Dementia: Alzheimer’s Disease and People

Isabel Ramirez Comp105 Mrs. Doonan 11 December 2012 Dementia affecting the lives of many Sometimes the word Dementia can be quite scary to hear and quite frankly it is pretty scary to hear. Many people don’t really take the time to stop and realize that it might be something that can be life threating and without them even knowing they might already be having some of the early symptoms. There is no such thing as going in to the doctor to early and getting checked out for dementia.Once someone gets dementia there is no way on turning back and the best they can do it getting treatment. Approximately every sixty eight seconds someone in America will develop dementia, some even without them knowing it. Dementia is something that no one wants to know that they have because of the dramatic life changes that if will have in someone’s life. Dementia having many effects on older people like having to get treatment and the many symptoms they go through can be very overwhelming.Ma ny people know that dementia is a disease in which the memory is affected, but that’s not all dementia is. Every sixty eight seconds someone in America develops dementia. (AHAF) Dementia actually means loss of mentation and thinking. (Fisher) It is a disease that degenerates the brain which affects the memory. (AHAF) Dementia is a progressive disease that has a big impact not only on the person that is diagnosed with dementia but also their family and friends that are around. Perry) Many people describe dementias symptoms with loss of memory, judgment, language even motor skills, meaning that many people can’t do a lot of their daily activities normally by themselves. (Fisher) Caring for someone with dementia can be extremely difficult and have a lot of emotional stress. Dementia is a disease the many describe as a disease that eats someone’s brain slowly causing that person to start forgetting things. (AHAF) Dementia isn’t a disease that is on its own it has many forms to which it attacks a person. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Fisher) Dementia having many shapes and sizes can be hard on older people. Dementia does have many shapes and sizes because there is different types of dementias in which can affect the person slowly or really fast. The forms of dementia are classified by the area of the brain that gets affected and the degree of progression. (Westerby) Since there are so many different forms of dementia, drugs might only be available for some of them. Yes, there is many kind of dementia but the two most common forms are Parkton’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Fisher) About sixty percent of the people that develop Alzheimer’s, fifteen through thirty percent develop vascular dementia, four through twenty percent develop lewy body and two percent develop frontal temporal dementia. Mainly all forms of dementia are progressive except Vascular Dementia. Alzheimer’s mainly affects older people and mainly women get this kind of dementia. Lewy Body dementia mainly affects older people. Vascular dementia mainly affects people that have diabetes. Frontal Temporal dementia affects mostly the people that are under sixty five and mainly men. Elkins) Some people might get mixed dementia where there might be one or more cases of dementia combined together. (Perry) One of the hardest things of dementia is the symptoms they have and later finding out someone has dementia through diagnostic can be a very tragic moment. The earliest symptom is memory loss with that also not being able to think right can really confuse a person. (Fisher) Patients might have a hard time arranging plans and which ends up leading to the major memory loss. Movement of everyday became more difficult. Perry) That’s why trying to diagnose dementia soon is very important, the sooner is diagnosed the sooner medication can be given out which can help from it progressing really fast. Cognitive test are necessary in being able to decide whether dementia is there or not. (Westerby) There is a physical exam done to help identify why they have dementia. Another thing they really take in consideration is history of mental or behavioral symptoms. (AHAF) There is an assessment that is done which is called Mini Mental State Examination.There is so many ways that people can get tested and find out pretty soon, like getting lab test done is a fast and effective way. (Perry) Out of all of them the most effective way and proven to be one hundred percent effective is brain autopsy. (AHAF) Finding out which stage of dementia you have might be hard because of the many ad different types of dementia there are. That is why it is very important to that if someone has any of the symptoms to get them checked out because the faster you get diagnosed the more likely you will be able to get some medication that will slow down the progression. Perry) The risk factors that can giv e you dementia or bring along can be too much to handle for someone at any age. Even though dementia can happen at any time of life, it has a dramatic increase as age increases too. (Perry) There are two big risk factors that really play a big role when getting dementia, which are age and genetics. Many people can get dementia because it is in their genes and past generations in their family have gotten so it is more likely that they get it. Approximately five percent of Americans between the ages of sixty five and seventy four get dementia. AHAF) People who smoke, have hypertension, high cholesterol, and are obese have a greater risk in getting dementia. People who have Parkinson’s disease and have had a stroke are also greater at risk. (Westerby) People with dementia might be seeing things that aren’t really there which can be very dangerous for them to be alone in their own home. (Fisher) About thirty six and a half percent of people with dementia live in a home car e facility the other sixty three and a half percent are taken care of in their own home by some family member. Westerby) When the dementia is advanced people become dependent for everything with their care. (Fisher) Mobility gets harder so there could be a greater risk of falls. There might also be a great loss of appetite and a dramatic change in their weight. (Perry) As often as possible try drawling things for the patient that way they can visualize the things better and they might remember them more. (Elkins) Asking people with dementia direct questions really stresses them out and they fell like they are put in the stop.So yes it is a really serious disease and in most cases it is too much for someone to handle at any age. Sometimes the treatments are not always enough when trying to get rid of dementia and the results can be pretty fatal. It is better to keep the person in their own home. That way they could keep their daily routine and they can remember where their things are located at. Moving someone out of their home when they are very confused already isn’t going to help them out much. (Perry) When diagnosed it is recommended for the patient and the family to get ongoing support.This way the family can know of ways to help the person and also the patient knows the truth of dementia. (Westerby) Alzheimer’s is terminal and had no known cure. (AHAF) No Treatment yet recognized, but one big risk factor is diabetes and hypertension. (Perry) The average time of life they have would range from five though twenty years. (Fisher) The three year survival rate for vascular dementia for people over the age of eighty five is sixty seven percent. For people who develop Alzheimer’s after a stroke there is a thirty nine percent survival rate.People with Alzheimer’s in general have a forty three survival rate. (Perry) Out of all the causes of death infection is the most common. (Fisher) Yes, Dementia is very hard and a lot to handle for o lder people, there isn’t a known treatment that is for sure going to get rid of the dementia someone has and the symptoms can be very frustrating. That’s why having the help of family members and friends that are around the person is very necessary to be able to live with a disease that eats your brain a little more each day causing that person to forget things from their past.It is a scary disease that no one wishes to ever get, but once someone has it there is no way back. As soon as they start to notice some of the symptoms it is better to go get themselves checked that why there can be some medication that can help its progression. Being able to detect it early improve the quality of life and the lifelong out comes the patient has for the rest of their lives. Always keep in mind this is a disease that attacks someone in the America every sixty eight seconds, many without even knowing.

