Pretty Flacko Nigga

The poem â€Å"Hard Rock† by Tethering Knight is a poem that takes place in a prison (or possibly somewhere else like a sporting event, a dining room, etc. But a prison fits the context better). The poem is about a black prisoner that comes back after being in the Hospital for the Criminally Insane. The Inmates are reminiscing on all the crazy stuff Hard Rock used to do that they had always wished they could do. During Hard Rock's time at the Hospital he had a brain surgery In which they â€Å"cut out part of his brain and shot electricity through the rest.The speaker of the poem Is recalling all the stones of crazy things Hard Rock used to do before he left and telling the listener how much of a bad ass Hard Rock was. The speaker of the poem Is an Inmate at the prison; maybe Hard Rock's cell mate, friend, or Just someone that knew about him. Who the speaker Is talking to Is unclear though. It Is most likely another Inmate, assuming that the setting is In a prison, however It Is not clear within the poem exactly who the auditor is. The situation of the poem and the whole reason why the speaker is even recalling all of these memories is because it's been said that HardRock is soft now. The â€Å"word† has it that Hard Rock is a shell of what he used to be and will just stand there with a stupid smile on his face when tested. The old Hard Rock didn't â€Å"take no sit from nobody' but now the word going around is that the new Hard Rock has been tamed. The tone of this poem begins as inspired and almost proud, like a little brother talking about his cool older brother. The speaker seems to have a lot of respect for Hard Rock. Hard Rock is a hero to the speaker because Hard Rock will act out situations that the speaker could only ever dream of doing; he was their â€Å"destroyer.The tone quickly changes in line 27 to sad, almost nostalgic sounding. The inmates are reliving all of the crazy stuff he did before his surgery. The fact that he has been tamed now leaves the inmates â€Å"crushed† and hopeless. They no longer have someone that will carry out the fantasies they dream of doing, whether it be sticking up for the blacks when the Jail block bully comes around or even beating up a guard. They want to convince themselves that it is all an act, Hard Rock Is a little bit smarter now and is waiting for his opportunities, but they know in their hearts that Hard Rock is no longer the same guy he used to be.The theme of this poem Is about race and what problems black people faced In those times. The poem was published in 1968- the same year that Martin Luther King Jar. Was assassinated. The poem Hard Rock could be a metaphor for timeline of events that happened In the ‘offs. Martin Luther King (Hard Rock) was one of, If not the most, prominent face of the civil rights movement. MILK wouldn't settle for anything less than what he wanted to see happen and nobody could stand In his way. If someone tried to stop him he would Just keep trucking and fighting for his goal. In the poem,Hard Rock would pummel any and every body In his way, regardless of who they were, similar to how MILK would â€Å"take out† whoever stood in his way. The surgery Hard Rock goes under could be a metaphor for the assassination of MILK. Hard Rock is no longer what he used to be, he can no longer kick ass and take names because he is physically unable to (MILK is physically unable to keep fighting because he is hopeless. They always dreamed of doing the things Hard Rock did but they feel incapable (the black population is shocked and devastated by Milk's death and feel hopeless and as if they can never achieve what he did).The fears of years, like a biting whip, Had cut grooves too deeply across our backs. † The years and years of slavery, torture and demutualization of black people is too ingrained into the current (sass's) black population's minds and they feel as if they are not brave enough, smart enough, or important enough to take a stand and make the kind of changes that MILK had once done. The poem is written in mostly iambic pentameter. Lambs are how people speak in everyday life so with it being written in iambs it makes the poem seem â€Å"regular† and not â€Å"poetic. The poem sounds like a conversation you would hear f you were to listen in on prisoners talking. The dialect of the poem also gives it more of a natural feel. The reader feels as if they're reading an excerpt from a prison conversation rather than reading a poem. No rhyme scheme is detected in the poem- except for 4 lines. The author adds two couplets in the beginning and the middle of the poem. He does this to reinforce the point what he is trying to get across within these lines. The break in the normal flow and rhythm of the poem with these couplets grabs the attention of the reader and makes them focus on what the lines have to say.

The Natives of New World

Before the New World was discovered by Christopher Columbus, it was a land inhabited by tribes who have sun-kissed red skin. Even before America was recognized as the home of free white men, it was the American Indians who cultivated and tilled its land. The Native Americans – as most people refer them – have been essential in tracing the origins of the United States of America. Europe had been conquering colonies to increase empiric power and accumulate rich resources. The only discovered areas at that time were called the â€Å"Old World† which included Europe, Africa, and Asia (Robertson, Stewart 51).A notable Italian sea-farer had been working on a new route to travel to Asia in a shorter time. Christopher Columbus thought of sailing west to be able to reach the east, an idea no one ever dared to consider. After many difficulties that he encountered in pursuing the voyage, Columbus landed on a fertile soil greeted by inhabitants which he recognized neither as Asians nor Africans. The natives were illustrated to have a complexion resembling the color of copper. Their physical attributes were further described as such:Their black hair, long and uncurled, floated upon their shoulders, or was bound in tresses around their heads. They had no beards, and every part of their bodies was perfectly smooth†¦Their features singular, rather than disagreeable†¦though not tall, they were well-shaped and active. Their faces, and several parts of their body, were fantastically painted with glaring colors. (71) They were gathered in tribes and were not clothed at that time. The natives were practically astonished by the arrival of the white-skinned settlers.The American Indians were believed to have migrated to the western hemisphere using the Bering land bridge. The land bridge connected a path from Siberia all the way to Alaska. Apparently, this bridge was used by the natives to follow the trend of the journey of animals during the ice age (U tter 7). By the time they reached the land, tribes settled and established their homes. Native American tribes were grouped according to blood-relations living in the same territory and spoke a common dialect (57). Each tribe has its own system of governing members for the purpose of survival and warfare.Tribes have existed even before the Europeans set foot on their land. By the time Christopher Columbus reached the Americas, Native American tribes greeted him and his people, with anxiety and curiosity. After the discovery of the New World, colonizers started flocking to the new land. Migrants from Europe traveled to America to start a new life and to conquer the rich untouched soil. Due to this massive influx of migrants, it started inflicting effects that endangered the natives. Epidemic diseases brought by the foreigners caused deaths among the American Indians.These diseases such as chickenpox and pneumonia did not prepare the natives to be immune from it (Thornton 28). This gr eatly reduced the number of Native American population during the time of colonization because of massive number of deaths. The era of conquest took the natives’ land and grabbed what wealth they have. Aside from this, they never escaped the commerce of slavery, sexual exploits and discrimination. In later years, the natives were forced to study and learned how to live like the white people.They were taught not to speak of their native language and to learn English and institutions were built for acculturation of the Caucasian culture (Nagel 115). These kinds of exploits and abuse prompted the natives to fight off the colonizers. They maybe outnumbered by the whites and their weapons were not a match against the pistols but they made sure they have defended themselves. These uprisings were known as the ‘Indian Wars’. It became the label for the fight against the natives, to completely eradicate their culture and identity from the New World (Utter 169).Before the acculturation happened, the lifestyle of the American Indians was as unique as their physical characteristics. Their spiritual life was governed by what they call ‘The Great Spirit. ’ The American Indians saw this spirit as the bearer of their good fortune. They give thanks to this supreme deity when they win battles, good harvest, and good health. On the contrary, they also have a spirit which was a counterpart of the Great one where bad luck was mostly associated (McIntosh 104). The natives hunted animals to be able to live and hunting not just became a necessity but also part of recreation.Hunting became a sport among the natives. By the time the settlers came, horses were re-introduced to them. They domesticated this animal and became part of their everyday lives. From carrying belongings, to hunting games as well as waging wars, horses became a huge part of the Native American society (Fuss & Mellis 9). American Indians were described as lively people who enjoyed c elebrations such as feasts. They prepared feasts for almost every major activity in their tribes. Feasts were accompanied with lively music, dancing, and prayers.These are celebrated after a hunting trip, in marriage, after curing the sick, after birth, and in funerals (McIntosh 164). The natives always incorporated their spirituality in these celebrations and this made the mark of their identity and culture. They have long been discriminated in their land and colonizers have tried to erase their culture in the New World. However, as time went by, American Indians still fought for the right to have their very own place in the land they once called their own. They fought to have freedom when it comes to religion and practicing their culture.The natives also strived to gain tribal sovereignty (Josephy, Nagel, Johnson 7). This fight for freedom took centuries for it to become part of a recognized set of laws. In 1975, the Self-Determination Act became one of the first laws that focused on giving the American Indians sovereignty within their own tribes (7). It can be said that this fight that the natives did, opened the doors for anti-discrimination movements. This inspired other minorities like the African Americans and other colored race to be treated equally as citizens.Theses minorities wanted to be citizens that have the same rights and privileges with the Whites. The struggle of the American Indians can be seen as a starting point for America to be known as the land of the free. Through the course of history, they have suffered and were persecuted in their own land. Their struggle for freedom became the bearer for other minorities to gain confidence in fighting for their right as well. If not for this struggle, America won’t recognize the essence of freedom with the absence of discrimination. America won’t be able to take pride in the land that they claimed to be free.

