Assimilation the Latino Experience Essay - 1924 Words

Immigration has always been an issue in the United States, which is often portrayed as harmful and as major threat to American culture. As a result, various anti immigration policies have been aimed against immigrants in order to prevent and preserve the miscegenation of American culture, such as English only policies. Among the largest minority groups in the U.S, are Latinos who currently compose of 15% of the U.S population (Delgado and Stefancic 3). Unfortunately, Latinos have been accused of taking American benefits, jobs, and have wrongfully been depicted as a result of not assimilating to American culture. Latinos are often accused of resisting assimilation, but what has failed to be acknowledged is that there are obstacles set in†¦show more content†¦Unfortunately much of the Latino history has been ignored or not written in conventional textbooks, but the reality is that Latinos experienced similar experiences to the ones of African Americans. According to Richard De lgado, â€Å"Recent research by reputable historians shows that Latinos, particularly Mexican Americans in the southwest, were lynched in large numbers during roughly the same period when lynching of blacks ran rampart† (583). Moreover, Latinos have also been heavily discriminated within the educational system through segregation. Latinos along with African American were not allowed to attend school with white children and often had schools assigned to them. The purpose of segregating was to, â€Å"isolate Mexican American children and to retard their educational process† (Perea 601). Other methods of academically repressing Latinos included retaining them â€Å"in first grade for two or three years, which automatically placed them behind their Anglo peers† (Perea 602). Some of the rationale behind segregating children was that stereotypes were prevalent amid educators. Juan F. Perea sites in his article that show that, â€Å"teachers viewed their . . . stude nts as lazy and favored Anglo students in . . . leadership roles . . . [that] were necessary to teach Anglos how to control and lead Mexicans† (Perea 602). The previous clearly demonstrates that the educational system sought hinder Latinos in the educational system for the purpose of maintaining a workingShow MoreRelatedThe Issue Of Immigration Has Been On The Forefront Major Debates1684 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout America’s history, the issue of immigration has been on the forefront major debates. Immigration is among one of the most stimulating topics of discussion. Often when discussing immigration the question of assimilation also arises and whether or not immigrants are truly doing so. Since the beginning of this country, immigrants and even natives of the land have been pressured to assimilate to â€Å"American† Culture and to commit to its standards. When a group of people fail to assimilate toRead MoreCultural Assimilation Of Hispanic Immigrants996 Words   |  4 PagesCultural Assimilation of Latino Immigrants in the United States Latino immigrants have always had many obstacles when coming into the United States, the difference between the American and the Latin cultures is what has caused a huge hurdle that immigrants have found hard to overpass. This obstacle has caused many generations to go through cultural assimilation. Mize et al. (2012) explain that cultural assimilation is the adaptation of immigrants to unfamiliar cultural patterns, which includeRead MoreAssimilating to Fukuyamas Immigrants and Falmily Values Essay882 Words   |  4 Pagesidentify an American citizen. American conservatives and the author also opined that another factor that makes an immigrant stay in the United States a successful one is the assimilation process. American conservatives opined that immigrants from underdeveloped countries have unstable families that could make harder the assimilation process for the children are less likely to do economically well. However, Fukuyama explained that immigrants have strong family values and a greater level of ambition andRead MoreEthnic Assimilation From The United States1097 Words   |  5 Pagescultural assimilation; the different theories of assimilation will be explored. The idea of Assimilation came about in the early 20th century. (Golash-Boza, 2006) Assimilation is surrounded by two theories, the first that all immigrants will assimilate sooner or later and that the generational status of the individual is one of the main factors in determining the persons level of assimilation into the particular society. (Golash-Boza, 20 06) Within Assimilation there is segmented assimilation whichRead MoreAmerican Culture And Its Impact On American Society1599 Words   |  7 Pagespart of todays society.  Hispanics Americans constitute more than 15% of the U.S population, and the number is still growing. It is the country’s largest ethnic minority group. When Hispanics enter into the American mainstream, their main assimilation obstacle is acquiring the English language. Their native language is Spanish, so when they come to the United states they are are faced with many struggles as to finding jobs in which would allow them to only speak Spanish. They would have to learnRead MoreHouston Area Survey Essay1174 Words   |  5 Pagesthe future. The city has grown from being predominately Anglo to having a nice population balance between Anglos, Latinos, African Americans, and Asians. In terms of Latinos in Houston, the study places emphasis on the differences between the first generation who are foreign-born, second generation who were born in the United States with immigrant parents, and third-generation Latinos who were born in America with American parents. The study explores the differences between the generations on theirRead MoreRace As A Social Construction1679 Words   |  7 Pagesslavery attest to why this is the case, bu t that in no way should devalue the individual histories of other racial minorities in America. Each Minority group in America has had their own struggles in the when faced with the pressures of cultural assimilation. I do not have time to touch on every group, but the following are a brief compilation of cases that I believe demonstrate blatant racial bias. Asian-Americans have faced acute cases of racial discrimination. The United States government, at timesRead More Race Relations in Modern American Society Essay1587 Words   |  7 Pagesprevalent link is between the African American community and the Latino community. Here we find two groups of people with very similar lifestyles who find camaraderie between themselves when dealing with America’s racism. Although the specifics may differ, the experiences of Blacks and Latinos, specifically Mexican Americans, has impacted the two communities very similarly. For example, many sociologists agree that the slavery experience is the cause of many problems Black America has today. ThingsRead MoreB.Machismo, Marianismo Familismo . Machismo, Marianismo1049 Words   |  5 PagesB. Machismo, Marianismo Familismo Machismo, Marianismo and familismo are central to Latino culture, and all three can increase the likelihood of IPV in Latina immigrants. Machismo and its female counterpart marianismo are held as the â€Å"ideal† male and female gender roles in traditional Latino culture. These Latino cultural traditions are two-sided; machismo and marianismo can be viewed as positive qualities, however, they can also allow for an unfair balance of power between partners. StevensRead MoreEssay on cultrual cultural deprivation the hispanic challenge699 Words   |  3 Pagesmeans they have less time to meet with teachers, hire tutors, and provide continuous transportation. Therefore the lower class can’t possibly compete with the middle and upper classes. Angela Valenzuela gives the accounts of some Hispanic students’ experiences in school. These students feel that it is the inferior nature of the schools in the US that contribute to the low success levels. The schools in Mexi co have â€Å"teachers [that] value and nurture in their students an ability to communicate and express