Chinese investments and business Essay

For more than ï ¬ ve years now, China has been the most important trade partner of Africa (OECD, 2011). Its growing investments in the African continent show the deï ¬ nite long-term interest that the Asian country has in Africa. When comparing the manner and the effectiveness of doing business in Africa of Chinese companies and of western companies, a lot of differences can be found. These divergences can help us better understand why Chinese ï ¬ rms are being more successful in Africa than European and American ï ¬ rms but also why they continue to be so eager to multiply and deepen their business partnerships in Africa. The particularities of the  « Chinese way  » to do business in Africa that enhance this growing investing trend can be assembled in three general characteristics of the Africa-China relations: the long-term relationship that was built between China and African countries over the years, the efï ¬ cient model used by Chinese companies to cultivate a good image in the eyes of the African people and the important role played by the Chinese government through diplomatic efforts. 1. Africa and China, in good terms since 1955. At the Bandung conference in 1955, China has allied with the newly independent African countries in order to resist agains any form or colonialism or neocolonialism. This ï ¬ rst contemporary step reï ¬â€šects the position that China has since been adopting: allying with African countries by showing them that China is  « on their side  » and helping them ï ¬ ght the western hegemony. By positioning on their side and emphasizing their common interest and similarities in resisting the western world, China has gained a great trust in Africa. This process was greatly catalyzed by the actions of  the Chinese government from the 1960s till today. On the other side, complicated diplomatic relations between the African and the western countries have made it more difï ¬ cult for the European and American companies to do business in Africa. Indeed, political leaders from the West have had negative behaviors with African leaders and people, only emphasizing the poverty, the instability and the lack of democracy of this continent and underrating Africa’s potential for business (Rieff, 1998). In fact, companies from the Western world were only pushed by their leaders to invest in Africa in the 1990s, when these latter started to realize the performances of Chinese ï ¬ rms in Africa (Sautman & Hairong, 2007). On this side, we see clearly that the Western countries are late compared to China and still suffering from their image of neocolonialists. Furthermore, it is interesting to see that China has been paying more attention to the longterm consequences an interests, when investing in African countries. On the other side, the western countries as seen by the Africans as investing selï ¬ shly and only looking for rapid expansion without caring about the long-term consequences for Africa and its people. Also, when looking at Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, we observe that China and many African countries are similar on certain dimensions such as individualism (low) and power distance (high), which could make it easier for Chinese companies to invest in Africa. Nonetheless, the success and the attraction of China in Africa seems to have deeper explanations, and some authors suggest that a true  « Chinese model  » exists when it comes to its commercial activities on the African continent (Li, 2005). This speciï ¬ c method of investing in Africa is made possible for Chinese ï ¬ rms through China’s philosophy to encourage foreign direct investments (FDI) and with the help of all the Chinese savings. 2. A more efï ¬ cient model, a better image, a better business environment. Since the beginning, China was able to  « play on the same side  » as African countries as they can relate to some similarities in their history. Indeed, both African and Asian countries, except for Japan and Korea, were developing countries not to long ago, after suffering of decades of colonialism from the Western countries. In this sense, China, which is the best developed of the  « South  » countries can then show the way to African countries and understands the situation there far better than the Occidental countries do. To go even further, some authors argue that increased trade and investment from China is reducing the African dependence on the US and other Western countries: it is then seen as  « mutually beneï ¬ cial  » (Itano, 2005) It is because of that mutual understanding and beneï ¬ t that Chinese companies see Africa as a less risky proposition. These companies have understood how to do business in Africa and how to overcome the risks of that continent. At ï ¬ rst, it could look like Chinese, American and European companies are doing business in the exact same way: they all extract resources such as oil and buy tax materials from Africa, while exporting other consumer goods. However, China seems to be more selï ¬â€šess when doing it. Chinese companies, thanks to their still cheap manufacturing force, is able to export goods to Africa that are way cheaper than the ones from Western countries, and sometimes even cheaper than the local African goods (Donnelly, 2005). Moreover, Chinese companies seem to have understood that to improve their business relationship with African stakeholders, they have to really contribute to the development of the country in which they operate. While the Western companies have an image of only improving the GDP of the nations in which they !do business, only looking at their interests, pretend to be helping African countries because they help them grow. However, the main difference between Chinese and Western way of investing is that the ï ¬ rst one has been helping Africa to develop while the second one has only brought growth but no real  development. The Chinese companies seem to have done more to help industrialism grow in the different African countries where they operate. According to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in 2009, 29% of China’s FDI to Africa went to the extractive industries but it represented 60% of U.S. FDI . During the same year, the CEIP reported that China had invested more in manufacturing, and in African jobs, than the U.S did (Proctor, 2013). Chinese companies have found that helping the African countries to develop and to industrialize, while providing low-cost technologies to their African partners (Muekalia, 2004) allowed them to build better relations with these partners and get more connections locally, which seems to be essential she doing business in Africa. The last characteristic of this Chinese model is very interesting and it has to do agin with the similarities between the two cultures. While western expatriates in Africa show a very negative image of their countries, this is not the case at all for the Chinese workers. These latter appear to have a closer lifestyle to the African people than the workers and businessmen from Europe and North-America. The have similar living conditions, are not privileged over the African employees and do not demand indecent salaries. On the other side, the Western executives and workers, even among Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) seem to have an exploitative behavior and take advantage of their position (Wainaina, 2006). This type of behavior can, without any doubt, be called neocolonialism, and this is what makes Western companies loose the trust an collaboration of their African partners. This altered relation between Western and African companies create an even riskier environment for the ï ¬ rst to business on the second’s territory. Nevertheless, Chinese’s good behavior and long-term earned respect allows its companies to enjoy good relations and an easier business environment. This important difference, however, is not only imputable to the Western companies actions, but particularly to the wrong strategies of their  governments, completely opposed to China’s diplomatic strategy. 3. Efï ¬ cient diplomatic efforts from the Chinese government. Indeed, as it was said before, the diplomatic efforts of the Chinese government in Africa are more than 50 years old. The best example for this is the Tanzania-Zambia railway project, implemented by China during the 1960s and the 1970s, and which was made possible through the help of around ï ¬ fty thousand workers from China ( Hall & Peyman, 1976). This is the perfect example of the way China has been doing diplomacy in Africa for the past half century: it brings help without trying to force things and knowing that they will get something in return. In the opposite, E.U. and the U.S. have always attached conditions to their help in  Africa, demanding changes from their governments and forcing different legal and economic reforms. Indeed, these governments have continuously tried to force their western conception of democracy into the African countries, while pushing for more deregulation and privatization. This obsession for democracy, coupled with an almost unhidden neocolonialist desire to  « educate  » the African people has pushed the Western leaders into complicated relationships with the African people and has deteriorated their image in the continent. Today, some of the Western governments start to see their mistakes and realize that their strategy has not been the right one and has made investing in Africa even more complicated for their ï ¬ rms. When she was still Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, ex- declared that the U.S. ï ¬ rms should look for  « sustainable partnerships in Africa that add value rather than extract it.  » (Salvaterra, 2012) However, these countries still have a long way to go, as they have been using international treaties that have weakened African nations (Nunn & Price, 2004) and that are seen as  « promoting an aggravated form of worldwide unequal exchange  » (Sautman, B & Hairong, Y, 2007). China, on the other side, has been promoting infrastructure, human capital and other long-term investment, while Western countries have been promoting only primary products and ï ¬ rst-aid. China’s government has never given any ofï ¬ cial political support, while keeping smooth relationships with the African leaders, which is a deep difference with the U.S. and the E.U. This difference seems to be the most obvious when it comes to aid in Africa. Western countries’ aid is called  « tied aid  », meaning that the aid will only provided in certain conditions, which will beneï ¬ t the stakeholder performing the aid. For example,when a U.S. passes a contract with an African developing country, it ties the ï ¬ nancial aid it will provide to this African country to the obligation to use this money to buy goods from American ï ¬ rms or non-proï ¬ t organizations. Chinese aid, on the contrary is mostly  « untied  ». The best description of this divergence of strategies between China and the Western countries seem to be described by Julius Nyere (1974), when he declared that  « the Chinese people have not asked us to become communists in order to qualify for this loan†¦ They have never at any point suggested that we should change any of our policies  ». Conclusion The main reason why it is easier for Chinese ï ¬ rms to do business in Africa than for other ï ¬ rms seem to be contained in this quote. China has been building a positive relationship with African countries, where both parties are winning and where Africa’s free agency is taken into account and even valued. The Chinese diplomats and companies have managed to lower the risk of corruption and of change from the African people by building a good image in their eyes and becoming  « friends  » with them. On the other side, Western ï ¬ rms still suffer from these risks of corruption as they rarely beneï ¬ t from a trust-based relationship in the African countries, which is crucial when trying to work around this problem. By having neocolonialist behaviors and building win-lose situations instead of win-win situations, they made it even worse for them to do business in Africa.

Business Plan For Early Intervention Education Essay

Business Plan For Early Intervention Education Essay The purpose of this paper is to show the need for early intervention for infants and toddler with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities. Kitkat the Educators program will prepare disabled students to excel at a young age, by teaching, training stimulating the mind to create an atmosphere to function outside of one’s self. Kitkat is not like the competitors, this school will focus and offer advance communication skills (technology) to encourage speech, physical strength, academics, top of the line technology, after school tutorial, recreational, craft and dance. This disability has created a need for quality child care development and training to help children with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities to be successful in life. Also, the owner focuses on parent trainings, parents turn to for support, reassurance, and hope when faced with the uncertainty of their child’s future. It is important for parent participation as long as their child receives services from the scho ol. This program will focus on parents learning all techniques use in the classroom in the home, and community. History of Organization Kitkat is a privately held corporation run by its owner, Cathy Austin, who has 20 years of experience teaching students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) and Autism (A). The owner is certified as special education teacher and highly qualified by the State of Georgia. The owner currently has a bachelor degree with a concentration in mentally retardation. Which is now known as intellectual disabilities? The owner will be supported in daily operations of the school by a consultant, a campus director and certified educators with experiences in the child care field. Intellectual disability (ID) is now more common amongst autistics than in the general population. Overview: According Ackerman, (2011) â€Å"The increasing prevalence of Autism has been recognized as the fastest growing developmental disability in the nation, affecting one in 88 children. It is now the third most common childhood disorder, more common than Down syndrome and childhood diabetes combined. In turn, parents need to be informed of the assessment, treatment, and intervention resources available to help their children if diagnosed with autism. At the center of KitKat the Educator, we want to reassure parents that there is hope, and through our services, individuals will be able to maximize their potential. KitKat has established itself as the institution that parents turn to for support, reassurance, and hope when faced with the uncertainty of their child’s future. We want to reassure parents that there is hope, and through our services, individuals will be able to maximize their potential.† To most effectively meet the needs of children with autism and their families, KitKat the Educator has developed a training and education center scheduled to open in 2013. Ackerman states (2011) â€Å"this new initiative will create a more timely early diag nosis screening for infants and toddlers who may be afflicted with Autism. A Licensed Clinical Psychologist (LCP) will be hired to meet the ever-growing demand for extensive evaluation, assessment, and treatment services. KitKat will work collaboratively with local service providers, and school systems, to create a progressive and comprehensive treatment facility to best serve children’s needs (Ackerman TACA, 2012).†

What Was the Connection Between Globalisation And the 'Third Wave of Essay

What Was the Connection Between Globalisation And the 'Third Wave of Democracy' - Essay Example This essay declares that globalization increases the potential mobility of financial capital, real investments, goods and services, and to a more limited extent, highly skilled labour. He argued that consequently, mobile economic actors are better able to avoid undesirable state regulations, or to profit from ones that are more advantageous. Thus, he said that â€Å"to the extent that countries depend on these actors, or on the resources they control, they are forced into a competition for locational advantage that has all the characteristics of a Prisoner’s Dilemma game, and that reduces the capacity of the territorial state to shape the conditions under which capitalist economies must operate. This paper makes a conclusion that the relations between them is complex, hence one could not be taken lightly hence it could not simply be said the globalization promotes democracy. As we have seen globalization could restrict nations dream for autonomy as democratic institutions. This must not be surprising as what could be observed of democracies returning to authoritarianism. What then is the relation between the two is governing by old contradictions between economic and politics. Since they politics and economics belong to different fields, so are globalization and democratization. These could not just be put together as one to influencing the other without really conducting further studies