Autonomy in Death Essay Example for Free

Autonomy in Death Essay Physician-assisted suicide is a controversial topic with only a few states having legalized it; however, many groups are advocating for its approval. Physician-assisted suicide has ethical limitations that only allow a doctor to prescribe, not administer, a lethal dose of medication for a patient who has been deemed terminally ill with less than six months to live by two physicians. The prescription allows the patient to choose both the timing and setting of death and the physician’s only role is provision of medication. This gifts patients with autonomy in their death and relieves the doctor of any moral burden in participation with death keeping this action an ethical practice. Oregon was the first of few states to have legalized physician-assisted suicide but I would like to argue its potential advantages to the entire United States. Ball (2010) said, â€Å"In Oregon — the one state in the U.S. where assisted suicide is legal – doctors are allowed to help only state residents who are expected to die within six months† (p.1). Giving terminally ill patients the power to choose a peaceful death demonstrates empathy toward the ill patients and their families. Terminally ill patients without this empowerment face the difficult choice of using limited resources to end their lives if not given the legal freedom to choose how and when they die. The Code of Ethics for Nurses provision 1.4 is the right to self-determination and it states that Respect for human dignity requires the recognition of specific patient rights, particularly, the right to self-determination. Self-determination, also known as autonomy, is the philosophical basis for informed consent in health care. Patients have the moral and legal right to determine what will be done with their own person; to be given accurate, complete, and understandable information in a manner that facilitates an informed judgment; to be assisted with weighing the benefits, burdens, and available options in their treatment; to accept, refuse, or terminate treatment without deceit, undue influence, duress, coercion, or penalty; and to be given necessary support throughout the decision-making and treat ment process. Such support would include the opportunity to make decisions with family and significant others and the provision of advice and support from knowledgeable nurses and other health professionals. Patient should be involved in planning their own health care to the extent they are able to choose to participate (American nurses association, 2001, p.148). Giving this added right to chose physician assisted suicide allows patients the autonomy described in the Nursing Code of Ethics. The purpose of this paper is to argue that physician-assisted suicide is ethical and beneficial because it allows for patient autonomy. â€Å"I would argue that by denying terminally ill people recourse to death with dignity via physician prescribed medication, they are inflicting their own brand of coercion and abuse. The concept of a â€Å"merciful death† needs to be part of this discussion. It is a sad commentary that our society responds to our pets’ terminal suffering more humanely than to our fellow human beings’ end-of-life struggles†(â€Å"Death is best approached†, 2012, p. 1). Many feel that denying patients the right to choose is not advocating for their b est interest and is a form of abuse. We wouldn’t leave our ill family pet alive to suffer so why wouldn’t we consider letting our loved ones put themselves out of their misery in a peaceful way? The entire point is to give the public a choice. It would still be up to each individual to decide whether or not to exercise that right if their physician deemed their situation appropriate. The Code of Ethics for Nurses says that â€Å"Respect for human dignity requires the recognition of specific patient rights, particularly, the right of self-determination† (American nurses association, 2001, p.148). This statement implies that the patient should have the right to make end of life decisions on their own. When terminal patients are in pain and suffering, they may not have the strength or will to fight any longer. It is cruel to prolong a patient’s pain and suffering and deny their autonomy to make the decision of having a peaceful death. Also, it can be argued that when patients have their mind set on ending their lives, they tend to follow through on their own even if their physician cannot assist them. This may lead to a more traumatic death and a scene that can be quite traumatizing for the family member or friend who finds their loved one’s remains. The alternative is a prescribed medicine that the patient may take home, choosing the preferred place to die, to allow the patient to die peacefully without sustaining disfiguring injuries thus allowing them a more dignified burial if the family chooses to view the body one last time. However, in most of the United States, physician-assisted suicide is still illegal so very few Americans are afforded the right to choose to end their life when they are terminally ill. Because physician assisted suicide was brought to the public’s attention as an option by the unconventional tactics of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the idea of legalizing this was tainted from the beginning, making many states hesitant to allow assisted suicide. Miller (2011) notes that â€Å"Jack Kevorkian rose to national prominence as â€Å"Dr. Death,† a physician who insisted that sometimes a doctor’s first duty to his patient was to help him die. The retired pathologist, who became an assisted suicide advocate claiming to have had a hand in 130 deaths in the 1990s, helped spark a national debate over euthanasia† (p. A5). Jack Kevorkian’s tactics were questionable because he publicized the deaths of elderly, disabled, and terminally-ill patients using inhaled carbon dioxi de or using his self-made suicide machine. Although the patients had asked for Dr. Kevorkian’s assistance to end their suffering by assisting in their suicide, he received a lot of negative attention because he publicized his assistance in this process by encouraging CBS to broadcast a video of himself injecting a cocktail of lethal drugs into a patient suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease (Miller, 2011). After much backlash from the public over the fact that he actually injected patients with lethal drugs, he developed a suicide machine which allowed the patient to press a button that caused the machine to administer a mixture of sodium pentothal and potassium chloride which was first used on Janet Adkins, a 54 year old sufferer of Alzheimer’s disease (Miller, 2011). â€Å"The last thing Janet Adkins said was, ‘You just make my case known,'† Dr. Kevorkian told the Associated Press† (Miller, 2011, p. A5). Although his tactics were extreme and caused a lot of public controversy, his patie nts wanted to end their suffering and his actions caused others to advocate for ethical standards to be put into place for legal physician assisted suicide while at the same time completely turning others away from the concept of legalizing euthanasia. Dr. Goodwin, a general practitioner, said he began advocating for the right to help terminally ill people die after listening to his patients (Miller, 2012). â€Å"They want autonomy at this time, to be allowed to die at home with the comfort and support of their families,† Dr. Goodwin said in a 2001 interview (Miller, 2012, p. 1). Because of the extreme tactics used by Jack Kevorkian, who initiated the debate on legalizing euthanasia, many people view those who advocate for the client’s right of physician assisted suicide as cruel or lacking in empathy for patient and families. However, â€Å"Peter Goodwin, a family physician who wrote and campaigned for Oregon’s right-to-die law in the 1990s, died after taking a cocktail of lethal drugs prescribed by his doctor, as allowed under the legislation he championed. Dr. Goodwin, 83 years old, had been diagnosed with a degenerative brain disorder similar to Parkinson’s disease and had been given less than six m onths to live.†(Miller, 2012, p. 1). Dr. Goodwin believed in a patient’s autonomy in death so much that he chose to exercise his own rights in the same fashion in order to end his own suffering. In an interview with the Oregonian, the local newspaper in Oregon, Dr. Goodwin said that his health was deteriorating and he would soon end his life. â€Å"His family gathered to bid him farewell. ‘The situation needs thought, it doesn’t need hope,’ he said. ‘Hope is too ephemeral at that time’†(Miller, 2012, p. 1). This clearly articulates the feelings of a terminally ill man towards the importance of autonomy in concern of his own death. â€Å"End-of-life decisions are not arbitrary or impulsive. Why shouldn’t a person choose to end his or her life with dignity if it is obvious that all options for leading any kind of meaningful life are non-existent? I would think any modicum of compassion would respect such a momentous, personal decision. Suffering, physical and mental, and the anguish it causes should produce empathy for the patient’s wishes and desires, even if they run counter to our own sense of rectitude. It is not about us. It’s about the patient’s right of autonomy. We need to understand that it is ultimately his or her decision to make, not ours†(Death is best approached, 2012, p. 1). In this statement, an unknown author expressed the utmost sympathy for those suffering from terminal illness. Physician assisted suicide is ethical as it demonstrates compassion and empathy towards someone else’s pain, suffering, and rights. There is nothing cruel about autonomy over the decision to die. These kinds of laws need to be considered using a deep emotional understanding of the terminally ill’s feelings and problems. Other countries have legalized euthanasia and have less restrictive laws which allow them to provide services for foreigners. Because of this, if all United States citizens aren’t granted the autonomy they desire in their own country they will still be able to get the results they so desperately want but the outcome may be more painful to family members whose loved ones would end up dying in other countries and in less desirable conditions. Mr. Minelli, who is head of Dignitas, a Swiss company that provides euthanasia services only to foreigners, said that â€Å"a memory of his seriously ill grandmother’s pleading in vain with her doctor to help her die left him with a particular interest in Switzerland’s growing right-to-die movement, and he joined one of the main groups. In 1998, he quit to found Dignitas†(Ball, 2010, p. 2). In 2008, his neighbors’ complaints forced Dignitas out of his rented apartment that he had been using to conduct the assisted suicides and Zurich city officials refused permission for a new venue. In response to this Mr. Minelli organized suicides in cars, a hotel room, industrial sites, and his own home which drew the attention of local officials. â€Å"Someone who is used to a five-star hotel can’t come to Dignitas and expect the same,† says Mr. Minelli†(Ball, 2010, p. 2). Is it really beneficial to force terminally ill patients into a foreign country to a harsh environment to grant them the freedom to end their own lives? If terminally ill patients really want a physician assisted suicide, they will find another setting in which they can achieve one but allowing patients to have one in their own country optimizes the setting and allows for more family support near the time of death. It also saves the family the trouble of getting the body of a loved one from a foreign country after the time of death and allows the family to begin funeral arrangements sooner so that they can go through the stages of grieving that they need to in order to move forward with their own lives. This act of ending the life sooner also spares the family the pain of watching their loved one suffer longer than they want to. Another benefit to approving physician assisted suicide is that just know that the option is available can be therapeutic for terminal patients. â€Å"Mr. Minelli argues that making assisted suicide available removes a taboo around suicide, helping people who want to kill themselves open a dialogue and seek help. About 70% of people who get the green light from Dignitas for an assisted suicide never contact the group again, proving the palliative effect of knowing help is available, he says†(Ball, 2010, p. 2). This clearly proves that just knowing that euthanasia is an option is enough to help patients carry on with terminal illness. Even if a patient chooses never to exercise the right to a physician assisted suicide, the knowledge that they have an option for a way out of their suffering is comforting in itself. Craig Ewert was a retired university professor who suffered from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease. He decided to end his life because he wanted to make this decision before he lost the ability to decide his own fate, overcoming the resistance of his doctors (Ball, 2010). â€Å"When you’re completely paralyzed and can’t talk, how do you let someone know you are suffering?† he told a television interviewer before his death in September 2006. â€Å"This could be a complete and utter hell† (Ball, 2010, p. 3). Mr and Mrs. Ewerts were from the U.K. but they traveled to Switzerland and chose Mr. Minelli’s group, Dignitas, because it accepts foreigners. Mrs. Ewert said that had she not been able to travel to get her husband the assisted suicide services that he desired she may have been forced to help her husband die and she worried that she wouldn’t have known exactly what to do (Ball, 2010). She defended Mr. Minelli saying â€Å"Sure, there have to be some protections for people, but I think we’re going way beyond what there needs to be, I admire Minelli for being willing to take the heat† (Ball, 2010, p. 3). Because Craig Ewert was allowed to make his own decision to die, his wife was spared the pressure that he may have put on her to help him end his life. Furthermore, had he been denied the right to make his own decision and his wife Mary had been coerced to help him commit suicide, there would have been extreme emotional and possibly even legal consequences to her action despite the fact that it was her husband’s wish. This is a situation that may Americans are also threatened with because physician assisted suicide is illegal in most of the country. All United States citizens should be afforded the right to choose a physician assisted suicide if they have been deemed terminally ill because this freedom shows compassion and empathy towards the patient’s suffering. If patients aren’t allowed to legally choose death here, they may travel to another country to receive services or chose to carry out suicide on their own. If patients chose to take matters into their own hands this would be harder on the patient as the death would probably not be as peaceful as the lethal injection that the physician would prescribe and if would also be harder on the patient’s loved ones. If patients decide to go to another country to achieve the death they desire they would lose the privilege of dying in their own comfort zone and the distance would make the death harder on the family to make funeral arrangements and move on with their own lives. The Code of Ethics for Nurses stated that â€Å"Respect not just for the specific decision but also for the patient’s method of decision-making is consistent with the principle of autonomy† (American nurses association, 2001, p.149). Regardless of whether or not we understand an individuals motivation for seeking a physician assisted suicide, nurses should support the autonomy that patients needs to make this choice on their own. Giving terminally ill patients autonomy in their death, by making physician assisted legal for every United States citizen, is only giving patients additional rights that they may or may not chose to exercise and is the most compassionate way to show empathy for those who are dying. Autonomy in Death. (2017, Feb 13).

Technological Determinism in Modern Era Research Proposal

Technological Determinism in Modern Era - Research Proposal Example The changes in technology resonate with societal changes because the process now affects the way humans feel, operate and think. This is attributable to communication and technological developments that dictate the way that people communicate and their effects on the messages sent across and received (Hickman, 2010, p. 78). Hard and soft technological determinism Hard technological determinism advance specific consequences that are either highly probable or inevitable while determining the development agenda and social organization of institutions. This requires specific conditions that are either sufficient or necessary. Apparently, sufficient conditions require unitary causes while necessary conditions require some additional preconditions as companions. Weak technological determinism is the most accepted technological status. It portends on the adoption of some technological orientations that only facilitate or enable the utilization of relevant potential opportunities for consump tion by some communities. It presumes that technology should only shape the structure of the society, but not the outcome of their actions. Many scholars recommend this form of technological determinism. Over the past few decades, the movement in technological developments has been so fast. The technologies of yesteryears continue to be rendered irrelevant with the emergence of innovations. For instance, a number of years ago, communication involved writing and printing of materials. This took a long time to reach the recipients so that by the time they get the information, it is outdated already. Such events as death or wars could have escalated while this information is still on its way to the recipient. Then there was the innovation of television that changed the communications industry by providing the most recent and up to date information that not only oriented people on social situations but also updated people on weather conditions gave information on new products. Televisio ns also enabled the relaying of video clips that can now be shot and aired so that an average person can get first-hand information on important world events. This way, technology has contributed to altering how society and people feel. Today, people will watch television clips on different happenings around the globe and give their opinions on whether there are justifications or not for the acts. For instance, conflicts and tensions between or within countries normally elicit different opinions from a cross section of the society. Through this technology, helps shape the society in particular orientations (Hugh & Reynolds, 2001). The innovation of cell phones was also a major technological change that influenced significantly on the societal implications. Additionally, cars and airplanes technologies ensured that families could spread out and still keep in touch with each other over long distances. Using cell phones, people could possibly talk across boundaries and even continents without having to write letters that would take long periods to reach the destinations. Therefore, cell phones managed people to meet their societal needs by allowing convenience in communication irrespective of the distance between the communicators.