Things Are Not Always What They Seem Free Essays

Thursday, September , 2011. This marks the start date of the Class of 2011’s first and last full year at Oxbow Prairie Horizons School (OPHS), the new K-12 school in Oxbow, Saskatchewan. It’s an absolutely gorgeous facility, complete with a large gym (equipped with top-of-the-line sound and lighting systems), integrated program for the functionally challenged students, large foyer, kitchen and even an extra gym. We will write a custom essay sample on Things Are Not Always What They Seem or any similar topic only for you Order Now The building is plenty big and even has removable classrooms, but every rose has its thorn, right? Or in OPHS’ case, thorns. Shortly after starting the 2011-2012 school term, and even shortly after moving into the school in March? of 2011, many staff and students have noticed a few glitches (so to speak) in the system. At first, small, piddly details that we can easily deal with (overcome? ). Like the room design of the biology, chemistry and physics labs where bulletin boards are blocked by the teachers’ desk and computer or even by entire counters. Like in the canteen, we were lucky enough to have beautiful cupboards installed to store our merchandise, but when it came time to actually sell it/them, students were unable to see the products anyways. So, in turn, the cupboard doors were taken off completely. Eventually, the small problems began to arise more suspicions and more noticeable and elaborate ones were recognized. Toilets in the washrooms began to constantly flush, some having to be manuallly shut off. The office in the shop has no windows, it is just a small room enclosed of cement. The parking lot is poorly designed. Trying to see around parked vehicles to hitting oncoming ones is hard and it is nearly impossible to maneuver large vehicles around at all. The buses drop students off half a block from the main entrances and when students do enter the school, depending on the weather, are required to move outdoor shoes because the parking lot is either muddy, full of water, or both. Which is not only a bother to our janitors but also to visitors, who trip over shoes trying to enter the building. Wireless internet was the first of many large problems to be noticed by the students. They were told that if you have a class where you will be using laptops and it is a larger class, to bring a personal laptop to work on as there may not be enough laptops for everyone. So, some did, until they told that the principal wasn’t given a password to the school’s public Wi-Fi network and they were unable to do homework and sassingments anyways. Even now, after Mr. Petlak has been given the password and used it on student’s computers, they are unable to access certain sites due to them being blocked. Sites that students use to complete and accomplish tasks and assignments. Why? Because staff at OPHS are unable to control this. It is government workers in either Weyburn or Regina that do. The base temperature of OPHS is, put simply, freezing. During September, where it can be twenty degrees celsius and above, most staff and students were already wearing sweaters and jackets to class. Which, in retrospect, is not uncommon for Oxbow. In the old high school, anyone working in the building would be wearing jackets, touques and mittens, unless you were in the science labs or the main office. There you would wear shorts, tank tops and flip flops. But with the excitment of the Horizons School close to being fully built, came the realization that we could actually wear seasonal appropriate clothing to school. Or so we thought. Now, in the new school, we freeze pretty well everywhere. With the exception of the Sr. Computer Lab, main office and the canteen (which are all normal temperatures), staff and students are still needing to wear layers and even haul blankets form class to class. Why? This is because of the poor commmunictation between our school and Weyburn, where they then decide whether or not to contact Regina to turn up the heat in jsut one particular room. Which, after the first few attmepts of doing so, we were told to use the thermostats located in each classroom. These allow teachers the ability to raise or lower the room temperature by 3 degrees. That’s it. In one area of the school there is actually cold air being blown throughout its rooms. But for us to fix this, we must flip a breaker. Instead of simply pushing a button on a thermostat to raise the temperature, we are required to issue a complaint to the Weyburn office, who then decide whether it is a big enough deal to report to the office in Regina. And apparently, it isn’t a problem for us to freeze. All of these problems can relate back to the fact that Oxbow has no power against the authority offices in Regina and Weyburn. We are not able to decide the climate of our classrooms, who has access to use our internet or even who is allowed put a screw in the wall to hang a picture. We are by no means, allowed to. A government office in that is 150-250 kilometers away makes the decision of what is and is not allowed. People who have no idea what goes on in our school, who attends or works there, what we are like or even where Oxbow is, has that discretion. Yes, our old school’s had a very large laundry list: plumbing, heating, electrical and just overall renovating. This article is not set out to complain about our new school. We were in much need of a new facility and are greatly appreciative for the effort, time and hard work that were pput into building it. But, with that said, I find it hard to comprehend how certain, seemingly common sense issues are ignored. The new school in Oxbow has heightened the school’s many previous strengths such as atheletics, drama, academics and even the staff and students as individuals. This school also has its negative effects though. And it is the students that are being effected. The future depends on them. So why does it have to be such a struggle to give them a proper learning environment? Teagan Loppe How to cite Things Are Not Always What They Seem, Papers

