banned more of these products in order to protect the environment and the future of all the species on the planet.

The History of Tattoos in the USA Research Paper

The History of Tattoos in the USA - Research Paper Example â€Å"In the Jesuit Relations of 1663, it was reported that an Iroquois chief known to the French as "Nero" bore on this thighs 60 tattooed characters, each of which symbolized an enemy killed with his own hand†. Captain James Cook made a voyage to Tahitia in 1769 where he noticed that the local people were skilled in making their skins. The indigenous people printed symbols on their bodies and tattooing was established as a field of art. The American sailors in the early nineteenth century played a fundamental role in the evolvement of tattooing in the USA. In the ancient America, tattoos were associated with the sailors that used to learn the art of tattooing from their seagoing brethren of the British origin. Sailors in the past used to have faith in the power of tattoos. Sailors would carve their skin to display patterns that they believed had the power to protect them on their sea voyages, â€Å"pay homage to sailing traditions and the fraternity of seafarers, memorializ e loved ones, and showcase mementos of significant experiences and exotic locales† (â€Å"Skin and bones†). Pricking was the term used for the log of the seamen. People began to open their shops near the ports of the ships in order to provide the sailors with access to the tattoos. The designs of tattoos were inspired by the sea-life. There were tattoos of mermaids, anchors and numerous other objects like crosses and hearts. Sailor Jerry Collins is placed amongst the pioneers of the traditional tattooing practice in the USA. He wanted to bring a revolution in the Western style. According to him, the indigenous

Intercontinental Hotels Group plc Finance report Assignment

Intercontinental Hotels Group plc Finance report - Assignment Example Increase in cost of sales has made no large effect on the gross profit in 2013 because the turnover has increased with a greater proportion than the cost of sales. The revenue in 2013 has increased by 3.79% while the increase in cost of sales is just as low as 0.13%. This has caused the gross profit of the company to increase by 6.62% in 2013. Other operating income of $57 million in 2012 has disappeared in 2013 causing an expense of $3 million in 2013, and the administrative expenses have decreased from $381 million in 2012 to $379 million in 2013. This has contributed towards the favourable effect on the operating profit in 2013. The finance cost of the company has decreased from $64 million in 2012 to $57 million in 2013. This is due to the decreased proportion of noncurrent liability causing a decrease in the interest liability of the company. However, the finance income has increased from $2 million in 2012 to $3 million in 2013. This is probably due to the increase in long term investments in noncurrent assets. (Kline, 2007) The current ratio measures ability of a company to pay its debts over the next 12 months or over its business cycle by comparing company’s current assets to its current liabilities. The current ratio of IHG has increased from 0.672 times in 2011 to 0.846 times in 2012. Higher the current ratio, the higher is the ability of the company to pay off its obligations. An increase in current ratio of IHG indicates more efficiency compared to previous period and safe liquidity. This ratio tells about how efficient is the company’s operating cycle and its capability to convert its products into cash. Quick ratio is also known as the acid test ratio. It takes into account the ability of a company to pay its short term debts. It is a more reliable test of short term solvency than current ratio as it shows the ability of any company to pay its short term debts immediately. Quick assets

Marketing Essays Red Bull

Marketing Essays Red Bull Table of Contents Introduction Red Bull and Marketing Theory Introduction Market Entry Market Strategy Marketing Communications Company Analysis Analytical Methods Company Sales and Diversification Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Conclusions Future of Red Bull and Recommendations References Introduction Red Bull has created a strong brand image, using colourful icon with two bulls in opposition and a memorable tag line; ‘Red Bull gives you wings’. Through creative marketing and sponsorship it has linked itself with extreme sports, innovative music and art, all aimed squarely at the youth market (Dahlen, Lange and Smith, 2010). This brief examines brand development, which strategies have helped it to success and where the brand goes from here as it faces the prospect of losing its cutting-edge image while continuing largely with only one product. Red Bull is a European success story. The product was launched in 1987 in Austria. It faced opposition from the Food and Drink Administration (FDA), who refused to clear it for distribution but despite this it became an underground success through clubbers and snowboarders. This anti-establishment stance found synergy with consumers, even after it was cleared for sale. It quickly spread into neighbouring countries and into the US market (Franzen and Moriarty, 2009). Dahlen, Lange and Smith (2010) note that by 2004, it had gained 40% share of its market sector and 70% in Europe. However, the brand still faced problems; it was banned in Denmark and France following unsubstantiated rumours that people had died from drinking the product in Sweden and Ireland (Mail Online, 2001). The European market was stagnating, and it faced distribution problems from companies supporting their own-brand products. The ever-present competition from Pepsi and Coca-Cola limited the scope for expansion. With these pressures, the company developed a marketing strategy that avoided mainstream advertising, instead focusing on grass-roots promotion. The product was sold in trendy nightclubs and bars, and the credibility of those held in high regard by the young target audience, such as DJs (Boswijk, Thijssen and Peelen, 2007). Brand education was provided by high-profile visits to places where the company felt people ‘might need a lift’. Examples include offices, building sites and garages. Self-styled Red Bull distributors exploited their local knowledge to help sell the brand and its products. It terms of higher profile marketing, Red Bull has primarily focused on maintaining its links with extreme sports. It sponsors two Formula One teams (Red Bull and Toro Rosso), as well as snowboarding, kite-boarding, surfing and aircraft racing. All of these underline its commitment to its youthful, energetic target audience. The next part of the brief examines how its marketing strategy fits into contemporary marketing theory. Red Bull and Marketing Theory Introduction Red Bull is essentially a one-product brand, offered at a premium price in its market sector. Having started in Austria, it quickly spread to other markets including the USA and has become the market leader in its sector. It uses a novel approach to marketing, which is discussed later in this section. In terms of the traditional 4Ps of marketing, therefore, the company is easy to categorise. However, the 4P method has received criticism as being somewhat limited (Lee, 2001), and therefore the company is examined from a number of perspectives in this section, starting with market entry. Market Entry Any new company has to determine how they intend to enter a new market. This will be predicated by a number of factors such as the available resources, the sales objectives, product offered and existing competition (Fifield, 1998). In the case of Red Bull, the launch of the new product established a new category of product; that of energy drinks. Derived from a concept found by Dietrich Mateschitz in the Far East, the formula developed included large amounts of caffeine, sugars (glucose and sucrose) and taurine (Red Bull, 2014). Taurine is a ‘conditional amino acid’, which means it cannot be created by the body but needs to be provided in the diet. It is found in meat and fish (WebMD, 2014). It is used medically in the treatment of congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, among other conditions, and it is present in infant formulas. Taken together with the other ingredients, Red Bull claims that it provides an energy boost (Red Bull, 2014). Since no similar type of product existed on the market, there was no direct competitor. As an