Comparing Media Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Comparing Media Systems - Essay Example With objective strategies aimed at making Facebook one of the most competitive social media, the management led by Mark Zuckerberg (founder), has been able to reduce the cost of operation. Currently, it is estimated that this media system has been spending about $536 million to meet its cost of operation. This amount is too low compared to the revenue generated explaining why Facebook continue to dominate the social media industry. Facebook has played a significant role in connecting people from different parts of the world. It is one of the cheapest means of communication that allows friends, and family members to connect and express their emotions. Currently, groups with common interests can are allowed to create a ‘group page’ which they can use to communicate without necessarily having to meet physically. With tight schedules that many people have, meeting physically continues to become a big challenge. Keeping people in touch has some psychological impact. Unlike ot her transitional media systems such as CNN, Facebook allows individuals to express their emotions through communication. This according to psychologists is imperative in stress alleviation. Facebook is also a source of information that has made it possible for people to know what is happening in different parts of the world. Just like other electronic and print media systems, Facebook can allow individuals know, and even contribute to difference social phenomena happening in different parts of the world. Politicians, businessmen, artists, and other influential forces have taken advantage of the Facebook to target their clients. In 2008 presidential debate in the United States, Facebook was one of the main communication tool that was used to allow target voters to follow events live and make their contributions. With the help of ABC in collaboration with Alselm College, a Facebook App that would make it possible for communication in this kind of setting was developed. This therefore makes facebook one of the unprecedented transnational media systems, which allow people to have a say in political and other social issues. Businesspersons have also taken advantage facebook to market their products, target and retain customers. They keep target customers informed about what they produce, where they can find them, and the price. Facebook has therefore made a positive impact in e-commerce, a phenomenon that has taken shape in the business world. Through this process, many companies have been able to increase their customer base, which consequently leads to more sales and profits. 2. Social impact of facebook While facebook has made a lot of impact on the society, this paper shall focus on the social impact. The latter will seek to analyze how facebook has transformed the lives of the people globally. In dealing with the issue of social impact of Facebook, the following questions shall be addressed: How has facebook enhanced social bonds, and communication? How does f acebook enhance information dissemination? How has facebook fostered relationship between clients and businesspersons? What are some of the criticisms of social impact of facebook? 1. Facebook and social bonds The media system theory of dependency is imperative inn explaining the kind of media that people choose. It also explains why people prefer certain

Analysis of the Chinese films Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of the Chinese films - Essay Example As pointed out, the protagonist was forced to be the custodian of Kosaburo Hanaya and Dong Hanchen. Before this incident, Ma Dasan’s life was flowing slowly without much problem. But this incident forced Ma Dasan to be in a dilemmatic situation because the person who handed over the prisoners pointed out that he must look after the prisoners with due care. The following events include the futile effort undertaken by Ma Dasan to keep the prisoners safe, hiring of One Stroke Liu to execute the prisoners and failure to do so, Kosaburo Hanaya’s return to his homeland, and the fire in Ma Dasan’s village, Ma Dasan’s attempt to take revenge and his ultimate doom. The most shocking incident in the film is the large scale massacre at the feast. This incident ignited the feeling of revenge in Ma Dasan’s mind. Earlier, Ma Dasan’s role in the village (say, his community or society) was to obey the law and order without showing his hesitation. But this in cident transformed him from a passive individual to an active individual who is ready to give up his life for a noble purpose. A bird’s eye view of the film leads one to misinterpret the same as an anti-Japanese invasion genre film. But deeper understanding leads one to the realization that the director’s attempt is to mock the hypocrisy of the Chinese authorities and the mentality of the Chinese villagers towards the Japanese invaders. For instance, in the film, children are ready to share secrets with the invaders and the villagers feel satisfied by the supply of food grains. Besides, this unveils the passive attitude shown by the people towards the authorities. The fundamental problem of violence in the film faced by the ignorant villagers without a unified authority is two sided. For... The contemporary Chinese cinema is undergoing rapid but positive change. Nowadays, the Chinese film makers show keen interest to inculcate innovative ideas in their films. For instance, the film Devil at the Doorstep by the Chinese actor cum director Jiang Wen is one of the best examples which highlight the foretold change. Jiang Wen’s prior status as an actor did not hinder him from choosing the story line of the film Devil at the Doorstep, which carries violence and mental trauma faced by individuals in a closed society. The film was able to gain the jury prize at Cannes, but that did not help Jiang Wen as a direThe film Devil at the Doorstep by Jiang Wen was accepted by the international viewers but less accepted by the Chinese government. The main problem faced by Jiang Wen was the restriction upon individual freedom of a director with the international outlook. The main reason behind the less acceptance and ban on the film was the realistic and critical attitude of the di rector towards power politics, violence and its effect upon the individuals. The protagonist’s transformation from an inactive stage to activism and as the mouthpiece of the director to communicate with the viewers is the most important development in the film. The narrative feature of the film is conversational and less ambiguous because of the usage of the historical plot. The stylistic features of the film raise the same from its limitations to the international arena of cinematography.

Development Appraisal and Cost Forecasting Research Paper

Development Appraisal and Cost Forecasting - Research Paper Example The rent that can be acquired on the site will be 3190 per square meter. This makes the developer to get the capital back in 8.6 years. The profits start from 9 the year. According to the third unit the developing, investment and rental activities are not feasible. The developer can choose between the above two options and can decide on it. As per the competition he cannot get the bid less than the 22353.84 GBP per square metre. By calculating the profit the investment can be compared with the A out of the comparables given to compare the rental activity. This is because the rent is higher in that case and the developer is using steel and dress stones to clad externals. The maximum bid that can be offered to get the bid can be decided by taking into account that the pension fund is offering 610 basis points above LIBOR. This will make the investment of 27500 GBP per square meter increased by 2612.5 GBP per square meter. The maximum investment the developer can offer per square meter to get the bid is 30112.5 GBP. To this the other charges should be added. They are architect costs, solicitor costs, VAT, valuation fee stamp duty and LIBOR and they amount to 19.35 percent. This increases the amount to be invested per square meter to 35984.4375 GBP per square meter. The developer cannot invest or bid more than this per square meter. Any customer can invest 2.5 times the disposal price to buy a flat. ... Any customer can invest 2.5 times the disposal price to buy a flat. This gives 1,25,000 GBP for each flat and the revenue on selling the total 6 flats will be 7,50,000 GBP. The cost of land is 3,88,000 GBP. The profit of the company if the flats are sold for 7,50,000 GBP should be 165000 GBP. The cost of the flats for the company should be 585000 GBP. The cost of built ceiling shouldbe 585000 - 388000 = 197000 GBP. The company should built the flats at the cost not more than 1,97,000 GBP. 3. Anticipated Profit from Scheme Cost of site = 470000 + charges = 470000+11750+ 7050+82250 + 2500 = 573550 GBP The cost of interest rate 10 percent per annum. This makes the total cost of site = 659582.5 GBP. The expected rentals on each office space developed by client = 7500 x 25 x 12 + 500 = 2250500 GBP per year. 1 acre = 4046.9 square metre 2 acres = 8093.8 square metres. The developer is anticipating 7.5 percent of profit. In the coming 3 years of time. The cost of land is 573550 GBP The rentals can be acquired in 3 years = 6751500 GBP. The cost f built should be not more than 6751500 - 573550 = 6177950 GBP. The anticipated profit of the developer will be 573550 GBP in a three years period. Section B The wall area of the building I = 2x22/7x 11.25 x 2.3 = 162.64 Square metres The floor area of the building I = 22/7x 11.25 x 11.25 = 397.76 Square metres. The wall to floor ratio = 0.40. This implies that the building is stable regarding the wall to floor ratio. The wall area of the building ii = 80 x 2.3 = 184 square metres The floor area of the building ii = 20 x 20 = 400 square metres. The wall to floor area ratio is = 0.46. though this is substantially stable and efficient, the stability is les than the i building. The wall area of

Considering the Most Comprehensive Method of Handling Information Research Paper

Considering the Most Comprehensive Method of Handling Information Security - Research Paper Example There are numerous businesses today that place most of their information in computer systems. Hospitals, the military, the government and many other small enterprises use them. This information could be detrimental to the company if it was accessed by the public hence the need for information security. It is quite common to find that certain businesses usually have the names of their employees, their salaries, bank account details in their computer systems. On top of this, one may find that other firms place their client details, sales information and marketing information in their database. In the event that some of this information is lost, destroyed or compromised in any way, then the given company will be hampered from going about their daily operations.   It should be noted that software protection through virus protection or through the imposition of firewalls alone cannot be enough to solve the information security problem. There should be set procedures and systems within any one given organisation that will facilitate the process of efficient data protection.   Information systems are distributed in three main parts. These are; software, hardware and communications. This implies that any sort of information security systems must be applied in the three realms. It must also be made in such a way that it cuts across the physical, organisational and the personal. Procedures and policies normally used for these systems are those ones that apply to computer operators, users and administrators. It should be noted that information security applies to all types of data; it may be electronic data, print data or even other forms. Because of the wide aspect of information security, it has now become a career field on its own.

Critical thinking art paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical thinking art paper - Essay Example Such depiction was evident by the use of multimedia that added to the value of the entire art entertainment. Truly, it is evident that the conceptual basis for such entertainment was the modern time that allows almost everyone in all walks of life to relate with. Therefore, the artwork in the event significantly involved computer technology. By being able to use multimedia presentations synchronizing the actors’ performance on stage, the entire show elaborated a truly new form of entertainment that was remarkably aligned with the modern times. It showcased an art that the new generation today with highly advanced technology can eventually appreciate. As already stated, the use of multimedia was enticing viewers to appreciate the whole theatrical event that is truly different from the classical one. Therefore the use of technology alone was a fundamental component of the Blue Man Group Universal that allowed it to be differentiated from the other theatrical and artistic performers. This eventually created a word of mouth, and as a result, many people were encouraged to experience the live artistic performance of the Blue Man Group Universal. Although the presentation of the Blue Man Group Universal still have important elements like those in any other classical theatrical event, what differentiated it from the rest was the level of interaction it tried to create with its target audience. The artistic performance was eventually designed in such a way that people in different walks of life can relate, both young and old. The interaction was able to create appreciation of the advantage of using technology in order to enhance or refine the presentation of the artistic design. Computer arts was remarkable in the presentation, prior to appealing to human emotion by triggering laughter and awe-inspiring creativity that was made possible via the employment of multimedia presentation. In this case, the use of

Environmental Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Environmental Studies - Essay Example The ecological system totally depends on how it is being preserved and maintained. Global could have been prevented by taking the measures and following the plans.(Glantz 1999). Pollution is the main reason behind global warming. Smoke form vehicles, factories and manufacturing plants and forest fire are the major cause for pollution. All this lead to global warming which in turn was spoiled most of the species in the world. Discharge of toxic and poisonous gas from the industries also provoked global warming. The green house effect was disturbed due to this. The glaciers in many countries started melting because of these problems. There are various causes of global warming. Emission of gases like methane and gases like nitrous oxide mixed with the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide from the vehicles was also a cause. This problem was common in most of the countries. Deforestation contributed to this problem. Although most of the scientists around the world tried hard to educate people regarding global warming, this was vain. As people were not aware of global warming and its after effects, they did not try to protect the environment. (McDonough, Michael 2002). Temperature difference has affected the ecology. ... As this also differed, the ecology was altered. The sea level got increased which resulted in natural calamity like tsunami. Other natural disasters like volcanic eruptions and earth quake made earth uninhabitable. Due to global warming many species became extinct. But people never thought it would become such a threat. Nearly 40% of the species have been decimated. Global warming showed its nature with the evolvement of new diseases. (Quinn 1995).Many unnamed diseases started to spread and they did not have any proper medicines to cure it. Many people lost their lives during this time. From this, there was a gradual decrease in the population. By this time the level of sea started to rise, as the glaciers melted down and fell into the sea. Though many organizations tried to spread the awareness regarding global warming, only some were able to achieve their goal. They did not know the seriousness of global warming. Other disasters like volcano occurred in many countries. This too resulted in the increase of mortality rate. The diseases that started spreading due to global warming were mainly because of poisonous gas like methane which was emitted by many sources. Organic and inorganic wastes were also a major problem. Industries did not dispose their wastes properly. The factories let out their wastes into the water bodies. Some of the manufacturing plants dumped their wastes in open vast lands and some burnt these wastes. This polluted the atmosphere, which created holes in the ozone layer. Gases like CFC which are being used in refrigerators are the main cause for the problems in the ozone layer. Drought also contributed to the decline in the species. People did not have the facilities to cultivate their land to produce food.