Corporate Venturing Creating New Businesses Within the Firm free essay sample

Introduction In a world which innovators are kings, interest in internal corporate ventures has grown tremendously. In my literature review, I would like to share my insights from reading the book titled â€Å"Corporate venturing: creating new businesses within the firm† by Zenas Block and Ian C. MacMillan. In this book, the authors shared their views on the importance of corporate venturing especially in this competitive global economy. Also, other aspects of venturing like the management, organisation and control of the ventures are also covered in great detail. However, much focus will be placed on the imminent need for corporate ventures and also issues like what determines the new venture success. I would also discuss the difficulties faced by managers in ventures as after all; venturing is not as simple as one would like it to be. In the later part of my review, I would also provide some evaluations in relation to this topic. What is a corporate venture? We consider a project a venture when it: †¢Involves an activity new to the organisation †¢Is initiated or conducted internally Involves significantly higher risk of failure or large losses than the organisation’s base business †¢Is characterised by greater uncertainty then the base business †¢Is undertaken for the purpose of increasing sales, profits, productivity or quality †¢Will be managed separately at some point during its life (Block Macmillan, 1993) In essence, it is a practice where a large firm takes an equity stake in a small but innovative or specialist firm, to which it may also provide management and marketing expertise. The objective of such venture is to be able to gain a specific competitive advantage. It is very important to be able to distinguish between is a corporate venture and an extension of a normal business activity as even till today, there are many misinterpretations of what entails a venture. Hence, I see the importance of being able to understand what a corporate venture is. Corporate venture: the growing phenomenon There have been a growing number of large companies creating business development organisations aimed at leveraging their IP portfolio through external licensing and/or partnerships. There are many successful examples of companies that enjoy high growth from new ventures including renowned companies like Nokia. Nokia adopted a very interesting corporate venturing approach for finding innovation. They moved beyond â€Å"not invented here† and are now embracing the idea of â€Å"finding the best ideas where ever they are†. Nokia Venturing Organisation is focused on corporate venturing activities that include identifying and developing new businesses. They introduced it as â€Å"the renewal of Nokia†. Nokia Venture Partners invest exclusively in mobile and IP related start-up businesses and they have a third group called Innovent that directly provides support and nurtures innovators in hope of creating vast future opportunities for Nokia (Docherty, 2004). It is the very fact that venture capital and opportunities is the essential tool available for companies to increase their innovativeness, quoting Wharton management professor Gary Dushnitsky and thus be able to develop a competitive edge in the economy. In another paper â€Å"When does venture capital investment create firm value,† by Dushinitsky and Lenox, they present the evidence that corporate venture capital investment is associated with the creation of firm value which goes beyond narrow financial returns and capture both the financial returns and the strategic benefits. Furthermore, in some researches, through the use of databases of hundreds of companies, the researchers compared companies that invested in venture capital and those that did not. They found that the greater the amount of corporate venture capital invested, the greater is the innovation rate of the investing company, measured by either the number of patents generated or by the citation-weighted patents output. Hence, this further presents the importance of venturing to keep up with the pace of innovation and competition in the economy. In addition it is said that corporate venture capital is one leg of a three-legged stool whose other two legs are strong internal RD capability and strong alliances with academic or government researchers. This highlights the crucial role corporate venture plays in the success of a company. Furthermore, not all firms are able to reap the full benefits of corporate ventures as results have shown that firms that invest for strategic reasons are more likely to continue to invest and in larger amounts. This is because strategically oriented firms are more likely to learn how to make good investments over time and this is not sometime that all firms are able to achieve overnight. As such, it is true that not every company can or should set up their own new ventures group due to various uncertainties or structural changes the firm might face in such circumstances. However, firms should still be focused on moving beyond the idea of â€Å"not invented here† to â€Å"finding the best ideas and technologies where ever they are†. What determines the new venture success? The strategic adaptation perspective implies that new venture success is a function of the managers or entrepreneurs ability to assess internal capabilities and environmental conditions for the purpose of developing and executing effective strategies (Andrews 1980; Porter 1980; Vesper 1980; Timmons 1982). The environment is viewed as a (major) constraint within which strategy is developed. Furthermore, environments are not immutable and are subject to negotiation and manipulation (Child 1972; Miles and Cameron 1982; MacMillan 1983). Such factor plays an important role in determining the success of the venture. Difficulties faced in venturing Reasons why companies stop venturing What we have constantly been told is the importance of venturing, the benefits that comes with it and there is a need to venture as ‘my competitors are also doing it’. However, behind the scenes, there are many circumstances that companies face which makes venturing hard and challenging and sometimes, companies are even discouraged from doing so. In order to determine why this is so, it is critical to examine the actual work of creating new businesses and distinguishing between organisational entities (such as venture companies and new venture divisions) and activities involving the development of new products, new markets and combination thereof (Block MacMillan, 1993). Much of the publicity surrounding intrapreneurship has centered on the establishment of separate organisational units within the companies. For instance, Colgate’s venture company rose and fell in three short years as well as Allied Corporation’s New Ventures operations which existed only for five years. The track record of a new venture division should not be confused or mixed with that of new venture. For organisations that put all their venturing eggs into a new venture division basket are likely to stop venturing when they disband the venturing division, only to resume as a matter of necessity after the passage of time (Block MacMillan, 1993) Another great challenge faced by organisations in their quest of venturing is that there can be extreme changes to their management teams within the company when firms engage in venturing. Such structural changes that come about with the new ventures might be a push factor for organisations considering engaging in new ventures that could potentially be of great benefits to the organisation. Furthermore, in recent years, it is frequently said that the venture industry especially in the US is facing a decline. It is thus rumoured that perhaps such venturing might not be as beneficial for the firms as it had in the past. The US venture capitalists have a depressed view of the industry mainly due to the weak IPO market and the unfavourable tax and regulatory policies present in the US domestic market. There is a shift in the amount of venture capital from the US market to the emerging market and this is a rising trend today. However, contrary to the popular belief, the venture capital industry is not a necessary condition in driving high-growth entrepreneurship, according to Right-sizing the US Venture Capital Industry, a new study by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. It is analysed that while venture capital will continue to be crucial to some forms of high growth companies, the report concluded that the sector’s size must be reduced for it to be viable. In recent years, the venture industry has been seen stagnating and declining returns coupled with rapid expansion in venture capital assets under management. It is said that the venture industry needs to shrink its way to becoming an economic force again. In various studies, it has been shown that the venture industry is profitable for many. In fact, professionals in the venture industry have gotten comfortable with the way their industry is set up in terms of size, structure and compensation. However, there is a need for venture participants to overcome their resistance to change and to get out of their comfort zone so as to be able to more effectively fund entrepreneurs and offer investors competitive returns. As such, there is a need for the venture industry to change so as to better realise the benefits it can potentially offer. Evaluation of the book This book by Block and MacMillan gave me great insight into the view of the business world and role ventures play in the economy. However, one drawback is that the context of the business world is based on that during the economic boom of the 1990s. With all the economic changes since of the following decade, some of the arguments made in the book may seem to fall flat and is less updated. Additionally, because of these new economic realities, it would be assumed venturing approached would to be reassessed with reference to the dot-com bust and the very recent global financial meltdown. Though I do not think that venturing would no longer be of importance to firms today, reassessment has to be made in the area of the risk involved, the management as well as planning due to the change in economic environment so as to ensure that firms are able to better reap the potential benefits corporate venture can offer. Conclusion The main take away from the book is that companies venture mainly to ensure growth and survival in the face of ever increasing competition. According to a number of studies and cross referencing with other academic papers, venturing is a surprisingly effective means of achieving these goals- at least for companies that create venturing programs carefully; and continually learn from their venturing experience. On a more personal note, this literature review was not an easy feat as the book includes many academic terms that I might not be clear of. However, after reading the book and other academic articles, I have to admit that this topic can indeed be interesting and it provided me with the knowledge and greater understanding of this highly debated topic. References Business dictionary. com: http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/corporate-venturing. html Dushnitsky and Lenox, When Do Firms Undertake RD Investing in New Ventures Dushnitsky and Lenox, When Do Incumbents Learn from Entrepreneurial Ventures? Corporate Venture Capital and Investing Firm Innovation Rates Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (2009): US venture capital industry must shrink to be an economic force http://www. kauffman. org/newsroom/venture-capital-industry-must-shrink-to-be-a n-economic-force-kauffman-foundation-study-finds. aspx Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (2011): Right sizing the US venture capital industry http://www. kauffman. org/research-and-policy/right-sizing-the-venture-capital-industry. aspx Kenneth Liss (2000), Harvard business school: Corporate Venturing: Entrepreneurship on the Inside Leena Rao (2010), Study: U. S. Venture Capital Industry Expected To Shrink While Emerging Markets Grow http://techcrunch. com/2010/07/13/report-u-s-venture-capital-industry-expected-to-shrink-while-emerging-markets-grow/ Mike Docherty(2004), Innovation. net weblog:http://venture2. typepad. com/innovationnet/corporate_venturing/ Robert A. Burgelman and Liisa Valikangas (2005), Managing Internal Corporate Venturing Cycles Zenas Block Ian C. MacMillan (1995), Corporate Venturing: Creating new Businesses within the Firm

Speech On Environment Essay Example

Speech On Environment Paper Good morning to the Excellencies, my respected teachers and my dear friends. The topic of my speech is Environment. Environment is the surrounding in which we live. It is the source of life. Our whole life is dependent to the environment. It directs our life and determines our proper growth and development. Good or bad quality of social life depends on the quality of our natural environment. The need of human beings for food, water, shelter and other things depends on the environment around us. There is a balanced natural cycle exists between environment and lives of human beings, plants and animals. Human society is playing vital role in degenerating the natural environment which in turn negatively affects the lives on this planet. All the human actions in this modern world directly impact the whole ecosystem. All the actions have brought a big change in this planet which resulted in many environmental problems. Increasing demand of technologies and industries in the modern time impacts the nature. The increasing invention of new technologies has changed the interaction of people with environment which permits more population to grow. The modern technologies have immense power which has altered the whole environment in an unimagined way. The indiscriminate use of environment is the root of ecological crisis. Such continuous increase in the technologies and human behavior are correspondingly very serious. Such amazing technologies have become the reason of economic growth in 20th century however it had dramatically affected the natural resources. We will write a custom essay sample on Speech On Environment specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Speech On Environment specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Speech On Environment specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Some of the environmental problems are rapid growth in world population, deteriorating natural resources, diminishing forests and wetlands, erosion of soil and coral reefs, depleting underground water, regular shortage of fresh drinking water, vanishing plants, colonization in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Middle East. Some other issues are loss of biodiversity, rapid extinction of some important animal species, collapse of fisheries, rising air and water pollution, rise in atmospheric temperature, thinning of ozone layer, spoiling rivers, seas and underground resources. Even though science and technology have radically altered the terms of adaptation to the nature, we still need to adapt to the environment. Human society is embedded in an environment. We must not forget that the human being is first and foremost an animal, sharing living space with other animal species in an environment on which they are mutually dependent. It is our responsibility to save our environment and earth and make the possibility of healthy and happy life here.