innovator, the company had to educate its target audience on the product’s benefits. If a mass market entry approach is used, this can be extremely expensive (Hill and Jones, 2012), since customers have to be convinced that the new product is safe, has unique benefits and is socially acceptable. Rather than attempting to do this on a large scale, Red Bull adopted a novel method based on introducing the product at a grass roots level. It is promoted as a trendy drink at events where its main target audience gathers; nightclubs, extreme sports events and even parties. In the latter, it encourages students to set up Red Bull parties and provides them with free cans to distribute to their friends. The company also uses cars in the corporate colour scheme – together with a gigantic can – which give out promotional samples (Onkvisit and Shaw, 2009). Initially, distribution is set up using small distributors. In some cases, the company has hired warehouses and set up young people to aggressively sell the product (Pride and O’Ferrell, 2006). As far as can be determined from the available literature, this approach is likely to continue to be used in addressing new markets in future. Market Strategy Its chosen strategy has led to strong word-of-mouth sales in new markets, and this provides a springboard for further success in those markets. As it grows, it invests further in creating events such as the Flugtag, in which competitors attempt to fly from a pier using homemade, unpowered aircraft – most of which are incapable of flight, and soapbox racing (Red Bull, 2014a). This draws both competitors and audiences. Most of the events the company sponsors are more professional in nature and cover an increasing range of activities, from spectacular air racing using stunt planes, to cliff diving, wingsuit racing, motorsports and adventures. The company has even moved into computer gaming and e-sports. The features that are common to all of these activities are their attraction to their target audience and their physical and mental requirements. Having identified this approach, the company appears to be keen to continue to exploit it. When considering the market positioning of the Red Bull energy drink, it almost appears that it has arisen organically from the properties of the product; it supports physical and mental exertion and therefore the market position supports this. However, this belies is underpinned by clever physical and psychological positioning. The physical positioning refers to the product’s unique characteristics (it provides energy from its unique formula) and the psychological positioning derives from its brand image as being youthful and energetic, and socially desirable to its twenty-something core audience (Lantos, 2011). From its original product offering (one product), the company has added a little to its portfolio through the introduction of Red Bull sugar-free, Red Bull zero-calories, Red Bull editions (in flavours of cranberry, lime and blueberry) and Red Bull cola. The cola is promoted as being the only cola drink made from 100% natural ingredients and makes the case that, unlike other brands that might be mentioned, it has no secret formula. The company follows the same basic branding approach for these additional products, presumably on the grounds that they will appeal to subsets of their existing target audience. Marketing Communications However impressive a brand is, it has no value unless it can communicate its unique characteristics to the consumer. On this basis, Red Bull has a highly effective marketing communications approach, it is currently recognised as the 74th most valuable brand in the world, with a value of $7.5 billion USD (Forbes, 2014). From grass roots marketing, these days the brand is more recognised through its sponsorship initiatives. This is backed up with a strong online presence that strongly reflects the brand image and provides a form of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC). The company sees modern communications media as being critical to their success (Kotler and Keller, 2012). The reason Red Bull has achieved such success has been that it has successfully aligned its brand identity with that of its target audience in a way not achieved by its competitors (Urbany and Davis, 2010). Even when it uses traditional marketing media such as TV, it does so in a quirky ways that does not take itself too seriously. In doing so it maintains the image that appeals to its customers. It is this consistancy of message that is so important to IMC. Whatever channel is used to get the message across, it must be the same as those used on alternative channels. Digital media provides an increasingly important method of communicating with consumers, and Red Bull has identified this. As well as having a strong website that focuses on the sponsorship activities it is involved with, it also provides links to social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and You Tube. These sites provide consumers with a means of communicating with the company and with like-minded individuals across the world. This fosters a club-like experience that enhances the company’s alignment with its customers. The use of social media to build on relationship marketing is now well recognised, and Red Bull has been in the forefront of exploiting this (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel, 2011). The company has also been active in the field of mobile marketing, launching its own app to allow subscribers to keep in touch with the company when on the move. Overall, Red Bull is one of the most effective marketing communications companies in the world, and it does so by offering interesting content to its customers. The actual advertising of the products forms a small part of this. However, the brand is intimately linked with its products and thus the message gets across clearly. The continually changing content prompts users to visit its sites frequently, and in doing so keeps the brand close to the user’s attention. Few companies have been so successful in doing so. The next section looks at the current state of the company in the market. Company Analysis Analytical Methods There are a variety of methods available for the analysis of a company. These include analyses on the external environment in which the company operates, such as PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technical, Legal and Environment), and those that examine the internal context such as SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) (Allen, 2001; Murray-Webster, 2010). Other techniques include VRIO (Value, Rarity, Imitability and Organisation), used to determine the level of competitive advantage a company has and how long it is likely to be retained (Peng, 2011). In this case, a PESTLE analysis would provide results indicative of the energy drinks market rather than being specific to Red Bull. A VRIO analysis lacks the depth of SWOT analysis in terms of a general assessment of the internal and external situation, and therefore a SWOT analysis was chosen for analysis of the company. This is shown later in the next section. Company Sales and Diversification Apart from its energy drinks, the company has diversified into other businesses that have synergy with its brand image. These include football clubs, youth academies, online clothing sales and even a construction company. It has moved into media ownership, with print magazines and the mobile phone service industry. Red Bull is privately owned and therefore does not need to report its performance publicly. However, it reported net sales of 4.9 billion Euros in 2012, with 5.2 billion cans of its primary product sold. This represented considerable growth on the previous year (15.9% on sales; 12.8% on number of cans). The company showed very strong net sales growth in South Africa (52%), Japan (51%), Saudi Arabia (38%) and strong continued growth in France (21%), the US (17%) and Germany (14%) (Euromonitor, 2012). The company attributed this to ongoing brand investment and efficient cost management (Euromonitor, 2012). Strengths The main strength of Red Bull is its brand, which is very valuable and has allowed it to grow a strong set of customers. It is synonymous with its energy drink, which is a positive factor (Park et al, 2013). The company has successfully developed new markets internationally using the same brand image. It can therefore be considered as a global company. This is important in that many of its current