Psychological Factors of the Issue Essay Example for Free

Psychological Factors of the Issue Essay Psychological factors include motivation, perception, learning, beliefs and attitudes. These factors are largely unconscious and that a person cannot fully understand his own motivations. People decide based on what h perceives as dictated by his environment that serves as the stimulus and not necessarily that which is real. In marketing, perceptions are more important than reality. Characteristics of Adolescence Adolescence is often a period of stress and conflict, particularly in Western society. The adolescent confronts a host of new, varied and difficult problems of adjustment within a brief period of time. The adolescent attempts to acquire a sense of identity, a sense of who one is and where one is going. Every adolescent wants to be popular. They commonly think, †What can I do to have all the kids at school like me? † â€Å"What can I do to feel I belong to a group? † â€Å"How can I be popular with both girls and boys? † â€Å"What kinds of clothes will make me feel like I am one of them? † Sometimes adolescents go to great lengths to be popular. In some cases, parents go to even greater lengths to try to insulate their adolescents from the rejection and to increase the likelihood that they will be popular. Students show off because it gets attention and makes their peers laugh. Parents set up elaborate parties, buy clothes for their teens and drive adolescents and their friends all over in the hope that their sons and daughters will be popular (Santrock, John). Dr. Riesman in his study of the basic changes taking place in the American characters during the twentieth century (that is, from inner-directed to outer-directed) found that our growing pre-occupation with acts of consumption reflects the change. This pre-occupation, he noted, was particularly intense (and intensively encouraged by product makers). He characterized the children of America as ‘consumer trainees. ’ (Santrock, John). The adolescent confronts a host of new, varied and difficult problems of adjustment within a brief period of time. Physiological changes – rapid body growth, sexual maturity, increases in sex hormonesoften precipitate special conflicts and self-doubts. Almost simultaneously, the adolescent is expected to achieve independence from the family, establish satisfying relationships with peers of both sexes, decide on – and prepare for – a set of consistent moral principles to guide decisions and actions. Fashion, therefore, lures the adolescents to try something new and not get stuck with the traditional ways of dressing and doing things. Back then in the 60s, the clothes that the â€Å"old school† hip hop artists donned were expressions of individuality but they even carried a purpose which was a functional one. The Puma branded sneakers that sported fat-laces and sweatsuits were all the rave back then. The colorful clothing which also had resemblance to the beautiful graffitis on the walls were also very popular back then. The dress-code of being loose and comfortable became a style of dressing which identified all those people as exceptional and unpretentious. Because the people in the ghettos had limited resources, they made the most out of what they had. The style and the fashion sense that they sported spoke of a willingness to create a style of their own despite several constraints (Wikipedia 2004). In the hip-hop culture today, fashion has undoubtedly become more stylish, more pronounced and more accessible in this day and age. It has indeed come a long way in the past twenty or so years. Ever since its inception, it has been proven to be a driving force in the fashion scene. From its modest beginnings in the â€Å"ghettos† of the African-American suburbs of New York, the hip hop fashion has transcended race, culture, gender as well as international borders as you will now see different ethnicities and races who have adopted their own hip hop style. The one thing that will immediately identify a person if he listens to hip hop or not is by the way they dress and what they put on themselves. Today, the hip hop clothing and apparel industry grosses over a billion dollars but despite its popularity among people who have the money to spend for the type of look they are sporting, it is still accessible by even the youngest boy in hopes of making it big in the future as an advocate of the hip hop music and fashion (Wikipedia 2004)

Discussing Roles And Responsibilities Of Newly Qualified Nurse Nursing Essay

Discussing Roles And Responsibilities Of Newly Qualified Nurse Nursing Essay The aim of this essay is to explore and discuss important aspects of the roles and responsibilities of the newly qualified nurse. It will discuss an overview of different type of roles and responsibilities including transition. The roles and responsibilities of a qualified nurse include essential professional skills such as leading in care management and care delivery situations as well as maintaining standards of care. The focus of the essay will be on two chosen roles of newly qualified nurses (delegation and patient group direction). It will discuss the meaning of these concepts and their importance for nurses, and provide some practical contextual examples. It will also discuss the rational of chosen roles A new qualified nurse expected to be competent to work in all environments and situations. This emerging health care system requires a registered Nurse workforce at all levels post initial registration capable of critical reflective thinking in order to create this system. With registration comes a shift in professional accountability together with wider clinical management and teaching responsibilities. On becoming a qualified nurse, the expectations and dynamics of relationships changes fundamentally. Suddenly the newly qualified nurse is the one who must know the answer whether it is a query from a patient, a career, a work colleague or a student. The newly qualified nurse will encounter many challenging situations where she or he must lead care delivery. This includes dealing with care management within the team, dealing with patients/service users, dealing with other professionals, and dealing with the required needs of the whole workplace environment. The NMC requires a student nurse to demonstrate professional and ethical practice, be competent in care delivery and care management and show personal and professional development in order to join the register NMC (2010). It is recognized that nurses should be provided with some form of preceptorship and supervision in their role for a period of four months time NMC (2006)) once qualified. Even in this period of preceptorship, there are new expectations and challenges faced by the newly qualified nurse. Mooney (2007) found that newly qualified nurses were faced with assumptions from others that they should know everything. This was also a high expectation they had of themselves. In meeting the NMC standards of proficiency the nurse should have demonstrated the relevant knowledge and skills in order to practise in their career. However, it is important to recognise that not every nurse knows everything about everything in their career especially if they are practising in highly specialized fields. What they need is to be able to develop and adapt to changing situations. Therefore, for the nurse it is impossible to know everything but they should have developed the skills to find out relevant information, reflect on it, and apply this to their practice. In essence they should have learned how to learn. There is a great deal to be learned once qualified, especially related to a nurses new area of work and a good deal of the development needs to take place on the job. The study by Jackson. K (2005) suggested that a successful transition requires the nurse to develop a self-image relevant to the change in status to be able to do the job and that they meet the expectations with others with appropriate support. Mooney (2007) also points out that the duties faced by most newly qualified nurses were not patient contact centred. There were a lot of duties related to contacting and dealing with other professionals and services. These brought anxieties related to the responsibilities that might be faced as the nurses would become increasingly senior in their roles with others expecting them to provide the actions and the answers in complex situations. This highlights how the experience of nursing of transition from student to newly qualified nurse can be daunting. In the current environment there is an expectation that nurses have a preceptor one qualifying for aid in these transitions but the literature still suggests there is a difficulty in the transit ion process for such professionals. Hole. J, (2009) found that individual accountability, delegating duties without appearing bossy and some challenging clinical situations such as death and dying and specialised technological roles were found to be stressful by qualifying nurses. Issues of the preceptorship of newly qualified nurses become apparent and important in dealing with the transition from supervised student to autonomous practitioner. The approach taken throughout the rest of this essay will be to provide a discussion of the main theories, concepts, and issues related to the roles and responsibilities of delegation and PGD for newly qualified nurses. It will discuss the meaning of these concepts and their importance for nurses, and provide some practical contextual examples. The rational of choosing these two roles are because: Firstly delegation is a huge newly qualified nurses concern. According Hole. J, (2005) newly qualified nurses are not capable to delegate tasks to someone else and they end up overloading themselves. This is because an accountability issue or not knowing the staffs well as they is new to the ward. Secondly, it is a legal requirement that newly qualified nurses need to have knowledge of PGDs in order to work within legal and ethical frameworks that underpin safe and effective medicines management NMC (2010). For this reason, I personally was interested and picked them to discuss in order to develop my understanding and prepare me to successfully make the transition from student nurse to a registered professional. Delegation is the process by which responsibility and authority for performing a task is transferred to another individual who accepts that authority and responsibility. Although the delegator remains accountable for the task, the delegate is also accountable to the delegator for the responsibilities assumed. Delegation can help others to develop or enhance their skills, promotes teamwork and improves productivity Sollivan.E.J et al (2009). Therefore, delegation is the area where newly qualified staff experience huge difficulties. Often they do not feel confident enough to ask someone else to do something for them. Consequently, they try to do all of the work themselves and end up leaving late or providing less than adequate standards of care. Other members of staff will not mind if they delegate tasks to them, as long as they apply the basic rules such as ensuring that it is something they are competent to do. When delegating, the delegator remain responsible for that care if he/she do not delegate appropriately as stated by NMC (2008). It is also important that the delegator explained clearly what it is he/she want them to do and why because he/she might genuinely busy or is it just something that he/she does not want to do. Hole.J, (2005) explained that As long as he/she asks the other member of staff in a courteous manner and stick to the rules, there will be few problems. However, there may always be someone who has the potential to react in a negative way to his/her request. These people are often known for this type of behaviour and it should be dealt with swiftly by their manager. This type of reaction experience should be discussed with the member of staff or if he/she not feels confident enough to do this, he/she should talk to the manager. As mention above this will be a difficult skill for a newly qualified nurse especially at first. They will need to get to know the other staff before they will feel truly comfortable delegating to others in the team. They may feel guilty about asking others to do tasks which they feel that they should be doing themselves. What they need to realise is that they cannot possibly do everything themselves and that they will need to work as a team in order to deliver good patient care. The new qualified nurses may well feel that they cannot ask others especially HCAs who have worked on the ward for years to do things for them. The nurse will probably feel self-conscious and embarrassed. The answer is that it is not what the nurse asks them to do that are important. It is how he/she asks them. Good communication is the key to successful delegation. The nurse should take a few minutes to discuss with the HCA/student with whom he/she is working who will be doing what during that shift. Share the workload and be realistic. Therefore the newly qualified nurses must not overload themselves with care they do not really think they can give. The member of staff would rather know what their workload is at the beginning of the shift so that they can organise their time effectively. If the delegator has to ask them to take on extra work during the shift, they will find this difficult. So the delegator should keep communicating with them during the shift, and if he/she is held up with relatives or an acutely ill patient, he/she should tell them and explain that he/she will try to help them as soon as possible. When the new qualified nurses are delegating, it is important to ensure that this is appropriate as it is their responsibility to ensure that the member of staff to whom they delegate is competent to perform the task. This means that if they delegate a task to a member of staff who is not competent and they perform the task wrongly, they are accountable for the harm caused to the patient. Although the member of staff responsible, they remain accountable. For example, they cannot assume that the HCA/student with whom they are working is competent in the skill of measuring and recording a patients blood pressure. Just because the member of staff has worked on that ward for a period of time, this does not mean that they have been taught correctly. They must assess their competence to perform the task before they allow them to do this independently. They can then justify their delegation of that skill if necessary. Patient Group Direction (PGD) is a written instruction for the supply and/or administration of a licensed medicine (medicines) in an identified clinical situation signed by a doctor or a dentist and pharmacist. It applies to a group of patients who may not be individually identified before presenting for treatment NPC (2009), page 11. In simple terms, a PGD is the supply and/or administration of a specified medicine or medicines by named authorised health professionals for a group of patients requiring treatment for the condition described in the PGD. The health professional must be registered. Implementing PGDs may be appropriate both in circumstances where groups of patients may not have been previously identified for example, minor injuries and first contact services and in services where assessment and treatment follows a clearly predictable pattern such as immunisation, family planning and so on. Professionals using a PGD must be registered or equivalent members of their profession and act within their appropriate code of professional conduct. This differs from supplementary prescribers and independent prescribers who must also successfully complete specific prescribing training and be appropriately registered before they may prescribe. However, organisations using PGDs must designate an appropriate person within the organisation. For example, a clinical supervisor, line manager or General Practitioner to ensure that only fully competent, qualified and trained healthcare professionals use PGDs. Individual practitioners using a PGD must be named A Patient Group Direction allows specified registered healthcare professionals to supply or administer a medicine directly to a patient with an identified clinical condition without him/her necessarily seeing a prescriber. So, patients may present directly to health care professionals using PGDs in their services without seeing a doctor. Alternatively, the patient may have been referred by a doctor to another service. Whichever way the patient presents, the healthcare professional working within the PGD is responsible for assessing that the patient fits the criteria set out in the PGD. In general, a PGD is not meant to be a long-term means of managing a patients clinical condition. This is best achieved by a health care professional prescribing for an individual patient on a one-to-one basis. Before a healthcare professional can use a PGD, he/she must be named and have signed the PGD documentation. This generally takes the form of signatures and names on a list or individual forms that are attached to the PGD itself or held by the service or organisation. Employees of NHS organisations authorising a PGD generally have indemnity attached to their status as an employee. This may also apply to non-NHS organisations. However, the organisations and employees involved should always check that this is the case. If the professional is not directly employed by the organisation, he/she still needs to be assessed as competent to use the PGD and must have his/her own relevant professional indemnity or insurance. These issues have implications for service delivery when new staff begins, or agency staff are covering services. They may not be able to work under a PGD immediately or may be excluded because of their employment status. Service managers need to be aware of these issues and plan service delivery to accommodate them. The use of PGDs is widespread throughout the NHS and since April 2003, some non-NHS organisations have been able to use them suggested by NPC (2009). Organisations must ensure that staff responsible for the development / implementation of PGDs and those authorised to work under PGDs have the experience, knowledge and skills necessary to do so. Unlike supplementary prescribers, nurse independent prescribers and healthcare professionals using PGDs do not have to become specifically qualified to do so. But they must be assessed by their organisations as fully competent, qualified and trained to operate within a PGD. A suitably competent and experienced healthcare professional who will be working under the PGD should be involved in the writing of the PGD, to ensure that the PGD meets the needs of the service. The role by RCN (2004) proposes that the registered nurse must be assessed as competent in medicines administration, Must be trained to operate within a PGDMust follow the 6 Rs of medicines administration Usually need to be qualified for at least 6 months Must assess the patient to ensure they fit the criteria as detailed in the PGD Must ensure the PGD meets the necessary legal requirements Cannot delegate the supplying/dispensing or administration stage to another registered nurse or student nurse. There is no specific national training for healthcare professionals producing PGDs The newly qualified nurses are not expected to be able to operate under a PGD until competent in medicines administration. However, they need to have knowledge of PGDs for their patient safety. For example, if patient under PGD admitted to the ward, the nurse must ensure that the medicines not stopped. The NMC (2010) code of conduct outline that newly qualified nurses to be fully understood all methods of supplying medicines. This includes Medicines Act exemptions, patient group directions (PGDs), clinical management plans and other forms of prescribing. They are expected to demonstrate knowledge and application of the principles required for safe and effective supply and administration via a patient group direction including an understanding of role and accountability. And also demonstrate how to supply and administer via a patient group direction. The newly qualified nurses may be involved with PGDs such as assisting and identifying areas where a PGD would offer more benefits than a PSD, understand the principles and processes of PGDs and be fully conversant with all the principles associated with dispensing and administering medicines they may also be working in a variety of settings where PGDs are used for example prison health care setting, nurse led service, walk in centres In my conclusion, I have learnt the roles and responsibilities of newly qualified nurses and I have developed skills and professional knowledge to work effectively with others. The NMC (2010) code of conduct helped me how the laws and policies are set up to ensure safe and effective delivery of care given to service users under a patient group direction. I am now prepared for the challenges I will face on being a newly qualified nurse by providing the knowledge and skills required to become effective and accountable practitioners. Clinical decisions will still have to be made in relation to meeting the needs of the people within my care. However, becoming a qualified nurse brings with its wider responsibilities in making and taking decisions related to the nursing team, other staff, and the work environment as a whole. These changes require a large shift from the experience of being a student and a mentored supervised learner, so it is essential that I am equipped with all the skills required to successfully make the transition.