Loyalty Scheme in the Airline Sector Research Proposal

Loyalty Scheme in the Airline Sector - Research Proposal Example Today, over one million people are enrolled in loyalty programs to receive free upgrades, travels, and favorable treatment in return for being potential or frequent clients. Indeed, loyalty schemes have been a powerful tool to convert first-time clients to frequent and potential clients. In the airline industry, customer loyalty schemes seek to retain and acquire clients, boost customer spending habits, and boost the purchase of additional goods and services. Additionally, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program has promoted growth in this industry. CSR programs have increased growth and profitability in the sense that, companies have embraced the fact that they have an ethical and moral obligation in addition to their actual roles of attaining profits and complying with laws and regulations. With this, this pamphlet seeks to discuss how loyalty scheme and CSR has operated in the airline industry and affected business and other stakeholders. In the 21st century, successful airlines companies have integrated loyalty schemes to address and boost customer relationship and interactions. This strategy has enabled most companies to develop marketing and promotion campaigns that augment growth and profitability (Li-Wei & Chung-Yu 2012, p40). Loyalty schemes are an effective way to boost customer-retention levels. By increasing customer retention, the industry has grown tremendously. As the business world becomes competitive, the industry has recognized the need to reward the most valued customers. As a result, this has enhanced profitability and converted new clients to potential and frequent clients. Â  The industry has implemented various programs such as discount, rebate, and points program. Often, consumers receive instant discounts when shopping, and in turn, this increases their spending habits. Discount programs create a platform where consumers enjoy favorable prices and impact the industry’s growth. Rebate prog rams have played a significant role in increasing consumers’ spending. Basically, consumers accrue benefits from their purchases and receive their profit after a given span of time. This increases consumers’ spending in that, many accumulate financial benefits from the company’s programs. Points programs have augmented growth in the industry. Often, consumers obtain points from buying goods and services and thereafter they obtain discounted or free goods and services. In so doing, this increases sales and revenues and retain potential and frequent clients.

I am the One who has been Taught how to Dream Essay

I am the One who has been Taught how to Dream - Essay Example However, there is also an image in the poem that shows the father’s love for his son. My own dad is a tough father but he also loves me too. The father in "My Father Teaches Me to Dream'' is a tough father, and this displayed in a variety of images. For example, the rhythm of the poem has an ordering rhythm. The father tells his son what to do and what not to do. In addition, n lines such as "You get up. You get on the bus," "You don't look from side to side," and "You keep your eyes straight ahead'' show that the father didn't allow his son any space to think or to be creative. Also, in the line en he said "You get off the bus. You work all day," the father shows his son how tough the world is he doesn’t allowgive any time for leisure time. Furthermore, the father broke his son’s heart when he said "All other stuff you're looking for—it ain't there." This line deprived the son of the last drop of hope that he was hanging on. Also, the father told his son to be very precise and not to do any more than what he is told to do. This kills creativity in the son; it will not make him creative and he will likely grow up to becomes him an average man. The last line of the poem, â€Å"Work is work,† is quite simply yet it shows something of the father’s personality or background. ... This might not actually be the personality that the father has, but this is what is portrayed in the poem. However, despite the toughness that the father displays towards his son, he also shows his son some love in this poem. For example, the line "That way nobody will bothers you—see?" shows how the father does care about his son because he does not want anybody to bother him or make him feel uncomfortable. This is the true value of a father because any father should show so much concern for their son that they would want them to live a life free of trouble. Also, the line "There's no handouts in this life" could be explained as the father caring about his son; he is just trying to teach him that he has to work for everything that he wants in this life because no one will give him any freebies. While this could be perceived as mean, this is just a harsh reality of life and the sooner that we get used to it the quicker we can do something with our lives. Furthermore, when the father said "You do the same thing again," it could mean that if you are trying to work hard to accomplish a dream and it does not happen right away, it does not mean that you should stop; you should keep trying until you finally reach your dream. This could be seen as the father wanting a boring life for his son, but all he wants is for his son to find a successful formula in life and stick to it. This way, the son will always be pleased with his life and he should hopefully pass this important piece of advice onto his son. This line shows how the father wants his son to reach his dream and also that he did not envy him. The father wants his son to still have an opportunity to reach his

Organizational Design & Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organizational Design & Behavior - Essay Example In situations wherein the crowding increases in the jails it may be difficult to oversee the system as a whole. As such it becomes necessary that a comprehensive review and overhaul of the complete organizational set up of the country’s criminal justice system is performed in order to correctly assess the situation and suggest changes that can offer more viable solutions. A closer look at the existing system will indicate that it is managed in relatively more complex manner as there are many layers of management. Multiple layers of management therefore create strong chances that the overall fixation of responsibilities and accountabilities remain a challenge. In order to overcome the situation and deal with the overcrowding problem, it is therefore necessary that the organizational restructuring is done. In order to overcome the situation, it is important that a comprehensive overhaul of the existing organizational set up is undertaken. The current system is multi-layered in nature it is therefore important that few layers are removed in order to make the system leaner and more flexible to adapt to the different challenges including that of over-crowding. It is important that the number of correctional institutions must be increased in order to successfully negotiate with the over-crowding problems. Increasing the number of institutions will therefore allow the country to develop a system which can accommodate the unexpected number of new entrants and as such can manage the overcrowding problem with relative ease and with minimum management burden. It is important that number of correctional programs shall be increased so that the recurring incidences do not take place. Proper and more adaptive correctional programs may help the jail inhabitants to become more responsible and mature citizens and do not engage themselves into kind of activities which can bring them back into the jails for minor or major crimes. The above

How to be an effective manager Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

How to be an effective manager - Research Paper Example Research objective: How to be a manager that leads in business? Introduction Manager as the name implies is the one who manages or directs a company, industry, organization etc. Manager is the person responsible for achieving goals by getting the work done through other people. The task of manager includes planning, directing and monitoring the work done by subordinates and take corrective measures when and where required. The main quality a manager must have to lead in business is the basic knowledge and familiarity of all areas and divisions so that he/she can guide the workers and can check if the work is being done properly or not. Manager apart from performing the discussed roles and responsibilities, need to primarily look after achieving the goals and objectives of the organization while increasing the profits. The role of manager in an organization is to reach and exceed the set expectations while ensuring that every team member achieves respective objectives (Koontz, H. & We ihrich, 2006). Important functions of manager Managers are important for business so that they can coordinate and direct the activities required to achieve its goals and targets. They play a vital role in determining the future of a firm or society at large. Their function is to focus on people and their performance so that desired outcome can be achieved. And to achieve success in their strides Manager needs to design a course of action from the available alternatives and verifying if everything occurs in accordance to the plan adopted in order to make orderly arrangement of individuals and group to secure unity of action. For this Managers at all the levels in an organization perform these functions but the amount of time spend on these activities depends on specific organization. Some of these functions are Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing and Controlling (Marquis& Huston, 2008). Planning may be defined as the process of setting goals and strategies to accomplish a goal. It is a systematic step and preparatory activity done by manager which determines the future course of action. Manager while planning forecasts and decides in advance about the action to be pursued in future. In this process relevant facts are collected, analyzed, and action plan is then decided for future. While planning, the manager takes into consideration the available resources of the organization so that optimum utilization can be done. Manager decides the best available alternative and evaluates future contingencies in order to achieve predetermined goals of organization or business. Through planning Manager lays down objectives, policies, procedures, rules, programs, budget and strategies for proper and efficient functioning of business or organization. Planning is thus an intellectual process where in manager chooses the course of action from the available alternatives. It is the most basic but continuous function of manager. After planning is done, manager needs to organi ze the workforce and material as per the plan. Organizing is done in order to get result. Manager must synchronize human, physical and financial resources with skilled and efficient workforce in order to get results. By organizing manager divides the work amongst the employees and coordinate their efforts to achieve goals or objectives of the business (Marquis & Huston, 2008). Once planning and organizing is done, manag

Health Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health Communications - Essay Example A well known case in point involves college students who practice unsafe sex despite their exposure to wealth of material related to HIV transmission and availability of condoms (sheer and Cline, 1995) Health communication should entail efficacy in the content carried forth that recognizes and acknowledges both parties, thus the message should be well-construed and delivered convincingly I'll create a common ground environment where both parties champion the foundation for trust, accuracy and reciprocacity that points out that both the physician and the patient reach a mutually comprehensive conclusion. For any effective Communication there has to be a subsequent feedback. Giving information whether it comes from the physician or the patient or telling someone what to do without feedback hampers with accuracy, efficiency and relationship building. Therefore I will establish an open forum that moots a common ground and confirms and support a high level of interaction. I'll create an intimate relationship with patients by riding on the wheels of affirmative communication to help reduce unnecessary uncertainty that distracts attention interfering with accuracy and efficiency. Accuracy in delivery of information is not achi... Helical Concept. Accuracy in delivery of information is not achieved through a linear modular operandi that supports once and done concept. Rather it's should be repeated over time and time again, moving up the spiral to a little different level of understanding. Returning to the parallel between effective communication and effective communication and effective teaching, Basing on Hecal concept I will develop communication skills that enhance competence by employing reiteration techniques that will deepen skills and performance over a memorable period of time. Physician Patient Communication. I will exercise the Medical philosophy that says, each one of us is an expert in knowing things staring from experienced symptoms, how we can tolerate certain medications and other forms of treatment. I'll therefore make use of available information to assist making complex choices, such as selecting health plans, care providers, and treatments. As a result, this will increases demand for appropriate health services and decrease demand for inappropriate health services.. Unfortunately, many people do formulate their own ideas based on cultural concepts and folklore on personal reasoning and they are referred to as explanatory models (Kleinman, 1988; Klenoman, Elisberg & Good, 1978). Enhancing Public Forums There should exist, a high need of physicians, to develop increased awareness of the ways in which their communication behaviors affect the meanings created and behaviors taken by others. I will enhance health communication through influencing the public agenda, advocating for policies and programs. These will trigger positive changes in the socioeconomic and physical environments, improving the delivery of public health and health care services, and

Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Personal Statement Example ’— This issue always bothered me much and I began to make detailed study of sociology of crimes. Reformation and rehabilitation of prison inmates: I was selected to study the conditions in Central Jail Tihar, New Delhi (India) and the amenities available to the jail inmates. I was one among group of 12 college students from different countries chosen by the authorities of the UNESCO Head Office at Paris for a three months study-cum-research project on the subject of â€Å"Reformation and Rehabilitation of Prisoners† and I represented the State of Texas, America. India has a huge Jail population, and Tihar is the biggest Jail in India, with an average population of 14000 inmates spread over 13 Jails in different parts of New Delhi. Our first meeting was with the Public Relations Officer of Tihar Administration. He seemed to have read the thought processes going on in the minds of some of us. He gave us, among other literature, a 4 page pamphlet than began with the following quote from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, which read thus: â€Å"Another error which people indulge in is the fear that ‘if jail conditions are improved people will flock in’! This shows a singular ignorance of human nature. No one wants to go to prison however good the prison might be. To be deprived of liberty and family life and friends and home surroundings is terrible thing. It is well known that the Indian peasant will prefer to stick to his ancestral soil and starve rather than go elsewhere to better his condition.† The technological development and the promised benefits of the materialistic civilization, the youngsters from rural areas of India are migrating to the metropolitan cities. This is the problem before many developing countries. Unable to get proper employment, with poor accommodation facilities, they take to the path of crime to get rich quickly. Once they are arrested and land in Jail, they come across m any hardened criminals who advise them about the â€Å"benefits† of the criminal life. The process of degeneration begins, and this is one of the important reasons for increase in the Jail population. Another stunning revelation was presented before us. Amongst the jail population, the number of actual convicts is just 30% and the rest are under trials. The judicial process is very slow in India and the reasons for that are manifold. On a cursory glance of the literature relating to functioning of the jails, we found that it was due to shortage of the investigating and judicial officers, delay in the submission of the charge sheet and the subsequent hearings take years and the accused remains languished within the four walls of the prison. An unfortunate consequence of the prevailing social and economic conditions in India is the steady increase in the Jail population. Overcrowding in Jails is a serious issue and in some Jails, it is to such an extent, that prisoners sleep in shifts. Gangsters, bride-burners, anti-social elements, petty thieves, and all sorts of criminals are accommodated together, under the brand of under trials. Prisoners are a special kind of humanity and they need individual counselling depending upon the nature of crimes committed by them and as per their mental frame. The next issue is about the judicial process. Those guilty need to be awarded punishment quickly and innocents should not be made to languish in prisons. In the first few days of our study, we interviewed a number of top officials from the prison