markets are at or near market saturation. Its use of social media to help to build its brand by relationship marketing is also a strength (Segrave, Carson and Merhout, 2011). Weaknesses The main weakness of the brand is its limited product portfolio. It primary relies on its single main product. This product is at risk of political or legal controls owing to the high levels of caffeine used, or it could just lose its appeal to the market (Aaker and McLoughlin, 2010). This could adversely affect the ability of the company to maintain its position in various markets. Opportunities The company has been effective in developing emerging markets, and if this continues it could largely offset poorer sales developments in the mature markets. Its global marketing message appears to be universally appealing to its target audience, despite cultural differences. It has also invested in new production facilities in Brazil to support domestic sales in the South American continent management (Euromonitor, 2012). This model could easily be extended to local production in Asia and other developing markets. This would both reduce cost of sales and provide a greater sense of community belonging. Threats A range of similar drinks have emerged following its success, increasing the level of competition within its market sector. Some of these competitors use natural ingredients, which may be seen as more desirable to its target audience. This includes the Monster product, which is pressuring sales particularly in North America management (Euromonitor, 2012). The company also faces competition from entrenched market leaders in the wider drinks market such as Coca Cola and Pepsi. These companies work continuously to reduce the threat level posed to themselves from Red Bull. With their huge marketing budgets and ability to develop new products, this could eventually prove decisive and reduce the success of Red Bull. The company also faces the law of diminishing returns in marketing in its mature market, in that the cost to reach the relatively small number of potential customers remaining in these markets becomes prohibitively high (Mike, 2004). The company invests considerable resources in its relationship marketing, and this ongoing cost may also become more onerous, should sales in its target market fall for any reason. Therefore the company faces the potential of having high marketing costs leading to smaller sales despite its dominant position in many markets. Conclusions Red Bull has demonstrated a novel approach to marketing and has introduced a new product to the market that has spawned an entire new category of product. Through its actions, the company has become very successful and has become the market leader in its sector. Its use of a marketing message that is light on selling the product but heavy on building the brand image and associating it with extreme sports and other activities of interest to its target audience has possibly shown the future direction of much marketing effort. The current position of Red Bull remains strong in its market sector. However, as it is now the leading brand in many markets, it will find it difficult to maintain its position due to increased competition from other brands that have seen the opportunities offered by the sector. The growing age of its original target audience may also prove a factor; the company has deliberately addressed a youthful market and as these original customers grow older, it remains to be seen whether the product will continue to appeal to newer generations. However, the company can n develop new markets, and it can potentially reduce costs by focusing on domestic production. These new markets may allow the development of complimentary new products. . It is possible that these could then be sold in its mature markets, widening its product portfolio. Whether the company remains successful will depend on a number of factors. Primarily, there is a question of whether the brand can continue to be trendy now that it is well established in the market. It faces increasing competition in its sector, and this will affect sales unless the company can successfully fend it off. However, it can still expand into new markets and streamline its production facilities to allow the business to continue to grow. Future of Red Bull and Recommendations In order to protect its position and continue to grow, the company should embrace the opportunities offered in emerging markets. It should also work to streamline its distribution to reduce costs. This could be through domestic production or through setting up alliances with existing distributors in those regions. The competition to Red Bull is only likely to increase as more manufacturers seek to exploit its market sector. Emerging products may replace the Red Bull brand image of being cutting edge and anti-establishment; one company cannot keep this mantle forever. The company should therefore consider adapting its message to existing consumers as they mature. The company is well placed to make this transition. However, it cannot simply rely on existing customers, but must appeal to new consumer groups. This could be assisted by the launching of additional products aimed at different demographics. Red Bull is used as a mixer for spirits such as vodka. This offers an additional opportunity to target the more mature audience by launching pre-mixed alcoholic drinks. Red Bull has shown itself adept at social media. The company should develop this as far as possible, embracing new technologies as they arise. This is vital for it to maintain its relationship marketing and also allow the brand to continue to spread through word-of-mouth and sharing of information online. Since the company has so much news to share from the events and teams it sponsors, it has a readymade store of information. This could prove to be important in maintaining brand loyalty in the future. References Aaker, D. A. McLoughlin, D. (2010), Strategic Market Management: Global Perspectives, UK: John Wiley Sons Allen, M. (2001), Analysing the Organisational Environment, UK: Select Knowledge Boswijk, A., Thijssen, T. Peelen, E. (2007), The Experience Economy: A New Perspective, Netherlands: Pearson Education Benelux Dahlen, M., Lange, F. Smith, T. (2010), Marketing Communications: A Brand Narrative Approach, UK: John Wiley Sons Euromonitor (2012), Red Bull GMBH in Soft Drinks (World), available from http://www.euromonitor.com/medialibrary/PDF/RedBull-Company-Profile-SWOT-Analysis.pdf , accessed 4th November 2014 Fifield, P. (1998), Marketing Strategy, UK: Butterworth-Heinemann Forbes, Red Bull, available from http://www.forbes.com/companies/red-bull/, accessed 6 th November 2014 Franzen, G. Moriarty, S. (2009), The Science and Art of Branding, USA: M. E. Sharpe Inc. Hill, C. Jones, G. (2012), Essentials of Strategic Management, USA: South-Western Cengage Learning Kotler, P. Keller, K. (2012), Marketing Management 14th Edition, USA: Pearson Education Lamb, C., Hair, J. McDaniel, C. (2011), Essentials of Marketing 11th Edition, USA: South-Western Cengage Learning Lantos, G. P. (2011), Consumer Behaviour in Action, USA: M. E. Sharpe Inc. Lee, O. (2001), Internet Marketing Research: Theory and Practice, USA: Idea Group Publishing Mail Online (2001), Three Deaths linked to energy drink, available from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-59862/Three-deaths-linked-energy-drink.html , accessed 6th November 2014 Mike, S. (2004), Marketing and Sales, India: Lotus Press Murray-Webster, R. (2010), Management of risk: guidance for practitioners, UK: The Stationery Office Onkvisit, S. Shaw, J. (2009), International Marketing: Strategy and Theory 5th Edition, UK: Routledge Park, C. W., Eisingerich, A. B., Pol,G. Park, J. W. (2013), The role of brand image in firm performance, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 66, 180-187 Peng, M. W. 92011), Global Business, USA: South-Western Cengage Learning Pride, W. O’Ferrell, O. C. (2006), Marketing, USA: Houghton Mifflin Red Bull (2014), Red Bull Energy Drink Ingredients, available from http://energydrink.redbull.com/ingredients-red-bull, accessed 3rd November 2014 Red Bull (2014a), Events, available from http://www.redbull.com/en/discover/events, accessed 4th November 2014 Segrave, J., Carson, C. Merhout, J. W. (2011), Online Social Networks: An Online Brand Community Framework (2011). AMCIS 2011 Proceedings All Submissions. Paper 249. http://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2011_submissions/249 Urbany, J. E. Davis, J. H. (2010), Grow by Focusing of What Matters: Competitive Strategy in 3 Circles, USA: Business Experts Press