Study of Organizational Culture and the Indian Army

Study of Organizational Culture and the Indian Army THE INDIAN ARMY is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. It came into being in 1947 when India gained independence, and inherited most of the infrastructure of the British Indian Army that was located in post-partition India. It is a voluntary service and though there is a provision for military conscription in the Indian constitution, it has never been imposed. The Indian Army is the worlds second-largest standing army whose primary mission is to ensure the national security and defense of the Republic of India from external aggression and threats and maintaining peace and security within its borders. It also conducts humanitarian rescue operations during natural calamities and other disturbances. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. CULTURE is comprised by the customs, heritage and achievements of a particular segment of society. Organizational culture is the psychology, attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values of an organization and its employees. In this case, we talk about the army. As an organization, its culture is the sum total of the activities and ideas shared by this group of people with its common requirements, customs, laws and traditions. These are percolated across the Army by the thoughts and feelings of the people concerned and are reinforced by actions of individuals and sub-groups to present a whole picture of a common and shared perception of a uniform blend of ideals working and striving towards the achievement of a common goal. By ultimately working in accordance with and in response to a single will, political and military they attain the objectives laid down for them in peace, and particularly during operations in war. This is how the Army is designed and it is mandatory that this design is followed in the best manner possible for maintaining and preserving the solidarity and cohesion of the force and its professional competence. The two epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata constitute the framework on which the edifice of Army is built. The elements of culture have been imbibed a lot from these two epics. Even in the Indian army just like Mahabharata, the good of the nation is put first rather than the individual. In terms of power distribution just like the Ramayana the Indian Army is a well structured organisation. There is a central authority of power which releases orders, the people at various levels follow orders from the superior and respect them at the same time. There are clear cut guidelines for each and every army personnel to follow and deviations from the same are not appreciated in the Institute. Army as an institute lays special emphasis on attention to details as they need to be sure of everything before going out for war. The armed personnel have both facets in their personality they are aggressive when required and can be stable when required. The Indian army has people orientation also as part of its culture. It believes more than the artillery the men are their biggest strength. They have proper training facilities to inculcate them into the culture of the Indian Army. To further understand the culture of the Indian Army we interviewed three Army personnel. The following is a gist of the three interviews What are key facets of Culture of the Indian Army? The key facets of Indian Army include a sense of bonding, they are a unit which is closely knit, an extremely disciplined bunch of people with high levels of motivation. They have high respect for what they do and their peer group. In practise, a lot of times the Indian Army does not receive its promised share of returns and hence the general moral of the troops takes a dip. This can be attributed to bureaucratic interference. How does the organisation structure impact culture? The organisation structure helps them integrate with the culture, since it clearly defines roles of individuals. At the same time it also brings in a sense of respect towards their seniors. How do the forces men get to know about the culture of Indian Army when they are recruited? Culture is imbibed in the men right from the days of training. It is a rigorous training method followed at the IMA/NDA/OTA to train these bright young individuals to become men of the Indian army. During the training period through their interactions with seniors the recruits learn more than the functionalities of the Indian Army. They say it is one the best ways in which culture is imbibed in the minds of these young individuals. What is sought after in Indian Army the larger Interest or Individual requests? Its the interest of the nation that is the most important thing for any of the armed forces men. He puts the nation before everything in his life. How clearly are roles defined in the Indian Army? Roles are very clearly defined in the Indian Army. A hierarchy structure is in place. The posting of individuals happens on the basis of role requirement and then finding the best fit. Does culture also evolve and is there scope for new traditions? Indian army is an institute which believes in continuous development for the better, at the same it believes in maintaining its rich heritage. In a nutshell it amalgamates the old and new and ensures the best is created. But it likes to hold on to its past a lot. Any knowledge of cross culture impact of the people as they come from various backgrounds? It is probably the best example to understand homogeneity in heterogeneity. The backgrounds which people come from are diverse but at the same time at the centre of their diversity is unity which binds them to guard their nations boundaries. Due to varied backgrounds, individuals learn to appreciate others and also at the same time learn to celebrate differences. How important is detailing as a facet of culture in the Indian Army? The most important facet of Indian Armys culture is detailing. One cannot go to battle field without knowing every detail of war. Special emphasis is laid on detailing right from the training period of each and every personnel. An eye for detailing is extremely important as well as highly appreciated in the Indian Army. How does the Indian army communicate its culture to the outside world? Each army personnel is the brand ambassador of the Indian army. He/She is role model for todays youth and carries himself accordingly. Besides Indian army leads by example in every aspect it gets itself involved in. But in totality the army is a very closed organisation and not appreciative unwarranted interaction with the outside world. How do you deal with someone who does not follow the culture of Indian Army? For somebody who is not in line with the culture, they are various stages of ensuring that the person is brought in line with the culture like warnings and annual reports. But if all the options dont work out then Court Marshall is also an option which is exercised where the armed personnel is made to forfeit his position and honour associated with it. FUNCTIONAL AND DYSFUNCTIONAL ASPECTS The mission statement of the Indian Army is not a very clearly defined one. On a broader perspective the Indian Army stands for the following ideology: The Indian Army doctrine defines it as The Indian Army is the land component of the Indian Armed Forces which exist to uphold the ideals of the Constitution of India. As a major component of national power, along with the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force, the roles of the Indian Army are as follows: Primary: Preserve national interests and safeguard sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of India against any external threats by deterrence or by waging war. Secondary: Assist Government agencies to cope with proxy war and other internal threats and provide aid to civil authority when requisitioned for the purpose. Following is the tabulation of the functional and dysfunctional aspects of the Indian Army: Functional Aspects Dysfunctional Aspects It is a highly integrated organization Interference by the bureaucracy. The bureaucracy tries to influence decision making and hence some decisions tend to go haywire, creating confusions for the people around. The motivational levels of the personnel of the Armed Forces are extremely high which is needed for the job profile that they have. Red Tapism. There is a lot of lethargy in some departments to get the things to action. This is quite unacceptable for an institution like the Indian Army. There is immense respect for an individual as well as for the team spirit. Distributed decision making. This causes some crucial decisions to be delayed. The organization has an excellent training programme, which grooms the complete personality of an individual instead of focussing on one aspect. Budget allocations are not defined within the Organization. Hence, the allocation is not even sometimes. They have extremely high standards for selection to the Indian Army, and despite a manpower crunch they have decided not to lower the selection criterion. Indian Army needs to attract the correct talent, which currently it is unable to do. This can be attributed to the lack of proper and correct information to the youth. Very good quality of life for the people who are a part of the Indian Army. Lobbying for promotions. At the senior level, there is a lot of push and pull for getting the coveted positions. This creates an unhealthy environment in the organization. Indian Army ensure a good post retirement life. Low incentive remunerations. Anomalies in the pay structure for the armed forces are a common occurrence. Indian Army provides opportunities to experience various cultures and live in various places as a part of their tenures. ACTION PLAN Based on the derived dysfunctional aspects, we can note that the discrepancies occur on two fronts: External influences Internal functions The issues caused by external influences include: Interference by the bureaucracy The Army should set such high standards that its perceived image is one where it only serves its mission and cannot be influenced. This image will deter all kinds of informal requests and interferences. This can be done by giving more autonomy to the forces in the framework of the organizations serving the country. The issues caused by internal functions include: Red tapism The Army witnesses excessive regulation and rigid conformity to formal rules that at times prevents swift action or decision-making. The organization should allow for flexibility in structure of actions and decision making. Also, it can include cutting of red tape as a policy promise. Hierarchical decision making Orders issued by Army personnel are of critical importance, and thus the decisions to these orders need to be taken on time without any delays. This can be done by empowering officials at different levels so that decisions can be immediately taken and there arises no need to wait for sanctions from the top order when it is urgent. Uneven budget allocations Studying and understanding of every departments needs, will help carry out equal and effective budget distributions. This will ensure availability of all needed resources to all departments. Poor perceived image The armys current image is unable to attract attention of the youth for new recruits. This can be fixed by better communication and public relations exercise. Lobbying for promotions It is crucial for every organization to ensure that there are no unethical practises taking place. To prevent any lobbying for promotions, the Army should give due appraisals based on merit at the right time. It should also devise a protective mechanism for all those who report these unethical practises; this will help report all such malpractices. Unequal remuneration compared to other Government Organizations This brings about lack of motivation in the Army officials. The Government must ensure that the relative appraisals in all its organizations are at par. Acknowledgement We would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Shubhra Gaur for giving us this opportunity to conduct research on the Indian Army and its Culture and to study the various functional and dysfunctional aspects associated with this organization. We would also like to thank Maj.Gen.(Retd) D.V. Kalra, VSM for helping us understand the culture and working style of the Indian Army..