Creating Your Own Lesson Plan Calendar

Creating Your Own Lesson Plan Calendar It is easy to become overwhelmed when you begin planning units of study and individual lessons for a school year. Some teachers  start with their first unit and continue until the year ends with the attitude that if they didnt complete all the units then thats the way life is. Others try to plan their units in advance but run into events that cause them to lose time. A lesson plan calendar can help by giving a realistic overview of what they can expect in terms of instructional time.   Materials Needed: Blank CalendarSchool CalendarPencil Steps for Creating  a Lesson Plan Calendar Get a blank calendar and a pencil. You dont want to use pen because you will probably need to add and erase items over time.Mark off all vacation days on the calendar. I generally just draw a big X right through those days.Mark off any known testing dates. If you dont know the specific dates but you do know in which month testing will occur, write a note at the top of that month along with the approximate number of instructional days you will lose.Mark any scheduled events that will interfere with your class. Again if you are unsure of the specific dates but know the month, make a note at the top with the number of days you expect to lose. For example, if you know that Homecoming occurs in October and you will lose three days, then write three days at the top of the October page.Count up the number of days left, subtracting for days noted at the top of each month.Subtract one day each month for unexpected events. At this time, if you want, you can choose to subtract the day before va cation begins if this is typically a day that you lose. What you have left is the maximum number of instructional days you can expect for the year. You will be using this in the next step.Go through the Units of Study necessary to cover the standards for your subject and decide the number of days you think will be needed to cover each topic. You should use your text, supplementary materials, and your own ideas to come up with this. As you go through each unit, subtract the number of days required from the maximum number determined in step 7.Adjust your lessons for each unit until your result from Step 8 equals the maximum number of days.Pencil in the start and completion date for each unit on your calendar. If you notice that a unit would be split by a long vacation, then you will need to go back and readjust your units.Throughout the year, as soon as you find out a specific date or new events that will remove instructional time, go back to your calendar and readjust.

Global & International Business Contexts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Global & International Business Contexts - Essay Example This is mainly because of drinking habits in non-traditional regions, growing culture of cafes and increasing share of instant coffee (Surana 2009). Discussing in detail the coffee market of India, the change in trend towards coffee is mainly due to two reasons, firstly, the entrance of multinational firms which bought the concept of instant coffee that is rising day by day. Secondly, the espresso culture which is encouraging coffee parlours to open up for consumers to choose variety of coffee from there, at the same time providing opportunity to meet people and relax (Sreenivasan 1999). These parlours are targeting the people between the age group of 15-29. This identify that the main target market for these coffee houses is youth which is the major population of India therefore the market is huge and the leader can gain a lot out of it. According to the research, 72% of customer or target market is students or young professional who have enough disposable income to spend on. Another target area for these coffee houses is the young people working in call centers due to which a lot of these cafes are located near call centers and big companies offices (Choudhury 2007). The coffee provided in a unique environment contributes 7% to the total consumption industry and is expected to grow at half percent (Shenoy 2005). Retail cafà ©s are now multi-crore industry and has a huge potential of growth locally and internationally (The Indian Institute Of Planning And Management 2006). Currently, there are few key players in the industry: Barista, Cafà © Coffee Day, Costa Coffee, Coffee World, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (CBTL) and Qwicky. Among them the top two are Barista and Cafà © coffee day who have captured the major share in the market. The country is moving towards a stable and conducive political environment as a reduction is seen in internal turmoil due to political influences and moreover, the political parties have shown positive response towards

Recommendation Report for Debenhams Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Recommendation Report for Debenhams - Assignment Example This report is useful to the extent that it provides information about the position of the company and about its management structure which might have future implications for its strategic decisions. By looking at the dividend policy, key stake can understand the expected returns from the company or its future growth plans. This report highlights the activities that the company is doing for the community as a whole. This includes imbibing â€Å"green† operations which do not have negative impact on the environment, following ethical practices which means that the company does not indulge in activities that immoral, being employee focused and ensuring their professional and personal growth, being customer centric by understanding their requirements and being useful to the society as a whole by donating to the needy or starting projects that help in improving the quality of life of individuals (media.corporate-ir.net). Consistent fall in consumer spending is a very significant risk for the company especially at the time when the world has still not come out of the economic crisis of 2008. Most of the company’s business is in UK and Ireland with only 2.7% of the total transactions being contributed by international business (media.corporate-ir.net). This can cause a major slowdown of the company owing to the fact that UK is going for major fiscal tightening measures and Ireland is also not showing much economic recovery. The company is trying to mitigate this risk with increasing its reach in international markets. Failure to roll out new stores can reduce sales. This has been accounted for by appropriate mitigating steps. This arises on account of failure of the company to understand consumer expectations and also on account of competition. The company claims to counter these risks by maintaining good customer as well as supplier relations. The company