The Effect of Illiteracy

EFFECTS OF ILLITERACY ON SOCIETY illiteracy is one of the major problems facing society and the educational system. Recent studies show that there is an increasing rate of illiteracy all over the world. A study conducted by Recent studies show that there is an increasing rate of illiteracy all over the world. A study conducted by WSI (World Statistics Institute) shows that over 27% of people are illiterate globally. Another study by the same institute shows that the speed at which the illiteracy rate ascends is 32% [32% of what? . These rates are quite important, as illiteracy has terrible effects on society. The most important effect of illiteracy on society is that it works as an inhibitor. That is to say, the more illiterate people there are in a country, the harder it will be for the country to develop. This fact could be clarified with an example: America (whose illiteracy rate is below 5%) and Canada (illiteracy rate: around 8%) are developed countries, whereas countries like T urkey and Iran (illiteracy rates: 61% and 43% in order [respectively]) are undeveloped countries. Illiteracy has got a kind of   â€Å"genetic† effect.The children of illiterate people are more likely to be illiterate than those who aren't [aren't what? – rewrite this sentence to make it clear]. Even if the parents don't want their children to be illiterate, their children, observing the parents, see that they somehow manage to live and adopt the idea that illiteracy isn't actually a bad thing [not very clearly expressed – try a rewrite]. And since people develop most of their character during childhood, they choose to go with illiteracy. Another major effect of illiteracy is that illiterate people believe in the said things easily.They do not investigate what was said or told to them. When looked [looking] at the pages of history, it can be seen that while most uneducated people are [were] slaves, guardians and assistants; people who are [were] educated are [ were] mostly kings, queens and sultans. They [Who? ] are not slaves because they wanted, but because people superior to them – in terms of education – made them so. All these significant results of illiteracy affect society in a bad way. So, illiteracy rates must be tried to cut down. Try and imagine our society without a common language. This could be quite a hard idea to fathom. Allow me to assist you.If this hypothetical idea were in fact true, a typical conversation between two individuals would be as follows: one of the two would begin the conversation by making noises representing their language, the other person would not understand these noises and respond with unrecognizable noises to the first individual. As you can well imagine, this would get quite frustrating. Rita Mae Brown describes literacy as, â€Å"a social contract, an agreed upon representation of certain symbols† (420). If the symbol's (letters) meanings are not agreed upon by those attempti ng to communicate, then interpreting one another becomes difficult.Simply stated, literacy is very important. Society has proven time and time again, it will reward those individuals who are competent and impede those who are not, whether expressed in terms of employment opportunities (job success) or just on a social level. One need look no further than their everyday activities in order to realize how important literary skills are. Without adequate literary skills one may not be able to identify on a label the correct amount of medicine to give a child, or read and interpret a sign giving instructions on what to do in case of a fire.These two examples bring perspective to literacy's importance. Nevertheless, recent surveys have indicated that, â€Å"4. 5 million Canadians, representing 24 percent of the eighteen-and-over group, can be considered illiterate† (â€Å"Adult Illiteracy† 5). Illiteracy is truly a problem within Canada. Although many groups are working to r ender the problem of illiteracy, much work still lies ahead. As our society moves on into the next century literacy is proving vital to economic performance. Without basic literary skills in one's possession they will become lost in our rapidly changing society.The modern worker must be able to adapt to the changing job-scene. This often means gathering new skills and knowledge from printed material, whether instruction manuals, computer programs, or classroom training (text books). It is quite commonly the case that highly skilled jobs require a high level of literacy. Therefore, literary skill level is an important factor in predicting an individual's economic success. It will affect an individual's income, their employment stability and whether they even receive employment opportunities. Presently, our world revolves around literacy.Simply being literate allows one to continuously upgrade one's literary skills to a higher level. It allows one to stay informed of happenings in and around the world through mediums such as newspapers and magazines. Knowing current news about what is going on in this ever changing world of ours is the key to staying ahead. Another thought to ponder is this, we rely on those with high literacy levels to record and document findings and happenings for future generations to reflect on. These writings would most likely be dull and inaccurate or would not exist at all without our current levels of literacy.When viewed from a social standpoint, literacy remains just as important as when viewed from the economic standpoint. Linda Macleod of the National Associations Active in Criminal Justice, points out that, â€Å"65 percent of people entering Canadian prisons for the first time have trouble reading and writing, low literacy is part of a constellation of problems that can limit choices in life and thus lead people to criminal activity† (20). Somebody in possession of a high level of literacy will most likely be well informed and tend to make wiser decisions.By obtaining this level of literacy they have also gathered a large vocabulary giving them many words to choose from to express their ideas and feelings. Conversely, many would agree that a conversation with one who has a good grasp of the English language is always more delightful than with one who is less educated. Literacy can act as a window, opening one's view to the world. Presently, we are being bombarded with information, news, trivia and gossip (not that this is always a positive feature in our lives). Without sufficient literary skills one cannot even absorb any of this information.These people will miss out on many of life's benefits, socially as well as economically. Without sufficient literary skills one would have a tremendously difficult time functioning in our current world. Think about your average day, consider how many times you refer to your literary skills to aid you, could you function without those skills? Finding an address, r eading a map, reading a menu, performing a bank transaction, these are just a few common tasks that require your literary skills. Also, when looking at the importance of literacy to our nation, its value is evident. High levels of iteracy throughout all sectors of Canada's workforce are necessary, â€Å"low literacy levels of workers' affect Canada's ability to perform in the increasingly competitive international marketplace† (â€Å"Literacy† 7). Literary skills become building blocks. First creating a well-educated society, then a highly skilled labour force which can compete and adapt to the changing market. These factors lead to an increase in economic growth within the nation which in turn, results in a higher standard of living for its people. As our society moves forward into the future, a higher level of literacy will become more important to one's level of success.Where would our society be without our ability to exchange knowledge and information? How many ti mes have you made a purchase that read on the outside – instructions inside? You and I think nothing of this, and in a sense take our gift for granted. For many, deciphering written instructions is a near impossible task, asking for assistance does little more than to further lower their self esteem. Literacy is important. To truly seize the benefits possible in one's life it has to be accepted that literacy is the key. Society will continue to reward skilled individuals and disadvantage those who are not.