The HIV & AIDS Virus :: HIV, AIDS, Health

Citations AIDS.org - news, treatment information, and other resources. www.aids.org/ HIV and AIDS Activities - information from the FDA Office of Special Health Issues. www.fda.gov/oashi/aids/hiv.html Specialized Information Services Home Page - US National Library ... - ... Library of Medicine (NLM) is responsible for information resources and services in toxicology, environmental health, chemistry, HIV/AIDS, and specialized ... www.sis.nlm.nih.gov CDC-NCHSTP-Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) Home Page - ... CDC - Divisions of HIV / AIDS Prevention Home Page; logo: HIV / AIDS Prevention National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention. ... www.cdc.gov/hiv/dhap.htm AIDSinfo - federally approved information on AIDS research, clinical trials, and treatment from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Created by merging the AIDS Clinical Trials Information Service (ACTIS) and the HIV/AIDS Treatment Information Service (ATIS). www.hivatis.org/ HIV InSite - comprehensive and reliable information on HIV/AIDS treatment, policy, research, epidemiology, and prevention from the University of California, San Francisco. hivinsite.ucsf.edu/ HIV & AIDS Virus AIDS - acquired immunodeficiency syndrome - was first reported in the United States in 1981 and has since become a major worldwide epidemic. AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). By killing or damaging cells of the body's immune system, HIV progressively destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers. People diagnosed with AIDS may get life-threatening diseases called opportunistic infections, which are caused by microbes such as viruses or bacteria that usually do not make healthy people sick. More than 790,000 cases of AIDS have been reported in the United States since 1981, and as many as 900,000 Americans may be infected with HIV. This epidemic is growing more rapidly among minority populations and is a leading killer of African-American males ages 25 to 44. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), AIDS affects nearly seven times more African Americans and three times more Hispanics than whites. Transmission of HIV Having unprotected sex with an infected partner most commonly spreads HIV. The virus can enter the body through the lining of the vagina, vulva, penis, or mouth during sex. HIV also is spread through contact with infected blood. Before donated blood was screened for evidence of HIV infection and before heat-treating techniques to destroy HIV in blood products were introduced. HIV was transmitted through transfusions having the contaminated blood or blood components. Today, because of blood screening and heat treatment, the risk of getting HIV from such transfusions is extremely small.

Where Are You? Essay -- Creative Writing Essays

I ran down the stairs, trying to catch my breath. My heart was pumping itself out of place. I leaped to the last step and threw myself into the kitchen. I found my sister clutching her ears and bashing her head against the wall. ‘Chris, honey stop it, I’m here now, Sshh be quiet,’ I cried to her trying to make her let go of her ears in order for her to hear me. ‘NO, GET AWAY!’ she threw me across the room and I smashed myself into the wall. She started to go bright red, shaking so hard I could see her from three metres away. Her eyes were pouring tears out. I sprinted over to her and hugged her so firmly, it hurt me. She then stopped; she relaxed; hugged me back and whispered†¦ ‘I’m sorry Ashley, I’m really sorry, its -’ I cut her sentence off. ‘Just shush Chrissie, just be quiet,’ I demanded. She whimpered in my arms and was still shaking. She whispered I’m sorry again. * * * I lay her in bed, sitting beside her, stroking her silky blonde hair. ‘Sweetie its three in the morning, you have school tomorrow, I want you to go to sleep, and no matter what don’t wake up. Okay ?’ I assured her. ‘I’ll try†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ she replied back. I smiled at her and switched her light off. I crept out of the room, trying my best not to distract her. Slowly, I made my way to my room and let myself collapse to the floor and cry. This was the second time it had happened. I had been through a lot of things but nothing had effected me this much. I didn’t know what it was, but it hurt me so much and I don’t think I could take it anymore. Gradually, I got back up and gazed around at the state of my room. It was 03:18a.m There was roughly five hours to get ready. Too much time. I lay in bed wondering if perhaps I should ask for help. They’d probably... ...floor. My eyes watched the little girl lay deadlocked on the floor. ‘Chrissie?’ I didn’t have the strength to say mum but I did. ‘Mum?’ I glared towards the motionless body that lay on the floor. Outside was a helpless little girl that meant no harm to anyone; inside was a horrifying monster tearing her apart. Her eyes opened once more, a colour I couldn’t describe, something I hadn’t seen before. ‘I love you†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ I ran over to the paralyzed body. I stroked the little girls hair. She lay in my arms and I didn’t bother to check if she was alive or not. Because I knew I had lost her. Chrissie and Mum. Forever. Moderately, I stretched up and strolled to Chrissie’s room. I curled up into a ball on her bedroom floor. My arms were wrapped around my legs and I was shivering. Who was I to cry for? Could this have happened? But I knew one thing†¦ They had gone†¦ The End†¦

Uniforms of the British Army 1812-1815 :: Military Uniform Clothing

Uniforms of the British Army 1812-1815 Major General of Infantry Since my character was Major O'Dowd I decided to do my presentation on the uniforms not only of the Major, but also the men that were in his regiment including Captain Dobbin, George Osbourne and Captain Rawdon. When Major O'Dowd headed off for the Battle of Waterloo outside of Brussels he was most likely outfitted in something along these lines; a Red jacket lined with white. It had a royal blue collar patch and cuffs, golden buttons, shoulder epaulettes, shoulder cords, trimming and piping. He wore a black stock and white collar band with white enamel crossed with a red center. This same cross on the collar band would also be found on his breast. Next came a crimson sash, white waist belt and slings. A gentleman of his position would wear white gloves, gray trousers with a golden side stripe and black shoes. Major O'Dowd would have carried a steel sword and a scabbard with mother of pearls embedded in the grip, a golden guard and a sword knot. He wore a black cocked hat with silver lace, golden tassels and a white and red plume. This was noted as the correct outfit for a major general of infantry. This link will also show you an exact replica of an 1812 ' 1815 'Waterloo' Shako Plate. Please make reference to the codes, charts and tables that I have handed out to determine exactly what each regiment including the cavalry, dragoon guards, hussars, staff, footmen and engineers wore (Smith). Soldiers and Officers of the Guards This costume would most likely have been more customary for our younger men to wear, I.E. Captain Dobbin, George and Captain/Colonel Rawdon. This link is the closest I can find to what the uniform might have looked like, but it is not perfect. This uniform is more precisely defined as having a black cocked hat with a black cockade, golden border lace, tassels loop and button and white plume with crimson base. The jacket was scarlet with white lining, collar, lapels and cuffs; golden lace and buttons. They wore a white stock, breeches, gaiters and gloves, a crimson sash, black shoes and a black sword scabbard with a golden point. The colors (royal colors) have a brown staff with a golden spearhead. The colors properly are the Union, having golden trimming and writing in the center and on the arms of the cross. Uniforms of the British Army 1812-1815 :: Military Uniform Clothing Uniforms of the British Army 1812-1815 Major General of Infantry Since my character was Major O'Dowd I decided to do my presentation on the uniforms not only of the Major, but also the men that were in his regiment including Captain Dobbin, George Osbourne and Captain Rawdon. When Major O'Dowd headed off for the Battle of Waterloo outside of Brussels he was most likely outfitted in something along these lines; a Red jacket lined with white. It had a royal blue collar patch and cuffs, golden buttons, shoulder epaulettes, shoulder cords, trimming and piping. He wore a black stock and white collar band with white enamel crossed with a red center. This same cross on the collar band would also be found on his breast. Next came a crimson sash, white waist belt and slings. A gentleman of his position would wear white gloves, gray trousers with a golden side stripe and black shoes. Major O'Dowd would have carried a steel sword and a scabbard with mother of pearls embedded in the grip, a golden guard and a sword knot. He wore a black cocked hat with silver lace, golden tassels and a white and red plume. This was noted as the correct outfit for a major general of infantry. This link will also show you an exact replica of an 1812 ' 1815 'Waterloo' Shako Plate. Please make reference to the codes, charts and tables that I have handed out to determine exactly what each regiment including the cavalry, dragoon guards, hussars, staff, footmen and engineers wore (Smith). Soldiers and Officers of the Guards This costume would most likely have been more customary for our younger men to wear, I.E. Captain Dobbin, George and Captain/Colonel Rawdon. This link is the closest I can find to what the uniform might have looked like, but it is not perfect. This uniform is more precisely defined as having a black cocked hat with a black cockade, golden border lace, tassels loop and button and white plume with crimson base. The jacket was scarlet with white lining, collar, lapels and cuffs; golden lace and buttons. They wore a white stock, breeches, gaiters and gloves, a crimson sash, black shoes and a black sword scabbard with a golden point. The colors (royal colors) have a brown staff with a golden spearhead. The colors properly are the Union, having golden trimming and writing in the center and on the arms of the cross.