Truman Show Essay Example for Free

Truman Show Essay Jim Carrey’s complex upbringing has led to a niche in cinema for him that can’t be described as anything else but one of a kind.   While he started his career in Hollywood off being recognized mostly as a funny man, he soon expanded this persona with his performances in such films as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Majestic, and recently the highly acclaimed 23.   Many critics consider Carey’s decision to take on the role of Truman in The Truman Show as the focal point of his expansion of the comedic archetype.    This essay attempts to assess what is so significant about Jim Carey and his particular performance in The Truman Show. Jim Carrey has been famous for his roles as a comedian since he first hit the big screen in the early 1990’s. He was born in Canada on January 17, 1962. He started working in the 80’s, at small comedy clubs. Carrey moved from Canada to Los Angeles in the 80’s to try and get more work. His biggest break was in 1994 with the comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. He continued making slap stick comedies in the years to follow, including Dumb and Dumber, The Mask and Liar Liar. In 1998 Jim Carrey took on the role of Truman Burbank, a role that would change his career and audience perception of him. Not only was The Truman Show making Jim Carrey step away from his slap stick, low comedy side, he was experimenting with a much darker comedy. This shocked his audience at first because everyone assumed any film Jim Carrey was in, had to be laugh out loud funny. No one had seen a darker side of him. After The Truman Show, Jim Carrey accumulated a much larger fan base. People became fascinated by the ideas and themes that The Truman Show addressed. Jim Carrey continues making people laugh all over the world. People will flock to his comedic movies because they know that they will always have a sense of Jim Carrey humor. He has a way of acting that is all his own. The films he stars in, not only draw a huge audience, they also have an affect on his audience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay will look at Jim Carrey as a comedy comedian, with specific focus on his darker comedic role in The Truman Show and its affect on society. Although The Truman Show is considered a comedy, its themes touched on issues that in the 90’s were still unaware to most people. The idea that someone was always watching scared society. Webcams, and reality television was still new and being developed. The thought of watching other people’s lives wasn’t interesting to society yet. The only shows that were considered reality were â€Å"Cops† and MTV’s â€Å"The Real World.† These followed regular people around and showed them doing everyday normal things, like eating, shopping and seeing friends. This began to fascinate and attract people; and once The Truman Show came out it sparked a chain of shows surrounding the idea of ‘Big Brother,’ we are always being watched. Within a short people of time reality television and media started to run our lives. As the 90’s progressed Jim Carrey’s comedies went from slapstick humor to more serious humor. The Truman show questioned if Jim Carrey would remain a comedian comic or take on the role of more versatile actor. He was originally known as a funny guy, who couldn’t be taken seriously. Once he took on roles that still had comedic aspects but had a lot more depth he was able to reach a larger audience and impact more people with his versatility. He shows that there is humor in the most dramatic situations and his classic comedic timing only further enforces his ability as an actor.. All the reviews I read categorized The Truman Show as high comedy. Jim Carrey’s actions are funnier then what is actually happening. Very often his facial expressions and actions imply a deeper, or even darker meaning than what is on the surface.   The theme of the movie is much deeper and more profound than one might want to initially think.. This is partly why Jim Carey has been able to command so much money at the box office.   His ability to connect with audiences of all ages has much to do with his highly animated performances combined with their adult implications.   Reviewers were shocked at first to see Jim Carrey in such a serious role. In a review on time.com title â€Å"Smile! Your life’s on TV† the article said once the script was sold the producer took the script straight to Jim Carrey because â€Å"Jim had the kind of madness the project needed to ultimately get made. His warmth was a hedge against a movie that could have been on the cold side and needed someone with audience sympathy(Corliss). The underlining theme in the film is finding yourself and finding your true identity and Jim Carrey does this in a way that he brings comedy and seriousness to the role. This is a very mature concept, and one that might not always be expected from a comedian.   In most reviews, reviewers agree that Jim Carrey carries the movie. One reviewer said, â€Å"For Carrey detractors who are easily turned off by the comic’s rubber-faced antics, The Truman Show proves to be an eye-opener. Not only does Carrey remain rigidly-controlled and reigned in, but it would be fair to call his performance both understated and effective†(Berardinelli, James). When reviewers are commenting on comedy, especially any comedy Jim Carrey is in the reviewer assumes it is going to be a laugh out loud comedy. When they walk into a Jim Carrey movie, whether it is serious or not they are always in hopes of escaping into a world full of laughter. He turns every role he has into a character, because that is what a comedian comic does when he acts. Audiences always react positively to Jim Carrey’s comedic characters. It is only when he stars in serious roles that his audience begins to question him. In many reviews for The Truman Show rarely do any of them come out and say that the film is a comedy. One review I read brought up questions about the film and one of the questions was, â€Å"how badly will marketing The Truman Show as a comedy hurt the movie when viewers realize that’s not what it is†(Berardinelli, James)? Reviewers do not give an exact definition for comedy when they are talking about The Truman Show. On a review on IMDB a reviewer says, â€Å"No, it’s not a comedy, wellnot exactly.† I didn’t quite understand until I watched it myself. Truman takes on a tone quite different than any parody/comedies I’ve seen lately†(IMDB). Jim Carrey’s versatility draws even more audience and fans. He has now acquired an even larger fan base. The marketing controversy behind The Truman Show stems from the fact that western audiences are accustomed to seeing Jim Carey as a comedian.   The irony of this that it creates a dual conflict of identity both for Truman and for Carey and the way he is perceived by the public.   The film has multiple layers of understanding of what it means to be both a comedian and a hero. In Krutnicks, Hollywood Comedians, The Film Reader the Steve Seidman essay â€Å"Performance, Enuciation, and Self-Reference in Hollywood Comedian Comedy† talks about Comedian comics. The essays talks about the origins of the comedian comedic. Comedian comedy comes from show business, such as vaudeville. This type of performance acknowledges the audience. Where as a film draws the audience into another world, vaudeville included the audience or made the audience aware that they were watching a show. This is the way a comedian comic acts. They use a lot of big over the top gestures to make something comedic. In The Truman Show Jim Carrey begins to suspect something is weird in his life and begins acting strange. He starts to speak to the ‘camera’ although he doesn’t realize it is a camera. He is acting towards the audience and making them realize they are watching a movie. Jim Carrey does an excellent job at this because he has worked as a show business performer since he first started as a stand up comedian. Jim Carrey is a comedian comic and he steps outside his usual comedic role to play Truman Burbank. He tries his hand at playing a darker comedian. This sparked a series of films were Jim Carrey took on less comedian comedy films. In the end, Carey’s experimental work enhances the depth of his comedic performances.   Carey’s wide eyed zaney antics come off as borderline rational when he is put into situations similar to the Truman character.   In many of his films he has the boyish charm of a man discovering the world for the first time.   In The Truman Show this is exactly what. The Truman Show brought about a lot of controversy after it’s debut. It questioned the sanctity of identity. In Gary Panton’s review on The Truman Show he says, â€Å"It’s an exploration into the idea that we always accept the reality of our surroundings without question.† Once the movie came out people began to question their place, role, and effect in life. They wanted to find their own identities and who they were, because Truman is searching for his identity throughout the whole movie. It raised a lot of questions about who we where and who was watching us. It questioned society’s identity and whether they were safe. They used dark comedy to bring light on an important issue. Having Jim Carrey in the movie alone made viewers assume the film would be comedic. I think by him being in it, it was a comedy. His body language and acting is always comedic. Throughout the course of the film they used comedic tricks to make Truman question where he is. At one point a piece of the lighting set falls from the sky on to Truman’s street. Another example of comedy that they use is when Truman is on the beach and it starts to rain, but to Truman’s surprise the rain storm is only over him and if he walks a couple of feet away he is out of the rain. The Truman Show came out before the huge increase of reality television. After the movie came out reality television skyrocketed. Many of the shows were based on the ideas that came from The Truman Show. As opposed to people not knowing they were being filmed, they knew and were trying to find their identity in front of a camera crew. Most shows set up cameras all over a house or had camera crews follow a person around. This reflects the actions of when Truman finally realizes he is being filmed. He behaves as though he is aware of the camera. This is what reality television stars do. None of these shows are seen as being serious.   Much of this parallels the relationship between the media and the public a complex conflict that has undergone much scholarly debate. One scholar in particular who is considered an expert on many of the conflicts depicted in The Truman Show is Pierre Bourdieu. In all of Bourdieu’s beliefs, his most popular is his assertion that the public does not exist (1984).   This concept is addressed in his book, Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste, in that he feels there is a different of class taste between the ruling class and popular culture.   But, within this conflict, there is no public, only a media mediating between the two and a culture to which they often cater to do so.     In John Fiske’s critique on television, Television Culture he analyzes the nature of what makes popular television.   He concludes that the shows that succeed in gaining popularity tend to have many symbols and plot lines containing multiple meanings.   He also states that remain within a duality of containment and resistance (1987). This idea basically revolves around the fact that television producers, who are viewed as the upper class and political elite, are expected to produce material that correspond with popular culture.   This material that the elite minority culture produces for the popular culture contradicts elitist ideals but allows the status quo to remain intact.   This means the political elite can only remain the elite so long as they humor the beliefs and ideals of their less powerful but more dominant counterparts. The rules Fiske establishes for television shows can very easily be applied to the media.   They present the media as a tool being used to prey on the wants and needs of different cultures.   Another media technology that isn’t always addressed is the literary outlets in societies.   This is undoubtedly the reason that Pierre Bourdieu is an acclaimed literary theorist as well, addressing such theorist as reader response theory. The Truman Show talks about social power. It talks about the power that the media have over people. The show is controlling on a larger scale to peoples lives, who spend their life watching it and on a smaller scale the people creating the show and controlling everything Jim Carrey does. The Truman shows creator Christof is controlling what everyone is seeing and saying. He plays the â€Å"God† of Seahaven, the made up town that Truman lives in. There is the outside â€Å"real audience† watching the show and then there are the actors in the show and then there is us, the audience watching the â€Å"real† actors, watching Truman. We are always being controlled. David Thomas and Garry Gillard’ article titled, â€Å"The Truman Show and the programming of reality,† mention this when they say that the film â€Å"poses important questions of identity and reality, because of the way the film uses both diegetic and non-diegetic audiences. This highlights the boundaries between real people, actors, fictional audiences and ‘real’ audiences, and how they are skewed and confused by The Truman Show.†Ã‚   The film also addresses certain concepts of national identity. The idea behind national identity is that one defines their self through the identity of their nation.   In their article, National Identity and Self-Esteem, Jeff Spinner-Halev and Elizabeth Theiss-Morse analyze the nature of national identity.   They adopt the theory that if the self-esteem of an individual is tied to their nation than it’s the perfect proponent to maintain safe and secure nations.   They feel that there is an immediate connection between self respect and group identity; so much so, it could lead to one sacrificing their own personal needs for the good of the group.   They also acknowledge that there is a competitive nature within group self esteem; this meaning that most groups want their group to do better than others.    This is often seen in the patriotic nature of political propaganda, carried out by many countries to convince soldiers to go to war.   This system of control is one known for cajoling groups to fallow a certain program or way of thinking by catering to individuals’ wants, needs, or taking advantage of their fears.   This complex of national identity is a major aspect of a government’s societal control, as well as a significant ideal satirized in The Truman Show. It is most visibly personified in the character of the show’s producer Christof.   He argues that human beings accept the world in which they are presented, and uses this to justify why Truman hasn’t figured out his predicament up to this point.   All of the employees, of the studio, acting as Truman’s family, friends and extras living within the town, can all be viewed as nationalists to the studio’s regime. The National Identity of these films can be directly corresponded to the culture and history of New Zealand.   In 1945, the New Zealand Film Critic Gordon Mirams argued that if there was a New Zealand culture, it was a mostly a Hollywood creation. The only thing more popular than going to the movies, in New Zealand, was drinking tea, during that time period. This idea is supported by the statistic that for many years New Zealanders were the most frequenters of the movie world.   In their book New Zealand Film 1912-1996 Helen Martin and Sam Edwards analyze the filmography of many films produced during this century in New Zealand. This book basically analyzes the entire history of film in New Zealand.   The two authors managed to find more than 162 films.   In formulating their list and deciding on what they would identify as New Zealand Films, they decided the film had to have a significant connection to the location in terms of the film’s creators, cast, copyright holder, financiers, production team, and technical equipment. They also felt that a film that holds a sociological connection to New Zealand should be categorized as a New Zealand films as well.   Thus, they included The Piano in their list of films pointing out that though it was not filmed in New Zealand, its story was still set there.   The authors also felt it the film addressed social issues pertaining to the history of New Zealand within the time frame it was set. In the 90’s when The Truman Show first came out reality television was very rare. No one put their videos on the Internet or had video chats. In one article I read â€Å"The world is watching† by Jennifer Tanaka she writes about a couple who place a web cam in their new born daughters crib. They connect it to the Internet so their friends can go online and see the baby and watch her grow. They didn’t think anything of it until they began receiving emails from people they didn’t know telling them how cute their baby was and how they loved the idea of the wed cam. They still didn’t really think anything of it, except it was flattering. They watch The Truman Show and immediately disconnected their web cam. They realized what they were doing and didn’t want their baby to have people watching her like Truman. It wasn’t until a movie like The Truman Show that brought light on a media obsessed and driven world. It has only gotten worse from there. With the increase in a media obsessed culture, reality television has become a historical landmark of our generation today. In Gary Panton’s review, I think he makes a good point when he says, â€Å"The scary thing is that for us, the â€Å"Big Brother† generation, the notion of a 24-hour TV prisoner really isn’t all that far-fetched. Perhaps the birth of a real Truman isn’t as far into the future as we might like to think.† The Truman Show poses an argument larger than itself in respect to national identity, only this film speaks more metaphorically.   The idea previously posed in National Identity and Self Esteem, was that national identity is largely the product of a model that is followed by a group of people.   These people are so caught up in the ideals of the group, they rather sacrifice their own individual comforts for the good of the team.   The authors found that these groups are also very competitive with one another, identifying their identity with that of the group and basing the groups identity on their contrast from other groups.    This becomes very relative to some of Rene Girard’s views.   In his seminal theory of mediated desire Rene Girard argues that human desire is imitative.   His views is that the goals we hold most personal are actually the desires of others which we want to achieve because others want to achieve them. This is very compatible with the ideals of national culture and the cult group fallowing it incites.   This is also seen constantly in The Truman Show, the main motivation for Truman to escape the studio/town is to travel to Fiji after his one true love.   If the character personifying his school crush had never desired to move there, Truman would have never desired to follow.   This is a direct personification of Girard’s theory, as well as an example of Morse and Halev’s version of national identity. Work Cited Adorno, Theodor W. and Max Horkheimer. Dialectic of Enlightenment: Philosophical Fragments. 1947. Trans. Edmund Jephcott. Stanford: Stanford UP, 2002. Belton, John. American Cinema/American Culture. New York: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and New York Center for Visual History, 1994. Bourdieu, Pierre. (1984) Distinction, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Chatman, Seymour (1978) Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press). Cheshire, Ellen. Jane Campion. Great Britain: Pocket Essentials, 2000. Eric Young (Executive Producer). (1998). Hows It Going To End? The Making of The Truman Show, Part II [DVD (Special Feature)]. Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment. Fiske, John (1987) Television Culture, London: Methuen. Fiske, John (1992)  ªPopularity and the Politics of Information º in P. Dahlgren and C. Sanes, Ken. Truman as Archetype. Transparencynow.com. 1996-2001. 29 July 2004. http://www.transparencynow.com/truman.htm. Simons, Jon (1997)  ªThe Dialectics of Diana as Empty Signifier º , Theory Event, 1(4). http: //muse.jhu.edu/journals/theory_and_event Simons, Jon (2000) Ideology, Imagology, and Critical Thought: The Impoverishment of Politics, Journal of Political Ideology, 5(1), 81 ± 103 Slavin, John (2002) Lost causes : the ideology of national identity in Australian cinema. PhD thesis, Department of English, University of Melbourne. Sparkes (eds) Journalism and Popular Culture, London: Sage. Minow, Martha. (2006) Not Only for Myself Identity, Politics, and the Law. New P, 1997. Chapter 2, Identities. 8 Dec. 2006.