Care Delivery & Management Essay

The purpose of this assignment is to reflect upon my personal and professional development. It will consider the quality of the care I provided, the skills I developed in my specialist placement, plus my learning since the commencement of my nurse training. Personal learning and self-reflection will be identified. I shall be using Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle to consider my practice. Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle looks at six aspects which include the following; what happened, what were my thoughts and feelings, what was good or bad about the experience, what sense can I make out of the situation, what else could I have done and if it arose again what would I do? Findings will be supported or contrasted by relevant literature. A conclusion will be offered to evaluate findings. I shall also include an action plan, which will address future professional and personal development needs and any factors that may help or hinder this. I will also consider why I have selected these issues fo r my action plan, what my goals are and how I aim to achieve them. At the beginning of my nurse training we were asked to write on a piece of piece what our definition of nursing was. I wrote ‘It’s about being human’. At the time these words were based on my gut feeling and personal belief. Now, two and a half years later, I would write the same thing, but this time my definition would be based on the skills, knowledge and experiences I feel privileged and grateful to have had during my training and not just on gut feeling and personal belief. How does this knowledge impact on me in terms of practice? I can now put my definition of nursing into a framework and relate the theory of it to practice, for example I can identify when I am actively undertaking anxiety management with a patient. This is quite an achievement for me. What else have I learnt? I have gained knowledge of illnesses and understand how bio-psycho-social aspects of mental illness impact on the individual, their family and their life. I have also developed a good basic knowledge of practical skills such as: counselling, anxiety management, assessment, nursing and communication models, problem-solving and psychotherapy. This knowledge and development of practical skills has enabled my self confidence and self esteem to grow. What things have had the most influence on my personal and professional learning? These things are what ‘It’s about being human’ means to me as a nurse. They include a humanistic care philosophy. Evidence suggests that patients have found the humanistic care philosophy to be positive and helpful to their well-being (Beech, Norman 1995.) Humanistic care believes in; developing trust, the nurse-patient relationship, using the self as a therapeutic tool, spending time to ‘be with’ and ‘do with’ the patient (Hanson 2000,) patient empowerment, the patient as an equal partners in their care (Department Of Health 1999,) respect for the patient’s uniqueness, recognition of the patient as an expert on themselves (Nelson-Jones 1982, Playle 1995, Horsfall 1997). Equally important to me is person-centred care, Roger’s (1961) unconditional positive regard, warmth, genuineness and empathy, recognition of counter-transference, self-reflect ion and self-awareness. I was on placement with Liaison Psychiatry also known as Deliberate Self Harm. The team consisted of my mentor and myself. In this placement we would assess patients who had deliberately self harmed. Patients would be referred via A&E only. We would see patients whilst they were still in A&E or after they had been transferred to hospital wards for medical treatment for their injuries etc. We would only see patients once they were medically fit to have a psychiatric assessment. The purpose of the assessment was to find out what was happening for the individual and see if we could offer any help via mental health services to the individual, this is done via implementing ‘APIE’ the nursing process (Hargreaves 1975). The main focus was to consider what degree of risk we felt the patient was in. Therefore we needed to establish what the individuals intent was at the time of the deliberate self harm, and if suicidal, whether they still had suicidal intent after the incident. We also held a weekly counselling clinic. I considered Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle. How did I feel about this placement? At first I was apprehensive as to how I would feel dealing with patients who do not necessarily want to live. I belong to a profession that saves lives, so I felt an inner conflict. This is an anxiety that is recognised in most nurses (Whitworth 1984). In my first few weeks I felt distressed by the traumatic events that these patients were experiencing. I felt guilty that I have a family who love me, a fulfilling career, a lovely home and no debts, then each day I talk to people who may have no home, no money, no one to love them and no employment. It was hard for me to make sense of these things when life circumstances, such as class, status, wealth, education and employment create unfairness. I felt a desire to help try and improve the quality of these patients’ situations. Midence (1996) has identified that these feelings are a normal response when dealing with others less fortunate that oursel ves. Patients’ who attempt suicide have lost hope (Beck 1986). I felt more settled and positive once I was able to make sense of the situation (Gibbs 1988). I realised that could help by listening to these patient’s and help to restore hope, develop problem solving ideas to tackle some of their problems or referring them to gain the emotional help and support they needed from appropriate mental health services. Patients find help with problem solving extremely valuable and can help them feel able to cope (McLaughlin 1999). Generally, after most assessments, I learnt that listening, giving emotional support and problem solving helped restore enough hope in the previously suicidal patient enable them to feel safe from future self harm. In only a handful of cases did my mentor and I need to admit patients to any inpatient facility under the Mental Health Act (1983). This was because they still felt at risk of future self-harm. Through using Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle to consider my special placement area I feel I have been able to change my nursing practice in a positive way, initially from feeling anxious, guilty and helpless when dealing with suicidal patients to feeling useful, constructive and positive. I’ve learnt that by confronting my own feelings of guilt and discomfort I was able to help in a very positive, practical, constructive and empowering way. My mentor identified that one of my strengths is that I can generally combine common sense, logic and practicality in terms of risk assessment and problem solving and still build up a sensitive and caring, therapeutic relationship when dealing with patients whose circumstances are in crisis and complicated and they themselves are emotionally and mentally vulnerable. Nurses not only need good communication skills (Faulkner 1998) but they also need to have an environment conductive to open communication (Wilkinson 1992). Social barriers such as environment, structure or cultural aspects of healthcare can inhibit the application of communication skills (Chambers 2002) Utilising Gibbs (19988) Reflective Model, in retrospect; I feel our interview with some patients could have been done differently. On occasions when my mentor and I were in the A & E department the two rooms that we had available for our use were occasionally both in use. This meant that we would conduct our assessment interviews in the Plaster Room, if it was empty. This room was where medical patients would have plaster-casts applied. This was a very clinical room. However, due to limited room availability this was sometimes the only option we had at the time, it was not a welcoming or appropriate setting and would not have helped patients feel relaxed or valued. In reflection, I believe it was actually demeaning as we were asking patients who had attempted suicide to sit on a hard chair in a clinical workroom and share their despair with us. I am sad that this happened and I feel as though we were giving the patients the impression that a cold clinical work room is all they were worth. If this arose again (Gibbs 1988) I would suggest to my mentor that we wait for one of our allocated rooms to become available, where the rooms were relaxing, with soft armchairs and a feeling of comfort. Using Gibbs (1988) Reflective Model I shall describe a situation with a patient to highlight my learning. What happened (Gibbs 1988)? Neil had been bought to A&E by his son after he made an attempt to take his own life. His son explained that Neil’s wife had terminal cancer and had died the day before. Neil was unable to engage in conversation other that to repeat over and over again â€Å"I don’t want to live without my wife.