Internet Marketing Assignment Essay

E-Commerce describes any business to consumer transactions that take place partly or solely online and is not limited to the purchase of physical products from a website – although that does make up a key component of most e-commerce businesses. Some services or products are sold purely online while other companies may have physical stores or headquarters in addition to their online presence. E-Business describes any business to business transactions that take place online. For example a Web Design company often doesn’t sell products directly to consumers, but instead creates websites as a service for other companies, which will in turn be used to sell products or services to consumers. The internet has revolutionised the way companies do business. The shift in the way people shop has had a big impact on both the micro environments – the individual companies and their direct stakeholders; and the macro environment – politics, economy and society as a whole. â€Å"The death of the  high street† has been an obvious effect of these changes with many stores shutting down. Those who fail to keep up with these changes will be more likely to feel the negative consequences – as was the case with HMV and Blockbuster, who were forced into administration as competing online services took over their market share. For those who do keep up however, business is booming. iTunes, Amazon and Netflix are Blockbuster’s and HMV’s online equivalents and all three have billions of users from all around the globe. While the amount of jobs available in retail positions has been on a steady decline over recent years the demand for skilled workers in the IT sector is bigger than ever – so much so that there is a shortage of candidates and many roles go unfilled. A report issued by the government regarding the UK cyber security strategy highlighted that the â€Å"current and future ICT and cyber security skills gap† was a â€Å"key challenge† in implementing the strategy. (National Audit Office, 2013) To address this problem the education system needed to be changed, as of 2014 children as young as 5 will be learning advanced computing as part of the curriculum. Higher Education institutes will also likely have to reassess their course material to accommodate the new generation of students who will be leaving school with more in depth knowledge of computer systems and software development. Consumers gain many benefits from e-commerce, they now have the choice of shopping from an almost unlimited choice of companies from all around the world. Comparing prices and finding out what other customers thought of a product is also made much easier by the internet. The change in peoples shopping habits has changed the way companies advertise, huge marketing budgets for prime-time TV commercials are no longer the only way to get noticed and the potential audience is now global. Elements of Internet Marketing Traditional styles of advertising such as TV, newspapers, magazines, billboards etc are based on an â€Å"interruption† model. A show is interrupted by TV advert; music is interrupted by a radio advert; the flow of an article is interrupted by a magazine article, etc. This style of advertising persisted and still exists today in many places – but more and more companies are realising that demanding a customer’s attention in this way online does not yield good results. Some elements of internet marketing are examined below. Search Engines Organic search results account for a significant percentage of internet traffic. (The actual number is hard to measure for reasons discussed in the â€Å"Internet Marketing Tools† section on page 11). Regardless of the specifics it is widely accepted that organic search results are where a huge amount of a websites visitors come from. Search Engine Optimisation is therefore a vital part of a marketing strategy. Paid advertising through search engines may also be considered for extra exposure but is no substitute for a properly designed site structure and key word rich, quality content for search engine robots to crawl. Often good practices for SEO also embody good practices for UX design and accessibility; humans and robots alike prefer sites that are easy to navigate and have well-structured content that makes use of headings and sections to make it easy to read; as well as alt tags on all images that give a clear description of what that image depicts; with internal and external links within the content when the context is relevant. In the early days of search engines keywords were all that mattered, so it was easy to rank high on Google simply by stuffing as many keywords into the headers meta-tag as possible. Key word meta-tags are now obsolete and search engines have become much more sophisticated. (Google, 2011) As well as  crawling site structure and content to determine the quality of a page search-bots also judge the integrity of a page. They do this by keeping track of how many external sources link to it – at first, this encouraged â€Å"link farms† (a company would pay for a web traffic boosting service, which would churn out their site’s URL over a network of dummy sites set up purely for the purpose of creating links) – as search engines evolved this method is no longer as effective. Google now has algorithms that also measure the integrity of the sites that the links come from to provide users with more relevant results. Ranking high on Google for certain keywords is a long process, a new website has to build up a reputation, get their content shared and linked by others in an organic way – by having an article shared on social media for example – not through a link farm. Google strives for excellence by constantly improving its algorithms, they want to offer their visitors relevant search results so people continue to use their service and marketing strategies have to adapt if they want to keep up. Organic search results are a perfect example of marketing that doesn’t feel like marketing to potential customers. They are using search engines to find something specific – the hard work has been done for you, they already want to buy something or have some sort of problem solved – and if good practices for SEO have been implemented there’s no reason a website they find through Google would be irrelevant and not what they’re looking for, Google’s algorithms make sure of that and there are no shortcuts or cheats to trick them. A site filled with links and crammed with keywords for the sole purpose of getting more people to visit your website achieves nothing, if they click on it and it isn’t relevant to what they’re looking for they won’t just buy your product or service anyway, they will leave. The amount of time people spend on a website and the actions they take there (signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, et c) is all tracked by Google and used as part of the algorithms to determine the quality and integrity of a website. Banner Ads Banner Advertisements are based on the classic interruption model and the  vast majority of internet users don’t like them; and a huge percentage use software to block them completely. This has been determined multiple times over the years by a number of different researchers. One study conducted by the Norman Neilson Group, experts in Usability Heuristics, found that most users will completely ignore anything that looks like an advert – even when it’s not; and even when it provides them with the information they are looking for. In one study participants were asked to find the population of the United States using the U.S Census Bureau website – which was presented in large red numbers on the right hand side of the home page. 86% of users ignored it because it looked like an advert, it was bold and placed in the location that adverts are traditionally placed so was disregarded, despite containing the exact information they were looking for. The pie chart shows an overall representation of the behaviour exhibited by users on the site. In a different study eye tracking software and real time observation was used to measure exactly where people look on a website and how they interact with its various elements. In summary the study found that: â€Å"Users rarely look at display advertisements on websites. Of the 4 design elements that do attract a few ad fixations, one is unethical and reduces the value of advertising networks.† (Nielsen, 2007) The four design elements in question that users have been found to give their attention are: text, faces, cleavage/other body parts (â€Å"sex sells† still rings true for internet marketing) and obnoxious, intruding banner advertisements. Banners that sit and do nothing are considered a more ethical way of advertising, unfortunately studies show that ones that make sounds, pop up into the users line of sight or are animated attract more attention. However, just because a person is more likely to look at an obnoxious ad, that doesn’t mean they will click on it and be prepared to hand over payment details. I feel â€Å"Banner Blindness† should be taken more seriously than it currently is and companies need to find alternative methods of advertising, as this form has been proven to be ineffective for well over a decade now. (The same study with the same findings was first conducted by the NN group  in 1997.) Social Media Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc are no longer just the domain of a young tech-savvy audience. Data collected from a survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International found that Social Media usage has increased by 800% since 2005. In contrast, TV viewership has decreased by 50% in the same time frame. The graph below shows the findings, broken down by age  Social media marketing can connect businesses with millions of potential customers. Not only that, it can be done for free; unlike television and other traditional methods of advertising that require a substantial investment up front with virtually no guarantee of a return. Paid advertising on Social Media can also be tailored to target a specific audience. The ads can be set up to only display to those who will be the most likely to click on it. A bar advertising for fresher’s week for example could target their ads at students who were over 18 and living in the local area. Strategic Content The use of strategic content ties in with SEO and Social Media marketing; it involves creating content (as a blog for example) that is useful or interesting in some way (as well as relevant to the business) to encourage visitors to come to a website. From an SEO standpoint this will make the site rich with content, keywords and links which can result in higher rankings on search engines which means visitors are more likely to find your website. For example a company specialising in web design may have a design and technology blog providing expert information and up to date news on technology, or perhaps a section featuring tutorials and templates. Providing free content that’s similar to what you’re trying to sell can seem counter intuitive but it helps cultivate trust, it provides evidence that the company knows what it’s talking about and gives potential customers an overview of how things are done. Content can be shared around social media, and if it’s interesting or informative people may share it with their  friends which results in more exposure. Partnerships Forming mutually beneficial deals with other companies and cross promoting each other can widen the audience they both reach. Youtube and Twitch for example are used as platforms for gamers and game publishers to work together; publishers provide high influence content creators with early access to games, which they broadcast to all their fans. The content creators gain more views and in return more people get to hear about the game and see how it plays – making them more likely to buy it. This kind of promotion doesn’t cost either party any money but is beneficial and profitable for everyone involved. All of these elements (and others) tailored to fit the needs of the company combine to create what’s commonly referred to among marketing professionals as â€Å"The Marketing Mix.† The Marketing Mix The Marketing Mix: a phrase first used by Neil Borden in his paper â€Å"The Concept of the Marketing Mix† has become a well-known term for describing the strategies formulated to advertise services and products. One of the most widely used marketing mix paradigms is â€Å"The Four Ps†; proposed by E J McCarthy in 1964. The Four Ps are: Product Whether it be a tangible item or a service, first and foremost you need something to sell. What do customers want to buy? What features does your product or service need to fulfil the needs of your potential customers? Place In the past, brick and mortar stores and catalogues were the only two options  to consider, the internet has made a global market much easier to reach but has also made the market much more competitive. Companies need to consider where customers might look for their product. Is a physical location required or can the business exist solely online? The pros and cons of each would need to be considered, for example a small start-up clothing store would be competing with huge corporations such as Primark, Debenhams, etc while paying for expensive running costs of a brick store, stock storage and paying for staff wages. Online, that same start-up company would still be competing with those same corporations as on the high street, plus a huge other array of smaller or medium sized online outlets. However the running costs and risks of an online-only start-up are minimal. A company can exist solely as a part of a larger organisation such as Ebay or Etsy; many who start out this way and find success then choose to invest in their own website for selling their products without the middle man. Some then may also go on to open high-street stores, for example Simple Be existed as a purely online business at first before investing in physical stores; which have an advantage over online only clothing stores as customers can try things on and won’t have to worry about complicated returns procedures. Price Finding the right price for a product or service is a balancing act. Price too high for your target market and nobody will buy. Pricing too low not only means lower profit margins but can also label your product as â€Å"cheap† which may not be an image the company wants to convey. Apple are a perfect example of hitting the perfect price to quality ratio for their products target market. Apple products are hugely popular despite being comparable in technical specifications to other, lower priced competing devices. Ken Segall, Apples former marketing executive, said himself that â€Å"Apple doesn’t do cheap† stating in his blog that Apple â€Å"makes products for people who care about design, simplicity, quality and a great experience — and are willing to pay more for these things. For Apple to compromise in any of these areas would be a violation of the Prime Directive.† (Segall, 2014) Apple products are desirable because they’re seen by their fans as the most prestigious and high quality brand, this image would be diminished if the products were  cheaper; as was demonstrated by the relatively low sales of the iPhone 5C which was made of plastic and lower in price than other Apple devices (Though still much more expensive than competing brands). Promotion A great product won’t sell if nobody knows about it, but similarly a terrible product won’t sell well no matter how much time and money goes into advertising. The point of advertising is to convinced potential customers that your product or service will add value to their life in some way that’s relative to the price they would pay for it. This model can be applied to a wide range of services and products as it is non-specific and can easily be tailored to fit the needs of the business using it. It all boils down to putting the right product in the right place at the right price. Several alternatives and additions have been suggested by marketing experts and academics alike in the interest of creating a marketing mix that’s more relevant in an industry that has changed in ways nobody could have predicted. When the 4P’s were first introduced in the 60’s the internet as we know it today did not exist so it’s reasonable to say new strategies and updated methodologies are required. Some additions that have been suggested include â€Å"people† – encouraging good customer service and a good working environment for employees. â€Å"Process† – looking at ways to streamline and reduce costs in both producing the product and how the business is run. â€Å"Physical Evidence† – Could be in the form of endorsements, customer testimonials and feedback or any awards the company may have achieved. Another popular paradigm that evolved from the original 4P’s is the â€Å"Four C’s† model – proposed by R.F. Lauterborn in 1993. Customer/Clients The customers are the driving force behind any business, so an organisation  should ask themselves what they can do for their customers – what needs and wants to they have and how can you help? Cost How much will it cost the customers, are they getting good value? If your product is more expensive than competitors, why? Does it offer superior quality? If it’s cheaper, again customers will want to know why, will they be compromising on quality? Or does the business create lower costs by streamlining internal processes and passing the savings on to the consumer? Convenience People buy things that they believe will make their lives easier or enhance it in some way; and when they want something they want it to be easy to find and simple to purchase. For example a clean, uncluttered website that makes finding and buying products easy will tend to sell more than one with confusing navigation and a lengthy checkout process. Communication All promotion and advertising is a way of communicating with customers, a way to get your message and brand out into the world and let people know what your product is and why people should buy it. Companies who stay engaged with their customers cultivate trust and loyalty which earns them repeat business and recommendations. This model is essentially the same as the original version but is designed to encourage organisations to look at things from the customer’s point of view. There are merits to both sides of the debate over whether the 4P’s need revamping. On the one hand the original is broad enough for marketing executives to use as a very rough guide to shaping their own unique strategy. On the other hand in an ever changing industry improvements on old practices is a good thing – how can the world evolve if change is not  embraced? Doing things simply because that’s the way they have always been done may cause a company to stagnate and lose market share for not being innovative enough. I would like to propose my own take on the marketing mix, the 4E’s model: Excellence No matter the product or service, striving to be the best at what you do is a good goal to aim for. This is more easily achieved if a business focuses on one particular area rather becoming a jack of all trades and a master of none. Take for example the gaming company Mojang, who were recently purchased by Microsoft for $2.5billion. They developed one game – Minecraft – and they did it so well that it became more than just a simple browser game. It’s now an integral part of pop culture for this generations gamers with a huge diverse community that’s still growing 5 years on. Similarly, Facebook bought Instagram for $1billion after it dominated the mobile photo sharing market and WhatsApp for a staggering $19billion – a simple messaging service that took off in popularity and quickly overtook market share from the big players like Microsoft and Google. (CNN Money, 2014) Facebook itself started as a simple project and is now one of the most powerful corporations in the world – buying off any competitors is one way to keep that lead. A simple concept executed well can change the world. Engagement Social media and the internet in general have made communicating with customers easier than ever before. The best way to figure out what consumers want is to ask them. A business selling food products for example could engage with their customers by making a post on social media asking what different flavours they would like to see. This not only gives the company a firm idea of how popular a new product would be, it also generates buzz and makes the customers feel more involved in the process – making them more likely to actually buy said product when it’s released. Creating quality, relevant content for a website – perhaps in the form of a blog – gives  customers a reason to regularly visit a website. Using a food company as an example again, they could have a recipe section on their website. Maybe even a community section where others could post and share their own recipes. If these recipes are good quality it can lead to people thinking: â€Å"If the free recipes are this good, just imagine how great the food they sell will be!