Process of Concurrent Utilization Review Essay Example for Free

Process of Concurrent Utilization Review Essay In Health Industry, the process of Concurrent Utilization Review has its own importance for the management of health care industry enabling them to control the Length of Stay(LOS) of patients in the hospitals and their use of ancillary services. This process is vastly used in the system and procedures adopted in the hospital care because of the high cost involved in it, though its application can be put practically in use in other medical settings as well. The Concurrent utilization review implies that players providing medical care facilites need to provide all the information necessary in the health care to their payers who in turn determine its usability in the current settings of the hospital, before alloting the certificate for reimbursement to the plan. The process has a direct impact on the hospitalized American patients who are covered under the health insurance schemes. Insurance companies are payers in the field. They either conduct their own reviews or hire a review company to access the level and need of the patient and hospitals are providers who hire its own staff for this purpose. Staff members provide all the clinical information required to be authorized for reimbursement, but the first level of review is conducted by a registered nurse who is highly qualified to cover patients of a particular area. Nurses provide all the details of patients to payers including the severity of illness, the duration of patients kept on observation and assessment by registered nurses. If patients condition is considered as stable and he or she does not require this assessment then they are kept for observations in settings considered cheap. Second part of the information is the summary of the plan discussed and formulated for the care of patient. Then the role of payers comes in who evaluate this information to see the usability, the importance of this plan for patients and furthermore if this plan has followed the requirements of the terms of the contract signed with the provider. After this process of evaluation only, the plan is certified for reimbursement. Mary Ellen Murry went deep further to analyse the extent to look into the practical effectiveness of this process since its application in the Health Industry. There are various aspects to it that Mary Ellen tried to make the payers in the Health Industry to focus on. Reviews are undertaken to make sure that inpatients and outpatients are getting proper care in timely manner and the treatment and health care is cost-effective.    It also involves assessment of patients’ health to assure them proper and effective after- care. It is also used to assess if the resources are being used effectively and to differentiate any superfluous or pertinent activity. This is the most crucial strength of this review. Another point worth mentioning is the point when the planned care is refused certification for reimbursement. In this case both the payers and providers are held responsible for the outcome. In a benchmark case between Wickline v. State of California the court gave the statement that: â€Å"a patient who is harmed when care which should have been provided is not provided should recover from all responsible for deprivation of care, including, when appropriate, a health care payer Third party payers of health care services can be legally held accountable when medically inappropriate decisions result from defects in designs or implementation of cost containment mechanisms A physician who complies without protest when his medical judgment dictates otherwise, can not avoid his ultimate responsibility for his patients care. (Murray 2001) This ruling is a reminder to physicians for their duty and obligation in the decision making. Ross too stated in 1996 that according to law, the insurance carriers are bound by the duty to conduct investigation before deciding on refusal of payment. This is another strong point of the importance of conducting reviews according to the existing medical standards.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The review is most applicable in all the cases and the immediate feedback provides health authorities uptodate information on the necessary steps needed, shortcomings arising out of the current care and help insurance givers to update themselves with the requisite reimbursements. The visualisation techniqe of stacked bar gives details on the daily plan activities. (Dr. Tan 1998) Concurrent Utilizaton Review is also not without its limitation. Looking at the large number of providers and players involved in this program all over the country, the process needs requisitive number of registered nurses. In case of the shortage,the investment required for their appointments can become burdensome and the studies conducted on some of the institutions also revealed the fact that some of the staff members conducting reviews are not registered nurses, though they are in possession of baccalaureate degree. The hospital authorities claim that these nurses and staff alloted for review are trained in their requisite field and hospitals can substitute assisting staff instead of registered nurses to perform the Concurrent Utilization Review process increasing the availability of professional nurses. Controversy is going on the extent to which the economic criteria should be taken in the matter of providing quality care to the patients. Hereby most physicians feel that without compromising on the quality of the measures adopted for the health care, cost can be minimized.   The validity of these reviews is also questioned. It is doubted if these reviews have been based on evidence from high-quality studies, definitive randomized trials or meta-analyses of multiple trials, which are the key indicators for the trials. If reviews are found not based on the solid evidence then those developing audit criteria should take expert opinion. Reliance on opinion and inference weakens not only the validity of the criteria for a process-of-care audit, but also the validity of any conclusions derived from applying the criteria. This can be done by having a multi-specialty panel rating on hundreds of different case scenarios depending on the intensity of risks and the panelists make ratings on the basis of literature review and own judgments. Authors involved in Utilization Review process consider cost saving factor as the important criteria in preparing plans for health care. The most effective study conducted I found was by the Wickizer, Wheeler, and Feldstein (1989) who came to the conclusion that these concurrent review programs have led to the â€Å"Decline of hospital admissions by 13%, inpatient days by 11%, expenditures on routine inpatient services by 7%, expenditures on ancillary services by 9%, and total medical expenditures by 7%.† (Murry 2001) They make the use of insurance claims data to determine if costs incurred by the hospitals are matching with the increase in expenditures being incured on the outpatients. Results show that reviews conform to the higher hospital expenditures instead of higher physician office or outpatient diagnostic expenditures. Another study by Wickizer which was conducted in 1991 found that utilization review was showing reduced expenditures of approximately 15% in the surgical cases and slight reductions of expenditures in the mental health and medical areas. These reductions of expenditures showed there have been denials of certification for reimbursement. They came to conclusion that a UR program restricting access to psychiatric care increases the chance of readmission within 60 days. Another telephonic survey   conducted by Remler et al. in 1997 of 2,003, physicians in the United States show the denial rates to be less than 6 per cent in the first rate and 3 per cent subsequently. Both these survyes indicate that the reviews can enable payers to reduce their costs on health care.   The policy implication could be at the cost of reducing the effectiveness of the health care finally being provided to outgoing patients, but to overcome this, hospitals have comprehensive case management programs, to ensure the proper coordination of the care related services including proper utilization of resources. These case managers make a point that every patient has both hospital care plan, including a discharge plan, and along with that a team of clinical social work and case manager associates, are responsible for   the conduct of the UR function. And if this process keeps on going in all the hospitals and other clinics and health care institutes in letter and spirit, then the anticipated denial rates will be reduced to a considerable degree. REFERENCE LIST Murray M.E. 2001. Outcomes of Concurrent Utilization Review. Nursing Economics , 19 (1). 7 pg. Tan J. K.H. 1998. Health Decision Support Systems. Maryland: Aspen Publishers.

Comparing Edna of Kate Chopins The Awakening and Nora of Henrik Ibsen

Comparing Edna of Kate Chopin's The Awakening and Nora of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House Kate Chopin's work, The Awakening, and Henrik Ibsen's play, A Doll's House, were written at a time when men dominated women in every aspect of life.   Edna Pontellier, the protagonist in The Awakening, and Nora, the protagonist in A Doll's House, are trapped in a world dominated by men.   The assumed superiority of their husbands traps them in their households.   Edna and Nora share many similarities, yet differ from each other in many ways.   Two main similarities of Edna and Nora are that they both have an awakening and are like caged birds without freedom; one main difference is that Edna lives in reality and Nora lives in a fantasy world.   Other similarities are: each protagonist seems happy about her marriage in the beginning, is controlled by her husband, and has a secret.   Despite all the similarities, the two protagonists differ in several ways: Edna does what she wants while Nora dreams about what she wants; Edna has a mind of her own while Nora seems to be a scattered brain wife; and Edna stops taking care of her children all together while Nora cares for the children on and off.   Ã‚  Ã‚   An image of a green and yellow parrot in a cage occurs throughout The Awakening; the parrot represents how Edna Pontellier is trapped in her marriage to Leonce Pontellier.   During that time period women were expected to stay at home and perform household duties, take care of their husbands, and take care of their children; women were not supposed to be educated and did not hold a career.   Edna realizes she does not want to perform the expected duties of a woman because she is not happy just being a wife and mother.   In the beginning of ... ...n reality.   Ibsen and Chopin both wrote stories that represent the oppression of women in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century; The Awakening and "A Doll's House' are realistic writings that show society's treatment of women. Works Cited and Consulted: Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym et al. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1985. Durbach, Errol. A Doll's House: Ibsen's Myth of Transformation. Boston: Twayne, 1991. Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House.   Literature and Ourselves. 2nd Ed. Ed. by Gloria Henderson, Bill Day, and Sandra Waller.   New York: Longman, 1997 Martin, Wendy, ed. "Introduction." New Essays on The (Awakening. New York, NY: Cambridge UP, 1988. Templeton, Joan. "The Doll House Backlash: Criticism, Feminism, and Ibsen." PMLA (January 1989): 28-40.

Digital Classroom

I was really wondering what can I learn English when I came here. Because before I couldn’t go to course about English . I haven’t got an idea. After that we’ve seen two different classroom. Conventional and digital classroom. World is changing everyday. Person finds new technologies idea for everything. And I’m absolutely agree this statement what people learning English are able to make greater progress when using a variety of learning technologies within the classroom. I really like digital classroom. There are lots of advantages. In my opinion IWB is incredible .It looks like game and everybody like to play game. All word use to internet and computer because of this people can be to more interested with lesson. Some times we can want to speak with our friends and we can use to Synchron Eyes. I’m feeling comfortable to digital classroom. Pegasus is helpful for me. I can do some mistakes when I write by handed and after that maybe I can’t s ee my mistakes. But if I use to Pegasus I can see all my mistakes end of the exam or homework and maybe I can forget my homework but if I look for in the Pegasus I can see my homework.I used to conventional classroom for 23 years. Sometimes computers can’t work . there can be some digital problems. What can I do this time. I can use my book. We’re really old friends with my book. If I am in classroom I want to see my book and I want to use my pencil. This is really important for me. I want to write some notes on the book. As a result two different classroom has a good speciality. I feel confused but actually digital class is better than conventional class. Digital Classroom I was really wondering what can I learn English when I came here. Because before I couldn’t go to course about English . I haven’t got an idea. After that we’ve seen two different classroom. Conventional and digital classroom. World is changing everyday. Person finds new technologies idea for everything. And I’m absolutely agree this statement what people learning English are able to make greater progress when using a variety of learning technologies within the classroom. I really like digital classroom. There are lots of advantages. In my opinion IWB is incredible .It looks like game and everybody like to play game. All word use to internet and computer because of this people can be to more interested with lesson. Some times we can want to speak with our friends and we can use to Synchron Eyes. I’m feeling comfortable to digital classroom. Pegasus is helpful for me. I can do some mistakes when I write by handed and after that maybe I can’t s ee my mistakes. But if I use to Pegasus I can see all my mistakes end of the exam or homework and maybe I can forget my homework but if I look for in the Pegasus I can see my homework.I used to conventional classroom for 23 years. Sometimes computers can’t work . there can be some digital problems. What can I do this time. I can use my book. We’re really old friends with my book. If I am in classroom I want to see my book and I want to use my pencil. This is really important for me. I want to write some notes on the book. As a result two different classroom has a good speciality. I feel confused but actually digital class is better than conventional class.