† However the more disturbed and difficult to communicate a patient is the less interaction they receive therapeutic or otherwise from nursing staff (Cormack 1976, Poole, Sanson-Fisher, Thompson 1981, Robinson 1996a, 1996b). I found this too be true in Neil’s situation as some A & E nurses did not wish to approach him because of his disturbed state and unresponsiveness to verbal cues. What were my thoughts and feeling (Gibbs 1988)? After spending twenty minutes in the assessment interview Neil had remained unresponsive to our approaches and had remained distressed, distant and uncommunicative for the entire time. I had past experience of recent bereavement within my immediate family and I realised that counter-transference was at play and was a reason for my strong emotional reaction to Neil’s distress resulting in me having an overwhelming desire to ease his suffering. Even though another part of me understood the need for him to experience this extreme pain as a normal part of grieving. What was good or bad about the experience (Gibbs 1988)? This was not a good experience for me because as a compassionate person, I found it extremely hard to suppress my own feelings of wanting to protect him from such devastating distress, although I recognised that I was over-identifying with him due to my own grief. I considered that he might have been embarrassed by the emotional state he was in and his inability to control his grief; he could not speak, maintain eye contact or even physically stand. What sense could I make of the situation (Gibbs 1988)? We adjourned for a few minutes so that my mentor and I could assess the situation. I thought it might be appropriate to utilise Heron’s Six Category Intervention Analysis (1975) cathartic intervention as a therapeutic strategy to enable the patient to release emotional tension such as grief, anger, despair and anxiety by helping to (Chambers 1990). I hoped it would facilitate the opportunity for Neil to open up and express his full feelings in a safe and supportive environment. I initially planned to sit quietly with him and briefly put a reassuring hand on either his hand, arm or shoulder. My mentor supported this action. I was aware that I ran a risk of misinterpretation by choosing therapeutic touch. Therapeutic touch may be criticised because it is open to misinterpretation by the patient and abuse of power by staff. The patient may view holding another’s hand as a sexual advance, violation or abuse, so nurses should always consider patient consent, appropriateness, context and boundaries. Clause 2.4 of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2002) Code Of Professional Conduct says that at all times healthcare professionals must maintain appropriate boundaries with patients and all aspects of care must be relevant to their needs. Therapeutic touch appeared acceptable given his situation and seemed appropriate to the context it would be performed in, given that my mentor would supervise me. As per Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle I considered what else I could have done especially if the situation arose again and mentor not been there. I would may have chosen to utilise Hanson’s (2000) approach of ‘being with’ whereby I use therapeutic use of self through the sharing of one’s own presence, and not involved any form of touch, avoiding any misinterpretation or breach of boundaries. I was anxious because I felt concerned that my nursing skills would be inadequate to address his needs due to his acutely distressed state. In reflection my mentor helped me acknowledge that this was about my own anxiety rather than being accurately reflective of my nursing ability. I approached Neil and explained that if it was acceptable with him I would like to sit quietly with him so that he was not alone in his distress. â€Å"It is likely that the nursing process is therapeutic when nurse and patient can come to know and to respect each other, as persons who are alike and yet different, as persons who share in the solution of problems† (Peplau 1988). I gently placed my hand onto his. Neil reacted by given the impression that he physically disintegrated, he become extremely distressed and crying loudly, squeezing my hand tightly. This continued for several minutes. Neil became calmer and started to talk about his situation. This was a good outcome. I was able to utilise Herons (1975) cathartic strategy with positive effect via empathising with Neil’s situation and using myself as a therapeutic tool through the use of touch, thus enabling Neil to express his emotions and activate a nurse-patient relationship. Studies have shown that nurses can express compassion and empathy through touch, using themselves as a therapeutic tool (Routasalo 1999, Scholes 1996) and this has a cathartic value, enabling the patient to express their feelings more easily (Leslie Baillie 1996). The therapeutic value of non-verbal communication and its harmfulness is overlooked (Salvage 1990). Attitudes are evident in the way we interact with others and can create atmospheres that make patient care uncomfortable (Hinchcliff, Norman, Schoeber 1998) On one occasion, one nurse privately referred to Neil as a â€Å"wimp† because he was having difficulty coping with the death of his wife. I wondered whether her body language had transmitted her bad attitude towards Neil, contributing to his distress and difficulties in communicating with staff. Again using Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle, I shall provide another example to highlight my learning in practice. What happened (Gibbs 1988)? Cycle On one occasion my mentor and I received a phone call from A & E asking us to review an 18-year-old girl called Emma who had taken an overdose. They said she was medically fit to be assessed. When we arrived they claimed that she was pretending to still feel unwell and described her as â€Å"milking it†. We found her to be vomiting and discovered she had been left in a bed in the corridor of A & E for 8 hours. McAllister (2001) found that patients who had self-harmed were ignored, had exceptionally long waits and suffered judgemental comments. What were my thoughts and feelings (Gibbs 1988)? I felt very angry towards A & E staff as I felt that she was being unfairly treated because she had caused harm to herself, she had been labelled as a troublemaker by staff and I do not believe she had received good quality care. Emma explained that in the last month her father had died, she had miscarried her baby, discovered that her partner was having an affair, and she had been made redundant leaving her with debts that she couldn’t pay. As I looked at her, I saw a vulnerable young woman at the end of her tether. I felt saddened and disappointed by the judgemental attitudes of the A & E staff who had not even taken the time to talk to Emma or ask her why she had taken an overdose, instead they describe her as an â€Å"immature and attention seeking kid†. As per Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle, I felt this was a very bad experience of poor care, bad attitudes and unacceptable moral judgement being made by A & E staff. Cohen (1996) and Nettleton (1995) identify that social status; age, gender, race and class contribute to stereotyping and judgemental attitudes. I noticed that people who self-harmed were judged differently dependent upon their age and the younger they were the worse the attitude of A and E staff. Interestingly ageism towards youth is an area that I could find no research on. I believe ageism towards younger people is overlooked and is really only identified in the elderly. During the assessment I was aware of how my physical presence can impact on the care given. However, I have learnt about the importance of considering how one can communicate to the patient via body language. By attending to patients in a non-verbal or physical way it is another method of saying, â€Å"I’m interested, I’m listening and I care.