Cremation Essay Example for Free

Cremation Essay I have always perceived life to be simple. As a young child, I have always been that ordinary child whom people expected little of. I could do anything to anyone without drawing much attention. As I grew older, these were not changed. I was still branded as someone of great importance to society. I tried to live my life as quietly as possible, without anyone noticing. This is the main reason why I opt to be cremated when I die. I wanted to set up funeral arrangements with my family before I die. I will let them know what I want once I depart from this wonderful world which I lived. Although this sounds morbid since I am still alive, I wanted to prepare myself and picture where will my remains be as I leave my family and friends. If ever I will die either by sickness or accident, I will let my family take my body to the nearest cremation center and burn it right away. As for my wake, I will ask my family to tell my friends and colleagues to visit our house and have them see a beautiful jar where my ashes are placed. Surrounding the said jar are my pictures that tells different stories because my so many experiences with them. Cremation is less expensive than buying caskets and a burial plot. I wanted my urn to be stored in our living room so that my family will not be lonely enough whenever they miss me. I like the idea that people will think that I am still and will always be around them. I always live in simplicity and I believe that this manner of funeral tradition is simple enough for me to be remembered.

An Analysis Of Coste Coffees Marketing Marketing Essay

An Analysis Of Coste Coffees Marketing Marketing Essay 2. Analyse the Company cases Marketing; and then reflect on how it compares to the marketing of one of the Companys Competitors (50% marks): In the first part of the essay, I am going to use market segmentation, targeting and positioning to analyse Costa coffees marketing. In the light of the global recession in 2008, the competition within the coffee industry has become fiercer than before, Costa Coffee financial reports looked very promising with rising growth whilst Starbucks experienced hard times. (Cafà © Business 2009) Different marketing strategy of the two companies would be reflected later in this essay. Segmentation Demographic segmentation divides markets into segments by population characteristics. Three main demographic factors that Costa Coffee used are age group, social class, and professional level. By dividing the potential customers into age groups, Costa Coffee can adjust the flavour and choices of coffee accordingly. For instance, teenagers might prefer hot chocolate rather than espresso, as they normally have a preference of sweet-tasting beverages. On the other hand, adults might prefer drinks with more caffeine since caffeine acts as stimulant and keeps them alert at work. (Ferrell Hartline 2008, pp.172-173) From social variables, Costa Coffee can know more about what products customers are looking for. This is due to the fact that they suggest the customers level of income which in turn affects their ability to buy. For example, the privileged class would spend more on coffee than the middle class each month. In this way, Costa Coffee can adjust the prices accordingly (Dibb, Simkin, Pride Ferrell 2006, pp. 229-232) Behavioural segmentation is by far the most important type of consumer segmentation due to the fact that it is more closely related to consumer need. (Ferrell Hartline 2008, p.172) Costa Coffee can segment the market based on peoples different coffee preferences. According to the Costa Coffees marketing director, Jim Slater, he found out that there are people who find latte too weak and cappuccinos too frothy, and do not want the strong flavour of an espresso or black Americano. (Reynolds 2010, p.2) Furthermore, Costa Coffee has identified what made the customers buy the coffee, some might look for a place to relax and others might want to grab and go. In this way, Costa Coffee can try to satisfy the customers needs (e.g. by improving the interior design of the shop) (Whitbread 2010, p.14) Targeting Once identified the segments, the firm can starts the targeting process. Costa Coffee caters for all the segments and does not use the concentrated strategy (i.e. concentrating on just one segment) as it is too risky. It uses differentiated strategy, developing different market mix for different segments. (Bradley 2005, pp. 30, 208) Launching Flat white in January 2010 was no doubt a way for Costa Coffee to target their customers who are looking for coffee other than latte and espresso. In just one month, flat white has already accounted for 7.5% of the sales. (Reynolds 2010, p.2) When dividing its market into segments, Costa Coffee believes that targeting the upper classes would be most profitable. The brand name symbolises luxurious and excellence, thus these classes are willing to pay more for a cup of coffee. (Whitbread 2010, p.15) Positioning: In terms of positioning, Costa Coffee launched its first TV advertising campaign in order to position the product in customers minds and give them an image of the company. The advert was about monkeys playing with the coffee machines and attempting to create the perfect coffee. (Reynolds 2010, p.3) The advert ended with a Costa barista trying to hand make a perfect cup of coffee, showing that it can only be created by barista who are highly skilled and passionate about coffee. The message behind the TV advertisement was to prove the supremacy of Costa Coffees products. According to Reynolds (2010), Costa Coffee is going to express the idea that it is trying to save everyone from the normal coffee into the TV advert. Reflect Unlike Costa Coffee, what Starbucks trying to sell is not only coffee, but also the Starbucks experience. Starbucks believes creating a cosy, relaxing atmosphere would be a key driver of success. To many customers, coffee is a treat after a stressful day. It targets particularly at young adults, who look for places to unwind. (Michelli 2007, pp.49-51) According to the Mintel report on coffee in February 2010, the 16-34 year old age group are more likely to make their own coffee at home (Mintel International Group Limited, 2010). Starbucks coffee has successfully launched an online store, so that the customers would be able to purchase coffee beans online. (Gia 2009, pp.10-11) Both Costa Coffee and Starbucks monitor their coffee quality standard carefully despite Starbucks main focus is on the Starbucks experience. Starbucks do that by researching constantly and developing new technologies in order to improve the roasting processes and thus the quality of coffee. (Michelli 2007, pp 58-64) Costa Coffee adopted a similar strategy and also widened the range of product sold. Moreover, both of the companies target their customers in a similar way. They both launch coffee club cards, which enable them to track their customers consumption pattern and thus improve their strategy on targeting their customers. However, after recession, it is evident that Costa Coffee did well than Starbucks. Some experts believe that Starbucks decision to align with McDonalds was the one to be blamed. The reason behind is that McDonalds offer low quality coffee which in turns adversely affected the Starbucks experience that Starbucks has been trying to established. (Cafà © Business, 2009) To sum up, Reflect means digest, mull over, think aloud about the key marketing features of the company case with the marketing of a key competitor. E.g. with MS we could have compared it with Next, or george at Asda . You could frame your reflection by asking questions or perhaps review how strong relatively the 2 companies brands are, for example. http://books.google.com.hk/books?id=beBNXXZbEEoCpg=PA170dq=starbucks,+segmentationhl=enei=JjokTaXpFIemcMeW-H8sa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=2ved=0CCsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepageq=starbucks%2C%20segmentationf=false http://books.google.com.hk/books?id=QDaax4mFMpcCpg=PA28dq=starbucks,+segmentationhl=enei=JjokTaXpFIemcMeW-H8sa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=1ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepageq=starbucks%2C%20segmentationf=false http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/coffee-chains-turnover-set-to-double-582227.html http://www.google.com.hk/search?tbs=bks%3A1tbo=1hl=enq=starbucks+segmentation http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/economics/is-the-price-of-a-starbucks-a-rip-off/

J.R.R. Tolkien Essay -- Biography Biographies J.R.R. Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) gained a reputation during the 1960’s and 1970’s as a cult figure among youths disillusioned with war and the technological age. His continuing popularity evidences his ability to evoke the oppressive realities of modern life while drawing audiences into a fantasy world. John Ronald Reuel was born on the third of January, 1892, at Bloemfontein, South Africa, where his father, Arthur, had taken a position with the Bank of Africa. In 1895 Tolkien’s mother, Mabel Suffield, moved back to England with her children, because Tolkien‘s health was affected by the climate. Arthur Tolkien hoped to return to England soon, but he contracted rheumatic fever the following autumn and died early in 1896. After a few months of living with her parents, Mabel Tolkien rented a cottage on the edge of Birmingham, and from then until her death in 1904, she and here two sons lived in rented houses on the edges of the city. After her death, Mabel Tolkien’s parish priest, Father Francis Morgan, took responsibility for the upbringing and education of her sons. Tolkien’s only means of escape from a lower-middle-class commercial life was winning an academic scholarship, which, with some difficulty, he did in 1910, gaining entrance to Exeter College, Oxford. In 1908 Tolkien fell in love with Edith Bratt, an orphan like himself. In 1910 Father Morgan forbade him to communicate with her until he was of age, to which Tolkien obeyed. At Oxford he began studying classics but soon concentrated on English language and literature, being awarded first-class honors in his final examination in 1915. He revisited Edith Bratt five days after his twenty-first birthday, and they were formally betrothed in 1914 when, at Tol... ...t hot desert, to England, rolling grassy hills, seemed to open his mind. One of the main reasons he wrote was to entertain his children. He told them about his world. And only a small majority of his stories got published(Kroeber 521). J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) gained a reputation during the 1960’s and 1970’s as a cult figure among youths disillusioned with war and the technological age. His continuing popularity evidences his ability to evoke the oppressive realities of modern life while drawing audiences into a fantasy world. Works Cited Byers, Paula K. Ed. â€Å"J.R.R. Tolkien†. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gake Research, 1998. 259-260 Grotta, Daniel. J.R.R. Tolkien: Architect of Middle Earth. Philadelphia: Courage Books, 1992. 123-135. Kroeber, Karl. â€Å"J.R.R. Tolkien†. British Writers. Ed. George Stade, New York: Gale Research, 1980. 519-521