Future Concerns †Gattaca and Fahrenheit 451 Essay

Popular fictions texts expressing views of the future educate audiences about current issues and the dystopias that develop from them. Texts such as the film ‘Gattaca’, directed by Andrew Niccol and novel ‘Fahrenheit 451’ by Ray Bradbury explore futuristic societies and the implications that become of their innovation. Although entertaining, texts such as these are didactic and must be taken seriously, as they communicate messages to audiences regarding prevalent concerns and possible futures based on society’s choices. Gattaca’ (1995) directed by Andrew Niccol, follows the story of the underdog Vincent, who is challenged by genetic discrimination against ‘in? valids’ like himself. Through an elaborate identity switch and the help of ‘genetically advantaged’ Jerome, Vincent prevails to achieve his dreams and find his place at Gattaca Space Station. Niccol utilises conventions of film to convey messages to the audience by highlighting issues relevant to the context of production. Gattaca’ incorporates many themes which highlight the corruption and inequality in this strange, new world. Niccol explores concepts such as elitism, perfection, inequity and modernism. This film opens with two contrasting epigraphs, which entices viewers’ interest into moral themes in ‘Gattaca’. The first quote reads: â€Å"Consider God’s handiwork; Who can straighten what He hath made crooked? † Ecclesiastes 7. 13. An interpretation of this quote is that life is intended to be left alone to take its course, which is contradictory to many ideas in ‘Gattaca’. The quote following reads: â€Å"I not only think that we will tamper with Mother Nature, I think Mother wants us to. † Willard Gaylin. This presents audiences with differing opinions to contemplate as they consider what scientific advancements their own future holds, watching Vincent in his. The opening scene is an extreme close up shot of Vincent’s fingernails, hair follicles and loose skin, against a blue cubicle. The extreme close up shot suggests importance as the camera focuses in on the subject matter, emphasising the significance of Vincent’s DNA. Sterility and cleanliness is suggested by the use of cold, deep blue hues. The use of blue is constant throughout the film, as is the significance in detail. These concepts tie to other scenes, such as ‘The Eyelash’, where Vincent’s own ‘invalid’ eyelash is discovered during a murder investigation. This concept highlights the precision of technology in the future, and that life with such structure becomes complicated. Audiences can learn lessons from examples such as these scenes s they can relate the situations Vincent is put in with possible futures based on the direction society is heading in present times. Another effective technique demonstrated by Niccol is the first person narration by the central character, Vincent. This is important for the development in the movie, as Vincent is the protagonist we are encouraged to empathise with. Therefore, the use of bias narration and perspective is effective in supporting the ideas presented in the film. Following the opening scene is ‘The Not Too Distant Future’, which cuts to a low angle shot looking up to the bold, symmetrical lines of the building. In this shot, Gattaca is shaded in black and grey tones, also indicating the power and formality of the institution. As the camera tilts down, the strong lines and colouring remain constant as view of the staff are also brought into the frame. Directors have dressed actors in blue business suits, again, enforcing the concept of formality, conformity and sterility. The uniformed staff are very bland and indistinguishable from one another in their uniformed clothing. Silence is broken by the rising volume of diagetic sound effects, such as the beeping sound of accepted ‘valids’ through the turnstile, as well as an anonymous greeting by a placid female voice: â€Å"Welcome to Gattaca†. These techniques develop the idea that society has become lifeless and ‘black and white’, as Gattaca presents characters as clinical and robotic products of genetic modification, teaching audiences about social issues that relate to futures.

Management by Objectives Essays

Management by Objectives Essays Management by Objectives Essay Management by Objectives Essay Why should organizations engage in HR Planning? Why do some organizations require relatively complex and comprehensive HR planning systems than do others? Discuss. Planning means looking ahead and chalking out the future courses of actions to be followed. The ongoing process of systematic planning to achieve optimum use of an organizations most valuable asset is human resources department. The objective of human resource (HR) planning is to ensure the best fit between employees and jobs, while avoiding manpower shortages or surpluses. The three key elements of the HR planning process are forecasting labor demand, analyzing present labor supply, and balancing projected labor demand and supply. Management by Objectives (MBO) method involves setting specific measurable goals with each employee and then periodically reviewing the progress made. Advantages: 1. It sets objectives that are quantifiable and measurable. 2. It includes the employee participation in objective-setting process. 3. It also involves employee’s active participation in developing the action plan. . It provides an opportunity for manager and employee to discuss progress and modify objectives when necessary. Disadvantages: 1. It is time consuming. 2. It may result in a tug-of-war or to and fro discussions between manager and employee for setting the objectives, action plan etc. Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) is an appraisal method that combines the benefits of narrative critical incidents and quantitative ratings. Advantages: 1. It is a relatively more accurate method of measure. 2. It has very clear defined standards. 3. It helps in providing specific constructive feedback to employees. 4. It is independent of dimensions and a consistent method for appraisal. 5. It is developed through active participation of both managers and job incumbents. 6. It has a greater chance of acceptance as both managers and incumbents are involved in its development. Disadvantages: 1. It takes considerable time and commitment to develop. 2. There are separate forms that have to be developed for different jobs. Q3. Explain the emerging trends in Human Resource Management and discuss the importance of technology on human resource function. Illustrate your answer with examples. Q4. Why should organizations engage in HR Planning? Why do some organizations require relatively complex and comprehensive HR planning systems than do others? Discuss. Planning means looking ahead and chalking out the future courses of actions to be followed. The ongoing process of systematic planning to achieve optimum use of an organizations most valuable asset is human resources department. The objective of human resource (HR) planning is to ensure the best fit between employees and jobs, while avoiding manpower shortages or surpluses. The three key elements of the HR planning process are forecasting labor demand, analyzing present labor supply, and balancing projected labor demand and supply. Management by Objectives (MBO) method involves setting specific measurable goals with each employee and then periodically reviewing the progress made. Advantages: 1. It sets objectives that are quantifiable and measurable. 2. It includes the employee participation in objective-setting process. 3. It also involves employee’s active participation in developing the action plan. 4. It provides an opportunity for manager and employee to discuss progress and modify objectives when necessary. Disadvantages: 1. It is time consuming. 2. It may result in a tug-of-war or to and fro discussions between manager and employee for setting the objectives, action plan etc. Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) is an appraisal method that combines the benefits of narrative critical incidents and quantitative ratings. Advantages: 1. It is a relatively more accurate method of measure. 2. It has very clear defined standards. 3. It helps in providing specific constructive feedback to employees. 4. It is independent of dimensions and a consistent method for appraisal. 5. It is developed through active participation of both managers and job incumbents. 6. It has a greater chance of acceptance as both managers and incumbents are involved in its development. Disadvantages: 1. It takes considerable time and commitment to develop. . There are separate forms that have to be developed for different jobs. Q3. Explain the emerging trends in Human Resource Management and discuss the importance of technology on human resource function. Illustrate your answer with examples. Q4. Why should organizations engage in HR Planning? Why do some organizations require relatively complex and comprehensive HR planning systems than do others? Discuss. Planning means looking ahead and chalking out the future courses of actions to be followed. The ongoing process of systematic planning to achieve optimum use of an organizations most valuable asset is human resources department. The objective of human resource (HR) planning is to ensure the best fit between employees and jobs, while avoiding manpower shortages or surpluses. The three key elements of the HR planning process are forecasting labor demand, analyzing present labor supply, and balancing projected labor demand and supply. Management by Objectives (MBO) method involves setting specific measurable goals with each employee and then periodically reviewing the progress made. Advantages: 1. It sets objectives that are quantifiable and measurable. 2. It includes the employee participation in objective-setting process. 3. It also involves employee’s active participation in developing the action plan. 4. It provides an opportunity for manager and employee to discuss progress and modify objectives when necessary. Disadvantages: 1. It is time consuming. 2. It may result in a tug-of-war or to and fro discussions between manager and employee for setting the objectives, action plan etc. Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) is an appraisal method that combines the benefits of narrative critical incidents and quantitative ratings. Advantages: 1. It is a relatively more accurate method of measure. 2. It has very clear defined standards. 3. It helps in providing specific constructive feedback to employees. 4. It is independent of dimensions and a consistent method for appraisal. 5. It is developed through active participation of both managers and job incumbents. 6. It has a greater chance of acceptance as both managers and incumbents are involved in its development. Disadvantages: 1. It takes considerable time and commitment to develop. 2. There are separate forms that have to be developed for different jobs. Q3. Explain the emerging trends in Human Resource Management and discuss the importance of technology on human resource function. Illustrate your answer with examples. Q4. Why should organizations engage in HR Planning? Why do some organizations require relatively complex and comprehensive HR planning systems than do others? Discuss. Planning means looking ahead and chalking out the future courses of actions to be followed. The ongoing process of systematic planning to achieve optimum use of an organizations most valuable asset is human resources department. The objective of human resource (HR) planning is to ensure the best fit between employees and jobs, while avoiding manpower shortages or surpluses. The three key elements of the HR planning process are forecasting labor demand, analyzing present labor supply, and balancing projected labor demand and supply.