† To do this during Emma’s assessment I utilised Egan’s (1982) acronym S.O.L.A.R. This meant that I sat facing Emma Squarely, with an Open posture, Leaning towards her, whilst making Eye contact and Relaxing myself, to give her the feeling of my willingness to help. This client centred care recognises her equality in the nurse-patient relationship. What sense did I make of the situation (Gibbs 1988)? I was very unhappy about the attitude of A & E staff but recognised that they had a lack of understanding and knowledge. In one study looking at self-harm admissions it was discovered that patients who deliberately self-harm are often deemed as unpopular patients, being labelled and judged as time wasters by A & E staff. Apparently 55% of general nurses perceived these patients as attention seekers and disliked working with them, 64% found it frustrating, 20% found it depressing and almost a third found it uncomfortable (Sidley, Renton 1996). What else could I have done (Gibbs 1988) After reflecting upon the experience with my mentor, I was able to realise that part of my role is to act as a representative for mental health. If this happened again what would I do (Gibbs 1988)? If staff were to make judgemental comments again it is part of my role to educate and inform them so they can have a positive understanding of the needs of the mental health patient and learn to address any judgemental comments made. This is a view supported by Johnstone (1997), who says that if we are made aware of our actions when we are judging and labelling people it is our responsibility to correct this. Medical staff need to be aware of mental health promotion, and need further training and education in respects of helping to care for and understand of this vulnerable patient group (Hawton 2000). This is a view supported by the Department of Health (DOH 1999a) who have recommended closer liaison between mental health and A & E services in an effort to address the poor understanding and negative attitudes of A & E staff. I have also learnt that I must look at both sides of each situation and should show more understanding towards the A & E staff’s feelings, as they are often confronted with shocking and distressing acts of self infliction which can make them feel despair, helpless and unskilled to deal with these sort of patient. I believe nurses negative attitudes develop because we all intuitively apply own our values and views to everyday situations, people, experiences and interactions. It may be the staff member’s own coping mechanism to keep their distance from the patient or to label them as attention seeking in order to make sense of the situation for themselves. This is a view supported by Johnstone (1997). In reflection, following the assessment and planning of care for Emma my mentor and I reflected upon the care I provided for her. I recognised that I felt nervous because it was my first experience of conducting an assessment. Having my mentor there to observe me made me feel secure because I trusted my mentor and could rely on her expertise to ensure that I provided safe practice for Emma. However, I still felt anxious as I was faced with an unknown situation. This made me realise how difficult and intimidating the assessment process may have felt to Emma. I had the security of feeling safe in the relationship with my mentor. Emma didn’t know either of us. This highlighted the huge value of the nurse-patient relationship and how the importance of utilising Rogers (1961) theory of client-centred care involving unconditional positive regard, warmth, genuineness and empathy towards patients. My mentor said that I provided evidence based care and I appeared to have a good humanistic approach, sensitively providing client centred care. She joked that I was so keen to ‘get it right’ that I was practically sat on Emma’s knee in my efforts to non-verbally show to Emma that I was attentive and listening to her. I think that whilst this was a joke, I will endeavour to continue to be keen but will relax a bit more, hopefully as I gain more experience myself. I will also use the insight and understanding from these experiences to benefit my future practise and the care I provide for patients. Boyd & Fales (1983) suggest, â€Å"Reflective learning is the process of internally examining an issue of concern, triggered by an experience, which creates and clarifies meaning in terms of self, and which results in a changed conceptual perspective.† Self-reflection helps the practitioner find practice-based answers to problems that require more than the application of theory (Schon 1983). I have discovered this to be true, especially in mental health nursing where problem solving may be in the realm of religious, spiritual or cultural beliefs, emotional or intuitive feelings, ethics and moral ideals, which sometimes cannot be theorised. With one patient I couldn’t understand his unwillingness to engage in therapy even though he turned up for a weekly appointment. Once I reflected on this with my mentor I realised that I was not considering his strict religious and cultural background, which complicated his care. I realised that I had been completely ignorant of his needs and had in-fact lacked self-awareness otherwise I would have recognised these issues sooner. According to Kemmis (1995) a benefit of self-reflection is that it helps practitioners become ‘aware of their unawareness’. I have learnt that there are barriers to reflection. On occasions after seeing a patient my mentor may interpret events in a slightly different way to myself. Newell (1992) and Jones (1995) criticize the idea of reflection arguing that it is a flawed process due to inaccurate recall memory and hindsight bias. Another criticism of refection is that it aims to theorise actions in hindsight therefore devaluing the skill of responding intuitively to a patient (Richardson 1995). I considered that my thought to hold Neil’s hand may have been intuitive but because we must use evidence based practice and appropriate frameworks of care, I theorised my care and utilised Heron’s (1975) framework. I believe self-reflection helps me to become self-aware. Self-awareness is achieved when the student acknowledges there own personal characteristics, including values, attitudes, prejudices, beliefs, assumptions, feelings, counter-transferences, personal motives and needs, competencies, skills and limitations. When they become aware of these things and the impact they have on the therapeutic communication and relationship with the patient then they become self-aware (Cook 1999). I have learnt through these experiences that reflection can be a painful experience as I have recognised my own imperfections and bias. I have felt angry with general nursing staffs attitudes towards mental health patients and have now been able to realise that this emotion is unhelpful and instead I should be more tolerant and understanding and help them to understand the patients needs. It is also difficult especially if one is experiencing strong emotions such as anger, frustration and grief (Rich 1995). At times I have over-identified with my patients and personalised their situation to similar situations of my own. This is known as counter-transference and has blinded my ability to address their care needs. Counter-transference is the healthcare professionals emotional reaction to the patient, it is constantly present in every interaction and it strongly influences the therapeutic relationship, but is often not reflected upon (Slipp 2000). Counter-transference can be defined as negative as it can create disruptive feelings in the clinician, causing misguided values