Censorship Essay -- essays research papers fc

Censorship The freedom to read is essential to the democratic way of life. But today, that freedom is under attack. Private groups and public authorities everywhere are working to remove both books and periodicals from sale, to exclude certain books from public schools, to censor and silence magazines and newspapers, and to limit "controversial" books and periodicals to the general public. The suppression of reading materials is suppression of creative thought. Books and periodicals are not the only ones being suppressed by pressures to the political and social systems. They are also being brought against the educational system, films, radio, television, and against the graphic and theatre arts. However or whenever these attacks occur, they usually fall at least one of the following categories: Religion War & Peace (Violence) Sociology & Race Language Drugs Sex Inappropriate Adolescent Behaviour What is Obscenity? Clearly something hard to talk about constructively. "Obscenity" is difficult to discuss honestly. After all, what makes a thing obscene? It is Something too vague perhaps to be defined. It's an elusive term we use, but can't explain. Different people often see things differently. Some see obscenity in nude pictures, statues, paintings, etc. While others find less obscenity in these things. All the same, "obscene" isn't the same as "wrong" or "bad". Clearly obscenity is not identical with evil. It only covers a single segment of it. But what is that segment? A look at the words "obscenity" and "pornography" suggests that it is a segment that didn't worry people very much till relatively recently. Though censorship was known in english law quite early on, it wasn't for obscenity but for heresy and sedition."Undue" exploitation of sex" is what criminal law in Canada prohibits. This is how criminal law defines obscenity. But it is rather vague. It doesn't differentiate between "ordinary obscenity" and "hard-core pornography." The first denoting the ordinary run of "girlie magazines and the second denoting pictures , literature and so on that deal with rape, sadism, masochism, bestiality, necrophilia and other perversions. People tend to object far more to "hard-core pornography." Another distinction unfortunately overlo... ...m that mainly frowns upon the violence against women. There should indeed be access to most types of literature, but in varying degrees of freedom, determined not by censorship, but by controlled access. Parents are trying to protect their children from the harsh realities of life, but are they really helping, or hindering? Bibliography The Censorship Iceberg: The results of a survey of challenges in school and public libraries. By Dr. David Jenkins. School Libraries in Canada. Fall, 1985. v.6 n.1 p19-22 Sanitized textbooks reflect a pious paradise that never was. By June Callwood. The Globe and Mail. March 18, 1987. pA2-A3 Suffer the little children. By Janet Collins. Books in Canada. October 1991. v.20 n.7 p25-27 Court bans 'humanist' books from Alabama public schools. By Robin Toner. The Globe and Mail. March 5, 1987. pA10 Censorship in the children's library. By Rupert Colley. The Junior Bookshelf. June 1990. v.54 n.3 p121-123 Censorship News. Spring 1985. n20 Limits of criminal law - obscenity: a test case. By The Law Reform Commission: working paper no. 10. p7-9 Censorship: stopping the book banners. By the book and periodical development council. August 1988. p1-17

Never Back Down Review Essay -- Movies Film

Never Back Down Review A) Event Synopsis and Theme 1. The film opens in the middle of a high-school football game, with Jake Tyler helping his team to win. Frustrated, one of the players from the opposing team taunts him about the death of his father from drunk driving. Known for his hot temper, Jake immediately begins a brawl with the opposing player. The brawl is captured on the crowd's mobile phones and personal video cameras, and soon is downloaded to the internet. This is in fact the last game Jake will play at this high school as he and his family is moving to Orlando, Florida. His younger brother, Charlie (Wyatt Smith), has received a tennis scholarship at a school there. His mother (Leslie Hope) is upset that Jake often seems to be fighting and getting into trouble, but despite this, Jake and Charlie are close. At his new school, Jake has a hard time fitting in. He catches the eye of a pretty classmate named Baja Miller (Amber Heard) who seems to flirt with him. Later, he spots a fight going on campus where he sees a young man getting beaten. Although this is actually a street kickboxing match, Jake mistakes this as bullying, and attempts to defend the man. He is surprised when everyone, including the young man, tells Jake to leave. In school the next day, the young man introduces himself to Jake as Max Cooperman (Evan Peters). He tells Jake that there are videos on the internet of Jake's football brawl, gaining him a positive reputation on campus. He offers Jake a chance to learn mixed martial arts with his teacher, but Jake declines. Baja comes by and invites him to a party. At the party, held at a mansion, he meets the host, Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet), who has seen the internet footage, challenges Jake to a fi... ...we were enjoying it. We sat in the best seat and no annoying sound. F) Most Memorable Moment 1. The last fight impressed me most. A lot of scene flashed in Jake’s head and he use all his techniques to knock down Ryan. 2. The music delivered a victory-like feeling, the flashing scene of his life and the slow motion were responsible for this affecting moment. 3. I and my friend nearly yelled out when Jake finally wins. G) Audience / Personal Response 1. My friend, who likes talking while we are watching movie, seldom makes noise in this film. 2. I would recommend this film to young male. There’s really a lot of muddled commentary to be found here. Explorations of class structure and bored teenage anomie are attempted in Never Back Down, but who wants their social critique served with a garnish of male anguish? You do? Okay, well you’ll like the film then.

Consider the Importance of the Method of Narration Employed in Wuthering Heights Essay

Wuthering Heights is written by Emily Jane Brontà « and narrated by Ellen Dean (Nelly), a servant of both Catherine Earnshaw and her daughter, Catherine Linton. Emily Brontà « must have thought she was the most convenient of characters to narrate this novel as Nelly was alive through each generation of both the Earnshaw and Linton families. Had someone like Catherine Earnshaw narrated the novel, it might have finished at her death or would have switched narration. Also, this could have made the narration more bias, whereas Nelly, who still plays a reasonably large role as she mixes with all the characters, witnesses and observes the goings on as an onlooker first hand. However, Nelly often interferes with the lives of the characters which could have altered the forth coming events. In my opinion, one of the key times of her meddlesome attitude in the novel is reflected when she carries a letter between Heathcliff and Cathy Earnshaw who also receives permission to visit Cathy when she is ill-against Edgars wishes. She is often seen to be carrying letters between different characters which are considered to be forbidden. On the other hand, she sometimes decides to hold onto information rather than pass it on, such as when Edgar’s wife Catherine becomes increasingly ill Nelly fails to inform him. A possible downfall to having Nelly as the narrator could be that her personal opinions are shown too much in the novel, creating a biased view. Her actions are also influenced by her opinions which again produce a bias outcome as she helps those characters she favours, such as the Earnshaw siblings she grew up with over Edgar. This concept is shown in her actions as she keeps some secrets to herself instead of revealing them to Edgar, like when his daughter and Hareton’s relationship grows and Nelly ignores it.

Hamlet Essay

Hamlet represents many things: tragic hero, over-thinking educated man, and poor friend. He is also a revolutionary, a philosopher, and a dreamer, and reconciling these good qualities with the bad proves as maddening for the audience as it does to Hamlet himself. However, what is often lost in the shuffle of Christian theologies in the play is the fact that nihilism as a persistent force, guiding Hamlet’s actions (or inaction, as the case may be) and serving as the catalyst for tragedy. Nihilism serves in the play as a kind of spiritual nether region into which men like Hamlet can find themselves being pulled into. It represents something that, to Hamlet and those like him, comes across as something off a salvation: it represents an opportunity to free one’s self from the need to act, and instead welcomes someone to become completely absorbed in the world of contemplation. This seems ideal for Hamlet the student, but when he is asked to take action by his spectral father, he is torn between his true nature and that which others expect of him. Unable to believe in himself, Hamlet becomes unable to believe in anything at all, which forms the crux of the play’s tragic moral dilemma. Whether Hamlet was intended to be a nihilist or the work nihilistic in nature is a question ripe for debate. According to Donald Wehrs, Placing the threat of nihilism at the heart of tragedy, Shakespeare seems to anticipate, if not inaugurate, Romantic and Modernist vocations for literature—offering literature as the site where significance after the debunking of myth and metaphysics may be reclaimed (68).† According to such a reading, one of the purposes in the narrative of Hamlet is the debunking of mythology. This would reconcile some of the odder features of the play—for instance, the very non-Catholic ghost of King Hamlet (himself seemingly a remnant from the notions of purgatory) juxtaposed with very Catholic concerns of whether Claudius will ascend to heaven or descend to hell based on the exact moment that he is killed: he can’t be killed, according to Hamlet, when he is â€Å"fit and season’d for his passage. However, Wehrs points out that nihilism is the threat, and not the goal: Hamlet’s tale is not nihilistic simply for the sake of riveting storytelling, but because it reveals that when lives unravel (as they do in all tragedies), a belief in nothingness effectively leaves nothing behind; no substance lurking behind the shroud of life. Why, then, the debunking? Why bother lampooning the absurdity of certain metaphysical notions/superstitions while still adhering to the Christian belief structure? The answer is as simple as it is striking: through the story of Hamlet, Shakespeare attempts to create a system of morality that is independent of religion of spiritual affiliation. After all, Hamlet is shown as someone torn between moralities, weighing the social responsibility of honoring his father’s request for revenge with the spiritual responsibility of avoiding bloodshed and murder. He is a man torn apart by his multitude of beliefs, not his lack of beliefs†¦the famous â€Å"to be or not to be† speech represents a descent into nihilism, but it is an abyss that he was driven into by trying to follow the often-arbitrary dictates of what is right and what is wrong. It is no coincidence that the best intentions of Hamlet consign many more souls to death than the deliberate machinations of Claudius. According Tzachi Zamir, some of Shakespeare’s tragic characters (such as Macbeth) are able to resolve nihilistic navel-gazing by virtue of action. Hamlet, on the other hand, is â€Å"more interested in escaping† (537) the physicality of the world: his philosophical nature lends itself more readily to the nihilism that he stumbles into. This is found in the â€Å"to be or not to be† speech, as Hamlet notes â€Å"With this regard their currents turn awry / And lose the name of action. † It is interesting to note that the nihilistic Hamlet causes more death and destruction than other tragic characters who have a spiritual belief structure in place: Claudius, as written above, is a cold-blooded murderer, but also a repentant man who does not let his life be consumed by forces beyond his control. Macbeth readily admits that the violent murder that begins his own tragic downfall will send him to hell, but he cannot help himself. In this spectrum of morality, Shakespeare seems to be implying that good actions can be tainted (following Aristotle’s Poetics, his tragedies almost always feature glorious characters being brought low) and bad actions can be redeemed (the counterpoint of Shakespeare’s tragedies are, of course, the comedies, in which everyone is a case of mistaken identity or two away from true love and happy marriage). Hamlet seems to perceive this on some level: â€Å"â€Å"I must be cruel, only to be kind. † The worst sin, then, becomes inaction: Hamlet’s inaction is a result of his inability to believe in anything, and it seems to clog up the very gears of Hamlet’s world: it is unsurprising, then, that the entirety of that world grinds to a halt from this disruption. Worse still, he tethers the inaction to his ability to reason, when in truth, it is only reasoning that can save one from nihilism. As Grace Matthews points out, â€Å"Hamlet, a religious young man, vacillates between faith and atheism, he becomes vulnerable to the deception that evil offers us†¦ it is only by resisting succumbing to nihilism through thinking that we can protect our spirituality and live meaningfully as a result. † Hamlet’s sin is not thinking; Hamlet’s sin is overthinking. Perhaps the most strident voice in declaring that Hamlet is a nihilist play is that of Harold Bloom. According to him, â€Å"Shakespeare invented what Nietzsche, and Dostoevsky, and others afterwards started to call nihilism. It’s a pure Shakespearean invention. † He links this rather explicitly with the character of Hamlet himself: â€Å"I’m not sure that until you have the representation you call Hamlet, that you have anywhere†¦someone who changes every time he or she speaks, and who does it by this weird thing of overhearing oneself, which I can’t find before Shakespeare.† For Bloom, the notion of Hamlet being nihilistic lies in his personal inability to create an identity for himself: his mind is tugged by reason in one direction, by honor in another direction, and by loyalty in yet another direction. As cliche as it may sound, Hamlet is unable to believe in anything else because he is unable to believe in himself. Aside from the obviously bloody consequences, how does this further the notion that Shakespeare intended this to be a negative thing—a nihilism to be avoided at all costs, instead of an existential safety blanket for individuals to hide themselves in? The answer to this is the fact that Hamlet is portrayed as less than a person throughout the entirety of the play. In point of fact, his spectral father actually displays much more personality and substance than his son does. Hamlet’s identity is in reflection: he can be a jocular young man with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, an educated conspirator with Horatio and an angered son with his mother. Without them, though, Hamlet is unable to be anyone at all. Shakespeare’s Hamlet as a play, and his Hamlet as a character, will remain the center of debate for centuries more to come. However, it is important that the discussions of fate and philosophy—the very kind that Hamlet would have delighted in at Wittenberg—do not overshadow the small things that comprise his tragedy. Shakespeare dangles both Lutheran and Catholic theology in front of both Hamlet and the viewer, but does not advocate one over the other. Rather, both serve as a warning for the only real spiritual evil: the inaction of nihilism. Ironically, it is only through the use of reasoning that one can overcome the temptation of nihilism†¦the temptation of surrendering all responsibility and simply succumbing to the ebb and flow of the tides of the world. However, through Hamlet we see that an overabundance of reasoning can actually cause this effect: if one overlaps spirituality and secular education, then everything is thrown into disarray, and the moral compass is not simply broken†¦one’s entire sense of a true moral north is thrown right out of the window. In its place is a path that can lead only to heartbreak, bloodshed, and chaos.