† – turning casual visitors into paying customers. Ease Allow potential customers to make informed decisions by providing them with information about what’s on offer in a way that’s easy to understand and easy to access – similarly ensure to make the process of handing over their money once they’ve decided to buy quick and easy. With an uncountable number of websites in existence a potential customer can be lost very easily if they can’t find what they’re looking for or find any part of the process difficult – they will simply go elsewhere. Economy Finding the right price for a product or service can still be as tricky today as it’s always been with one exception – information on competitors and target markets is readily available. Even in a niche market there are likely to be several competitors operating at varying scales of price and quality. The goal is not necessarily to undercut everybody and become the cheapest but to find the right balance of cost and quality – most people are happy to pay a little bit more for a higher quality product as long as they can justify that it will be worth the investment. Similarly there are many people who will buy the cheapest option available regardless of quality. Establishing a target market and researching purchasing habits can give a company a good idea of where to price themselves to be competitive and profitable. An expensive product can still be considered economical if its benefits are proportionate to its cost. In the end, any model is only as good as the implementation. Knowing the concepts behind a good marketing strategy isn’t the same as having the  skills to plan, implement and maintain them. Internet marketing campaigns take time. It takes time to gain enough followers on social media to start fully engaging with a target market; it takes time to create a catalogue of high quality strategic content and it takes time to build up consumer trust. Internet marketing isn’t as simple as making a Facebook page and uploading the company logo – the internet is an interactive medium. It’s not a billboard, it’s more a large ongoing focus group. Internet Marketing Tools One of the biggest advantages internet marketing has over traditional marketing is the fact the effectiveness of a campaign can be more accurately measured and analysed. Television adverts are measured in terms of how many people have viewed it; beyond that it’s mostly guesswork; it’s very difficult to measure how many people saw a television advert and then went on to perform the desired action (such as go to a store and buy a product, or make a phone call to enquire about a service). With internet marketing everything that happens as the result of a campaign can be tracked every step of the way. An email marketing campaign for example can be tracked to see how many people opened the email, how many then visited the website (known as the click through rate) – from there it can also track what the visitor did while they were on the website. How much time they spent there, which pages they visited, whether or not they purchased something – or if they abandoned their cart in the process of trying to make a purchase. Other details such as which device the customer was using, their location, age and previous browsing habits may also be tracked. Making use of tools such as Google Analytics can show at a glance the raw data related to any aspect of a visitors habits. There are many other tools on the market but Google Analytics is the most widely used and it integrates well with SEO – Google have built up a giant network of partners and billions of websites have tracking codes. Individual companies can access their own data to analyse but Google has access to everything and have built  up a database of browsing habit data they use to improve their algorithms – as well as sell to third parties (such as Facebook). This creates a constant feedback loop for everyone involved. This raw data however, is fairly useless if a company does not know how to analyse it and make use of the information. Some raw data has obvious implications – for example if a company finds that the majority of visitors are using a mobile device and their site is not fully accessible on mobile, they should look into optimising their site for mobile users to accommodate the needs of their customers. Other times the data is only the starting point, it must be analysed before it becomes useful information that can be applied in a practical way. Tracking tools can give answers to the questions â€Å"how†, â€Å"when† and â€Å"where† with a high degree of accuracy. â€Å"Who?† can be answered to a point, the approximate age of visitors can be tracked, as can their previous browsing habits which may give some insight into their likes and needs. The one question raw data cannot answer is â€Å"Why?† – Why do visitors behave the way they do? Why do some e-commerce shoppers add items to a cart and then abandon it during the checkout process? Why was the click through rate low/high for a particular campaign? Surveys and social media can be used as tools for getting answers to these questions. Once the quantitative data from tracking tools have provided a starting point, specific questions can be posed to collect qualitative data. Together they can give a company a lot of valuable information to help them improve future campaigns and the way they do business in general. Facebook has its own analytics tools called â€Å"Facebook Insights† – it works in a similar way to Google Analytics but is more focused around Facebook pages and ads. Facebook insights shows how many people saw a particular post (reach), how many responded to the post (engagement), and other information such as visitors ages and interests – based on what other pages they have â€Å"liked† on Facebook. Facebook Insights can be used to determine which posts get the most likes and  shares, which lets companies know what their audience is likely to respond to so they can tailor future posts accordingly. It can also provide information about when visitors engage with the page so future posts can be scheduled to post at a time when the highest reach is likely to be achieved. Combined with the data from Google analytics social media marketing campaigns and posts can be tracked down to the fine details. If these posts lead to strategic content tracking can be broken down into stages to measure the quality of a websites content. Many websites use this strategy, Cracked being one of them. Cracked are an entertainment website who post funny/interesting articles, columns, videos and podcasts. When a new piece of content is posted, their social media team make posts to advertise it to followers. Facebook Insights will provide the tracking information about reach, likes and engagement and Google Analytics takes over once visitors have clicked through. Cracked split up their articles into several pages – they could easily fit the content onto a single page – so why split it up? One reason is usability, pages load quicker with less content on and readers are less likely to feel overwhelmed by a huge wall of text than they are several manageable chunks. Another reason is SEO – the more pages and links robots have to crawl, the higher the site is likely to rank on search engine results. Instead of one page per article related to certain keywords – there are 2-4 pages per article. Finally, splitting articles up into several pages allows tracking analytics to be performed in stages. How many people got to the end of the first page and deemed the content interesting enough to click on the â€Å"read more† link? How many read the whole thing? How many dropped out and where did they tend to do it? This can help determine weak spots in content and the company can then  formulate a plan to improve the situation. It can also be used to further engage visitors who seem to be enjoying the content – the final page of an article could for example act as a trigger for a pop-up box that prompts to visitor to sign up for a newsletter. If a visitor has enjoyed an article it’s relatively safe to assume they would like to see more – the same is not true for a visitor who has only just landed on the home page. They haven’t read anything yet, why would they want to sign up for a newsletter? As mentioned in a previous section, tracking data does have its limitations that marketers have to be aware of to properly interpret the data their tools produce. Specifically – direct traffic can be difficult to differentiate from all other types of traffic. This makes analysing the effectiveness of marketing campaigns less straight forward than it seems. In a nutshell, whenever a referrer is not passed traffic is marked as direct. What this means is a glance at an analytics report may suggest that 50% of a sites traffic is direct, meaning the visitor typed the URL directly into their browser. The report could for example state organic search accounted for 40% and advertisements 10%. If a company is putting significant resources into advertising and seeing those kinds of numbers they may decide it isn’t worth it and seek to make changes. While in reality direct traffic may only account for 20% while ads account for 30%, making the cost per conversion rate much more favourable. There are a multitude of reasons a referrer may not be passed to the tracking software that results in traffic being incorrectly marked as direct. For example many people make use of ad blocking software – that often have clauses that allow for non-intrusive advertising. While users of this software can see and click on non-intrusive ads, the software blocks the server response required to pass the referral to the tracking software. Many browsers now offer a â€Å"do not track† option to offer additional privacy to users, turning on this setting also blocks tracking requests. Some people may perform a search for something or click on an advertisement but not make a purchase right at that moment and instead choose to come back later – by  typing in the URL directly; so their visit and subsequent purchase is marked as direct when it was really the result of a campaign. As more users become increasingly concerned with privacy tracking and tailored advertising becomes more difficult. Making use of marketing tools makes the process easier but they are still only tools – their usefulness is determined by the skill of the person utilising them. Interactive Order Processing Order processing is obviously an important part of e-commerce, an online catalogue isn’t much use if people can’t actually purchase anything. As mentioned in previous sections, the process of placing an order should be made as easy as possible for the customers. Once a customer has decided they would like to hand over some money – a company should not distract them in any way. Some companies at this point might be tempted to upsell, cross promote or place advertising on the checkout pages but in almost all situations this is a mistake. If the customer gets annoyed at the ads they will leave. If they can’t figure out how to continue with the checkout process because the design is cluttered or otherwise hard to use they will leave. If they don’t feel confident about the legitimacy of the company or doubt the security of the checkout process they will leave. Upselling attempts should be handled carefully. Bombard customers will too many options and they may get distracted by browsing, decide not to check out and instead leave it for later – they may not come back. Relevant promotions should be advertised at this point or ideally added to the cart automatically. For example if orders over a certain amount receive free shipping this should be prominently displayed within the cart and applied automatically when the threshold is reached – customers like to feel like they’re getting good value so if they see it will only take them a small amount extra to receive free shipping they may decide to add a few more items. Argos successfully uses this technique every year during the build up to Christmas – they offer a  £5 voucher for anyone spending over  £50 and  £10 for anyone spending over  £100. This promotion is prominently displayed all over their website, catalogues and physical stores. Rather than offering a discount on the current purchase, they encourage repeat business by offering money off the next purchase. This has a twofold effect – customers will buy a little more than they planned in order to get the voucher and then spend even more after that to use said voucher (not many items can be bought for under  £5 or  £10 and no change is issued – to further encourage customers to use their voucher in full and pay a little extra on top rather than waste any of it). If adding additional items can be done without the customer leaving the checkout this will further increase the success of upselling attempts. Both Domino’s and Asda integrate upselling into the checkout process. Dominos uses a sidebar next to the main checkout area displaying a selection of small items (sides, desserts, drinks) with a small discount applied – visitors can click â€Å"add to order† and the total is updated on the page without taking them elsewhere. Asda displays a selection of items that the customer has previously ordered, but are not currently in the cart with the heading â€Å"Have you forgotten anything?† This can be helpful to the customer because they may have indeed forgotten something, and Asda in return make additional sales. Businesses can track the behaviour of their customers and analytics tools can be used to determine if a checkout design is working. The tale of â€Å"The $300 Million Button† published in Luke Wroblewski’s book â€Å"Web Form Design: Filling in the Blanks† contributed by Jared M. Spool is an excellent example of just how important the design of the checkout process is. The piece describes a company who decided to examine their checkout process – which featured a login and registration screen after customers clicked  Ã¢â‚¬Å"checkout†. Their designers reasoned that making registration non-optional would encourage repeat business; and customers wouldn’t mind logging in to take advantage of quicker checkouts in the future. Spool was called in to analyse the checkout design; his team put together a focus group, gave them all a budget and a shopping list and asked them to checkout from the site. Upon being presented with the login form many participants were not sure if they had used the site before; and attempted many unsuccessful logins before clicking the â€Å"Forgot Password?† button. Many times this was unsuccessful as they couldn’t remember which email address they used. Others who were sure they had not previously registered were reluctant to do so. One shopper is quoted as saying â€Å"I’m not here to enter into a relationship. I just want to buy something.† Many stated that they felt the company just wanted to use their details for spam and others were concerned about privacy. Upon examining tracking analytics for the site the team discovered that 45% of users had multiple registrations and over 160,000 â€Å"Lost Password† requests were being sent every day. 75% of these never returned to the site to complete the lost password process and ergo did not complete the checkout process. Spools team suggested the design was changed to make registration optional. The â€Å"register† button was changed to â€Å"Continue† with the message â€Å"You do not need to create an account to make purchases on our site. Simply click Continue to proceed to checkout. To make your future purchases even faster, you can create an account during checkout.† This simple change resulted in the number of customers purchasing increasing by 45%. The extra purchases resulted in an extra $15 million in the first month and $300million after the first year. Businesses also need to take into consideration security when implementing an e-commerce system. A secure payment gateway must be used to make submitting customer financial and personal information safe. Similarly this data needs  to be stored securely and kept up to date to comply with the Data Protection Act. Any company accepting card payments (not only online) must also comply with PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard). If a company does not comply with PCI and DPA standards they run the risk of customer details being leaked which could lead to fraud. This is obviously bad for the customers whose details get stolen but would also damage the reputation of the company and destroy consumer trust – as well as earn them huge fines from governing bodies. For small or start-up companies the cost, time and knowledge required to set up and maintain a payment gateway may feel like too much. In that case there are 3rd party services such as PayPal and Google Checkout which can act as a middle man between the merchant and customer. The business doesn’t have to worry about keeping customer details secure if they don’t store them and instead allow PayPal or similar to handle it. There are fees involved that work on a percentage basis, the more you earn, the more you pay. Additional fees are also charged for withdrawals. PayPal in particular has become an internationally recognised brand and most shoppers are now happy to use them – so a small company won’t lose out on too many customers from not offering alternative payment options. Most third party payment processing companies offer a â€Å"free† (other than fees) service which hosts the shopping cart external to the main e-commerce site; and a premium subscription service which allows full integration of the shopping cart into the website. For minimal cost and effort a small company can use the externally hosted cart while bigger companies may choose to invest in a more seamless user experience for their customers. The web environment allows for scalability, businesses are free to start small with minimal risk and expand at their own pace. References CNN Money, 2014. Facebook buys WhatsApp for $19 billion. [Online] Available at: http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/19/technology/social/facebook-whatsapp/ Google, 2011. Google does not use the keywords meta tag in web ranking. [Online] Available at: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/google-does-not-use-keywords-meta-tag.html Mojang, 2014. Yes We Were Bought By Microsoft. [Online] Available at: http://mojang.com/2014/09/yes-were-being-bought-by-microsoft/ National Audit Office, 2013. The UK cyber security strategy: Landscape review. [Online] Available at: http://www.nao.org.uk/report/the-uk-cyber-security-strategy-landscape-review/ Nielsen, J., 2007. Banner Blindness Old and New Findings. [Online] Available at: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/banner-blindness-old-and-new-findings/ Optimize Smart, n.d. You’re doing Google Analytics all wrong, here’s why. [Online] Available at: http://www.optimizesmart.com/google-analytics-wrong-why/ Segall, K., 2014. Apple’s adventures in plastic. [Online] Available at: http://kensegall.com/2014/02/apples-adventures-in-plastic/ Figure 1: How users interacted with the Population Finder4 Available at: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/fancy-formatting-looks-like-an-ad/ Fancy Formatting, Fancy Words = Looks Like a Promotion = Ignored JAKOB NIELSEN September 4, 2007 Figure 2: Social Media Useage over time, broken down by age5 Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/08/05/72-of-online-adults-are-social-networking-site-users/ 72% of Online Adults are Social Networking Site Users OANNA BRENNER, AARON SMITH August 5, 2013