and bias (Pearson 2001). I have learnt that it is crucial for me to consider how my reactions to a patient’s problem can impact on the care I provide. Whilst I endeavour to always give 100% best and unbiased care to each patient, I have realised I respond more favourably to patients that I like or identify with. For example I was extremely compassionate and biased towards both Emma and Neil and I feel that my personal life experiences influenced me because I could really empathise with them both. However, I realised that I am only human and that as long as I recognise the impact of counter-transference then I can use it positively as my self awareness of the fact that the process is occurring will enable me to address and challenge my own thoughts, feelings and responses. To conclude, I have been able to highlight my learning over the last two and a half years, both personally and professionally. This has enabled me to look at the areas that I am good at and the areas that I can improve on. I have been able to look at the quality of the care I have given patients and considered what I have achieved, how I felt, how I could have done things better, what was successful and unsuccessful, what issues influenced me and what understanding I had of the experience. I have also been able to recognise my role as a representative for mental health nursing and how I can promote it to other healthcare professionals. I have also identified the value of the role of my mentor in helping me to develop as a nurse. I will use the insight and understanding from these experiences to benefit my future practice and the care I provide for patients. ACTION PLAN Word Count 1086 What are my goals? My mentor and I discussed the areas that I want to improve on. We identified that my stronger points are common sense, logical approach and practical ability in terms of things like risk assessing and problem solving. I am also competent in the building of a therapeutic relationship, utilising a humanistic care philosophy, person centre approach, empathy, genuineness, unconditional positive regard and honest. I also have a good knowledge in respect of mental health promotion, anxiety management, basic counselling skills, understanding of the fundamentals associated with nursing, assessment and communication models and the basic principles of psychotherapy. I feel I have come a long way in two and a half years and have accomplished a lot. However, there are areas that I recognise that I can improve on and I am happy that I can address these as I hope this will improve my learning, skills and competency as a nurse in the future, providing better patient care. The areas I need to gain more knowledge and experience of include: understanding the religious, cultural and spiritual needs of the patient and how this impacts on their care and quality of life, recognising and working with counter transference and my tendency to feel the need to over protect patients as this does not help the patient to utilise choice, be responsible for themselves or empower themselves. I want to continue developing my own self awareness through self reflection. Finally I wish to develop my academic abilities and to train further so that I have more knowledge. Why have I chosen these issues? I have chosen to improve my knowledge and understanding of patients religious, cultural and spiritual needs and how this impacts on their care and quality of life, because by doing this I hope to be able to address their needs holistically. To successfully undertake a thorough assessment the healthcare practitioner needs to identify the holistic needs of the patient, failure to do so would neglect the patients physical, psycho-social and spiritual needs (Stuart and Sundeen 1997.) At present I feel I am unable to fully comprehend or provide best care as I feel I lack the skills and knowledge to do so. I also wish to further consider the impact of counter transference and my tendency to feel the need to over protect patients. I feel that if I gain more understanding and recognition of how counter-transference can change my reaction to a patient then I will be able to address it and have more control and choice over my nursing and my responses. In practice, I have experienced strong emotional reactions to some patient’s, perhaps because I could identify with some of their issues. However, this can result in my wanting to over protect them, which may disempower them, and this is unhelpful. Different characteristic in patients can influence the emotional reaction of the nurse (Holmquist 1998). I need to be able to recognise these characteristics in the patient and be self aware of the way I am responding. I want to continue developing my own self-awareness through self-reflection, as I will need to be able to exercise autonomous and expert judgement as a qualified nurse. The ability to use self-reflection as a learning tool to becoming self-aware will help me achieve this. This is a view supported by (Wong 1995). Boud, Keogh & Walker (1995) believe self reflection is an important human activity, essential for personal development as well as for the professional development of the nurse. By being able to mull over my experiences will help me challenge my beliefs and behaviour as an individual and a nurse. Finally I wish to develop my academic abilities and to train further so that I have more nursing knowledge. Experience alone is not the key to learning (Boud et al 1985). I wish to gain further qualifications so that I may further my career and knowledge, as this will provide a sense of achievement and fulfilment for me. How am I going to achieve my goals? I intend to develop my portfolio and keep an open reflective diary (Richardson 1995) to show evidence of my learning and prepare for my PREPP. Portfolios are seen as a collection of information and evidence used to summarize what has been learnt from prior experience and opportunities (Knapp 1975), and acknowledges professional and personal development, knowledge and competence, providing nurses with evidence of their eligibility for re-registration every three years (NMC 2002). I believe maintaining my portfolio helps with one’s self-assessment and will help me to develop my strengths, plus identify and critically evaluate my weaker areas, this is a view supported by Garside (1990). However in contrast Miller & Daloz (1989) suggest there is no evidence to suggest that self assessment contributes to enhance self awareness. A barrier to one’s ability to self-reflect may be time constraints and socio-economic factors such as high staff and management turnover, low staff morale and staff illness (Bailey 1995) I hope to overcome this by being a supportive team member to my colleagues and maintaining a positive mental attitude. I am happy to work on my portfolio and diary in my own time as I think it is a valuable learning tool. I will use my preceptorship, learning in practice, observation in practice and clinical supervision to help achieve my goals. Reflection on action is considered to be an essential part of clinical supervision (Scanlon & Weir 1997). I will continue to use Gibbs (1988) Reflective Model to help me develop my learning through reflection. I will need to feel confident that by sharing my portfolio, diary, reflection or seeking advice via preceptorship and supervision that this will not reflect negatively on me and effect my ability to feel able to trust my mentor. Students and staff sometimes feel unable to fully express themselves or belittled by the power relationship if supervision is not in a trusting relationship feeling it could be open to bias, personality clashes, counter-transference or could disadvantage them in terms of career development (Richardson 1995 Jones 2001). However, good clinical supervision enables nurses to feel better supported, contributing to safer and more effective nursing (Teasdale 2001, Jones A 2001). I hope to continue with life long learning and would like to be able to study for a degree in nursing. I shall do this by apply for funding once I am employed and hope that whoever my employers are they will support me in my goal to become better qualified. 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