Therapists Role in Gastric Bypass Procedure

A Therapists Role in A Pre-Surgical Interview for a Gastric Bypass Procedure Abstract The purpose of this paper is to determine the role of the psychologist when evaluating a patient seeking a gastric bypass procedure. To this date there is no standard avenue given to those conducting the interview. Due to the limited knowledge of long term success post-surgery a guideline is given for psychologists to follow. Continued research is needed to determine what may be needed in the interview that is not being addressed at this time.A Therapists Role in A Pre-Surgical Interview for a Gastric Bypass Procedure A huge problem in the United States for the average individual is obesity. While traditional weight loss programs are failing and more extreme methods are being used, psychologists are being called upon to determine if individuals are mentally fit to have a procedure called Bariatric surgery (ie, gastric bypass). This procedure is used for populations of people whom are extremely obese . Therefore extremely obese patients are turning to this unconventional method to lose weight.Unlike traditional weight lose methods whose risks are low, gastric bypass procedures have high health risks involved. In order for this surgery to be successful patients need to reframe their thinking after surgery to continue to maintain the weight that is lost due to the procedure. There have been no clear assessment tools psychologists’ use for pre-op assessment but many psychologists are using a standard assessment to determine if the individual is a candidate for bar iatric surgery.Even though a patient may not want to undergo a psychological evaluation it is a necessary criterion in order to undergo this extreme weight loss procedure. The information a psychologist collects in the pre-op procedure is why they are seeking surgery, diet and weight history, what are their habits currently in regard to eating, educating patient that future lifestyle changes associated with behavio r modification therapy, history and current social supports, and any psychiatric symptoms (current and past) (Snyder 2009).The psychologist’s 3 responsibilities during the assessment is to collect a history about the patient, act as an educator providing information to patient about the psychological aspect of the surgery, and the therapist motivating the patient to seek post surgical behavior modification treatment while helping the client deal with emotions that may come up during the evaluation (Snyder 2009). The psychologist’s initial question is the patient’s reason for surgery and what are they hoping to accomplish.The therapist therefore will determine the clients expectations to assess if the client has unrealistic expectations centered around the surgery results (ie. motivation due to only changing physical appearance). The results may suggest the patient may not be a candidate for surgery. Researchers have learned the motivation for surgery should be s trictly for health reasons (Bauchowitz, A. , 2007). Patients that have unrealistic expectations regarding weight loss are prone to issues of depression when the surgery and outcome is not what they expected. The second area assessed is a review of the patients eating habits past and current.Researchers found that clients learned messages from family that were contributing factors to weight gain (ie. eat everything on your plate) (Gibbons, L. M. , et al. , 2006). Psychologists’ also determine if a client has had past failures with diets and if not the client is encouraged to try dieting before seeking surgery. The philosophy behind this way of thinking is due to getting used a healthy lifestyle with food intake. The role of the psychologist here is to educate the patient with what will be needed in the future to maintain their ideal weight.They are warned going back to old behaviors with eating behaviors and habits could result in gaining all their weight back. Also, psycholog ists help the patient if they are dealing with shame for failed diet attempts in the past. Another area of assessment is determining the patient’s current eating behavior. It is important for the therapist to determine the motivation for behavior modification and also seek out eating disordered clients. The patient is also questioned about their plan for exercise post surgery.The biggest finding about non-compliance among failures with post treatment was the lack of motivation for exercise (Snyder 2009). Psychologists also determine if a client is bulimic due to the dangers of a bulimic client can have with gastric bypass procedures. Psychologists at this point educate the patient on the importance of exercise for long term benefits of surgery (Snyder 2009). The psychologist also educates the patient to help them to understand what they are agreeing to when seeking gastric bypass. The therapist also should point out the consequences of going back to the past ifestyle with eat ing behavior (Snyder 2009). Another area of importance is the social network of family and friends the patient has when having surgery. The social network can make or break a patient’s success or failure. Therefore, it is important for the psychologist to understand the patient’s social network in the past and present. Negative consequences of the surgery (ie. affair) can lead to jealousy of the spouse and present sabotaging behavior of the spouse. Therefore it is important for a psychologist to address issues that could present themselves if applicable (Snyder 2009).One of the primary reasons an interview is conducted pre-surgery is to determine if there are any psychiatric disorders that might interfere with success of surgery. Symptoms of anxiety, depression, psychosis, mania, suicidal ideation, substance abuse, history of abuse, family history of mental disorders, and any treatment regarding mental health issues are assessed. An examination called a Mini-Mental Sta tus is given to the patient to determine any psychiatric complications that can present themselves (Fabricatore, Crerand, Wadden , et al. 2006). The MMPI-2 is a psychological test given to pre-surgical candidates for a gastric bypass. This is a way to validate that the psychologist’s assessment interview are the same as compared to the MMPI-2. The psychologist should instruct the client to answer all questions honestly so the test results will be accurate. If the clients’ results show defensiveness with the test results the test may have to be taken again (Walfish, S. , 2007). The Millon Behavior Medicine Diagnostic allows for norms within the population that have undergone surgery.These two tests have been selected for psychologists to use even though there are other tests available. In conclusion, it is important for patients to be assessed before having surgery. The psychologist role is to understand the readiness of a patient and how emotional issues can challenge long term success. The psychologist’s role also is to educate the client on all possible issues that they may face post surgical. Overall, this demonstrates how important a pre-surgical evaluation is needed to increase success for the patient short and long term. References Allison G.Snyder (2009) Psychological Assessment of the Patient Undergoing Bariatric Surgery. The Ochsner Journal: Fall 2009, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 144-148. Bauchowitz, A. , L. Azarbad , K. Day , and L. Gonder-Frederick . Evaluation of expectations and knowledge in bariatric surgery patients. Surg Obes Relat Dis 2007. 3 5:554– 558. Devlin, M. U. , J. A. Goldfein , L. Flancbaum , M. Bessler , and R. Eisenstadt . Surgical management of obese patients with eating disorders: a survey of current practices. Obes Surg 2004. 14 9:1252–1257. Fabricatore, A. N. , C. E. Crerand , T. A.Wadden , et al. How do mental health professionals evaluate candidates for bariatric surgery? Survey results. Obes Surg 200 6. 16 5:567–573 Gibbons, L. M. , D. B. Sarwer , C. E. Crerand , et al. Previous weight loss experiences of bariatric surgery candidates: how much have patients dieted prior to surgery? Obesity (Silver Spring) 2006. 14 suppl 2:70S–76S. Walfish, S. Reducing Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory defensiveness: effect of specialized instructions on retest validity in a sample of preoperative bariatric patients. Surg Obes Relat Dis 2007. 3 2:184–188.