Alcohol Abuse And Substance Abuse

The Effects of Alcohol and Substance Abuse on Fetal Development Natalie Fontanella Liberty University Online Abstract This paper examined the effects of alcohol and substance abuse on fetal development in expecting mothers. The critical periods of fetal development during pregnancy are reviewed and discussed in order to determine the effects alcohol and substance can cause during certain stages. In order to gain a more efficient understanding of the effects different substances can have on fetal†¦ Substance Abuse Along with stress, family dysfunction, and social isolation, substance abuse has also been linked with an increased risk of child abuse and neglect. Aspects of the family environment can be a useful and vital assessment aspect for identifying child abuse and neglect. According to a study conducted by Shanta Dube, Robert Anda, Vincent Felitti, Janet Croft, Valerie Edwards, and Wayne Gills (2001), there was a strong relationship between parental alcohol abuse and each of the 10 adverse†¦ Alcohol Abuse Amber Wienberg Brown Mackie College- Lenexa, KS July 11, 2015 Alcohol Abuse Alcohol is the most abuse and widely used substance (Fortinash & Worret, 2012, pg. 333). According to Fortinash and Worret, 9.6% of American males and 3.2% of American females are alcohol dependent (2012, pg. 33). As stated by Psychology Today, alcohol abuse is defined by: failure to fulfill major school, work or home responsibilities, drink and driving, reoccurring legal issues related to alcohol†¦ policing, the use of alcohol and substance abuse has risen within the departments. Studies concerning the connection between alcohol and PTSD have shown that officers tend to turn to drugs and alcohol if they have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The use of drugs have led to addiction and even police corruption. This problem has become an epidemic for the police in today’s society. Citizens may argue that police are no different than an average citizen on substance abuse or that drugs actually†¦ Research Methodology There are very few studies on yoga intervention on alcohol and substance abuse. There ae several factors associated with substance abuse that prevents patients from relapse. Participants will be select based on the following criteria: the age, the employment status and the patient admitted for long-term inpatient treatment. The patient age 18 and over, who are currently employed in a firm and who are admitted in the facility as inpatient will be recruited for the research. The†¦ Alcohol may seem to be very innocent to people and a way to socialize with others even though that at times can be true it can also be very harmful and in some cases dangerous. Studies show that impulsivity has long been considered a risk factor for harmful alcohol use. Advances in neurocognitive models of impulse control have allowed substance abuse researchers to understand how dysfunction of specific cognitive mechanisms underlying behavioral control can contribute to substance use (Fillmore†¦ A main issue that is still occurring in the military is the many cases of the substance abuse. The USA Today news article, â€Å"Ex-soldier Returns to Fight Substance Abuse in Military† talks about Frank L. Greenagel Jr. who opened up his own counseling center for substance abuse. He also served in the military and agreed that there are many individuals who are dealing with substance addiction. These individuals need help before things could potentially become fatal. Greenagel discusses how one of†¦ Substance abuse and addiction has become so common that almost every individual has been or will be affected by its consequences. Substance abuse and addiction does not only affect the individual directly battling with it, but also impacts the lives of many others. Alcohol and substance abuse counseling is a career path that has interested me due to my personal experiences associated with alcohol and substance abuse. There are many different people battling with alcohol and substance abuse who†¦ Lauren’s alcohol consumption, especially in the form of binge drinking, is a form of substance abuse and is considered a health-risk behaviour (Buultjens & Buultjens, 2015). Therefore, it is important to note that active substance abuse correlates with poor adherence to prescribed treatments in adolescents (Costello et al., 2016). Furthermore, it is observed that adolescents who display one type of risk-taking behavior are more likely to engage in further forms of risk-taking in regard to their health†¦ People suffer from substance abuse such as; drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Most people mistakenly think that those who suffer from substance abuse do not have the willpower nor does that person want to stop using drugs. What those people don’t understand, drug abuse or some might call it drug addiction is a complex disease. (Signs and Symptoms of Substance Abuse, 2016). When a person is abusing drugs quitting it easier say, than done. Drugs can affect and change the brain and the body making the process†¦

European Human Rights Protection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

European Human Rights Protection - Essay Example The security of the European Union member country may be justified to restrict individual human rights at time even derogating from some of them. This may take effects under the following circumstances. (Boyles, 2005) European Union member nations can apply derogations in the abolishing of a peaceful licensed demonstration if they feel that the demonstration is going to be a menace to the well being of the society or the nation at large. European Member countries have power to deport a person (foreigner) on the ground that their presence in Europe is a threat to the national security. But the law provides that the individual can be deported after a certain time. European member countries can ignore the issue of time and deport that person immediately if they feel the person (foreigners) is a threat to their country. In cases of terrorism act like in the case of September 11th 2001 terrorism attack European member countries can employ their military machinery to help them in wiping out the terrorist. European member countries can also detain people who are being suspected to be terrorist while interrogating them without taking into account the number of days stipulated in the law that a suspect is supposed to take before being taken into a court for prosecution. (Mokhtar, 2004) Guarantee of some fair tr... (Mokhtar, 2004) . Guarantee of some fair trails, as long as it is not conflicting with other human treaties. However only situation should be the only driving factor that should determine weather a person will be granted a fair trail or weather he won't. Proportionality principle calls for a reasonably light abolition of obligations that is to emergency situation in a country. A suspect can be denied is right to access his lawyer or family during detention. The right of liberty is amongst those which are usually ignored during emergency In order to respond to a crisis or a threat to the citizens, member countries may 'shy away' from the rights of the individual, that are recognized by the law. For example when an individual has committed an act of terrorism, the Government may hold him for a long time as long as they want before bringing to the court. (Boyles, 2005) European member states may derogate when facing situations which poses a danger that put the life of the country in danger. Putting life of the nation in danger implies that: the situation is affecting the entire population or a very large part of the country which cannot be neglected, the situation poses a serious threat to the integrity of the citizens of the members of the European countries, the independence (political) of the member country or interfere with the functioning of public utilities or institutions. Before applying Derogation, the member country has to access the situation on the ground. The situation should meet the standards set down by the European Union like being a threat to the member countries citizen before declaring Derogation state. The declaration has

Stewardship and Sustainability Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Stewardship and Sustainability - Assignment Example 2 Sustainability has its basis on a simple principle, which is all things that we require for our survival and well-being depend, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. Therefore, sustainability creates and maintains the terms under which humans and nature can live in productive harmony that allows for the fulfillment of the economic social and other requirements of present and future generations. Further, sustainability may also be defined as a set of values; stewardship, respect for limits, interdependence, economic restructuring, fair distribution (Chapin et al, 2010.). 3. In this study, the Amazon rainforest is a good case study. Amazon rainforest covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America and it is a moist broadleaf forest . This basin covers seven million square kilometers, whereby five and a half million square kilometers are covered by the rainforest. Moreover, the Amazon constitute over half of the planet's remaining rainforests, and it comprises th e largest and most species-rich extend area of land of tropical rainforest in the world. However, deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest threatens many species such as tree frogs, which are very sensitive to environmental changes. Moreover, this deforestation causes a lot of damage on the general ecosystem. 4 Stewardship and sustainability take different approaches when it comes to natural resource use. Stewardship concentrates on management and planning of natural resources. Furthermore, it incorporates personal responsibility and caring of natural resources. Moreover, commitment is expected in stewardship therefore, those using the natural resources have to be accountable for the resources. Sustainability puts weight on principles and set values on existing in a way that will not compromise the future generations. For instance; Edwards (2005) studied sustainability statements from almost forty different organizations concerned with sustainability issues and developed a list of sev en common themes ;stewardship, respect for limits, interdependence, economic restructuring ,fair distribution ,intergenerational perspective and nature as a model and teacher. Here, natural resources are used to a manner that will satisfy the present generation without compromising the satisfaction of the future generation. Stewardship is interlinked to sustainability; poor stewardship definitely leads to unsustainable use of resources. Generally, sustainability entails stewardships (Edwards, 2005). 5. As much as stewardship and sustainable resource use are interlinked and good for ensuring proper environmental management. Issues arise on whether the need to use resources sustainable so as not to jeopardize future generation really holds any weight. This is because, evolution continues and the satisfaction the present generation gets from resources presently may not be needed in future due to change of lifestyles and priorities. For instance; the reliance on agriculture may be reduc ed due to the day to day advancement of technology. Therefore, not much attention will be on the agriculture sector. Furthermore, stewardship and sustainability are complex terms which cannot be understood without the necessary education (Berkowitz et al, 2012). 6. In the recent years, deforestation in Amazon Rainforest has been on the increase

Relationship between Catholic Church and Nazi Regime Essay

Relationship between Catholic Church and Nazi Regime - Essay Example So, the idea of dechristianizing Germany was clearly evidenced when, in 1933, Hitler, through his Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels started exercising control over the Catholic Church by interfering with its youth groups, schools, cultural societies and even workers clubs. As the sole authority over the land, Nazi could not tolerate the existence of any other authority whose legitimacy had not been granted by the state. So, the church is one of such independent institutions, had to be fiercely fought. The dechristianization of Germany had to be done by openly subordinating the church and stripping it off the powers it earlier enjoyed. So, as this author recounts, Hitler had to seriously take the antichurch war without ever looking back. At one time, he decided to eliminate political Catholicism so as to make the church be under a full control of the state to the extent that it could no longer influence the political climate of Germany. This was effected by molesting, harassing and arresting a large number of church leaders and the clergy. This really created a lot of fear to the church and its followers. It was so sad that even the clergy on whom many people relied on for inspiration and guidance would now be indiscriminately arrested without any proper justification. As events unfolded, the Nazi regime later decided to take more stern action against the church. Kertzer says that the government dissolved the Catholic Church’s youth leagues maybe because it was viewed as a radical group that would give rise to dissents. Nonetheless, the state continued targeting the nuns, clergy and lay leaders who were arrested and charged with serious criminal offenses such as the smuggling of currency that came with harsh sentences.  

Electoral Processes And Governance In The Philippines Politics Essay

Electoral Processes And Governance In The Philippines Politics Essay The first election in the Philippines was held in May 1898 under American rule. 112 years later, there are many parts of the country where elections are characterized with private armies, violence and massive cheating. The failure of the electoral system to conduct fair and clean elections and the massive electoral fraud hinder the purpose of elections to recruit honest and accountable politicians and to integrate society. Also, the legitimacy of the elected government is weak.   Ã‚  Politicians therefore need to garner support from patrons and oligarchs to finance electoral campaigns and to organize voter support. Once elected, they return by giving access to government resources and appointing key allies in the bureaucracy. Among citizens, a widespread view that elected governments coming to power from corrupt electoral procedures does not truly represent their interests. As a result, it is difficult to push for reforms because of weaker government and institutions and stronger v ested interests. History The Philippines was under Spanish rule for more than 300 years. Under this era, the country was ruled by friars and appointed Spanish officials. In 1898, the Philippines declared independence and established the first republic in Asia. In the same year, the Treaty of Paris was signed where control of the Philippines was transferred from Spain to the United States. The Americans introduced democracy, elections and democratic institutions. As a result, the features of the Philippine constitution, legislation, political parties and elections are modeled after the US. Under the US colonial period, Philippine politics was characterized between the interaction of US colonial officers and Filipino politicians. The Americans indirectly control the country by manipulating Filipino politicians to enact American policies. As a result, electoral campaigns did not provide an avenue for public participation. Rather, it was reflective of negotiations between national politicians and provincial elites (Teehankee, 2002). The Philippine commonwealth was established in the 1935 constitution. The constitution provided a presidential form of government with a unicameral National assembly. An amendment in 1940 changed it to a bicameral legislative assembly made of the House of Representatives (lower house) and Senate (upper house). When US colonial rule ended, they left a weak central government and power was fragmented among the provinces with varying degrees. Wealth and power through political connections had overshadowed productivity and programs for national development. Electoral results were not competitive because of the ability of landed elites to control electoral outcomes. Elections for local positions like the lower house allowed landed elites to merge and strengthen their power as showed by their ability to prevent the passage of land reforms (Teehankee, 2002). Elections during the Marcos regime Marcos declared Martial Law in 1972. Elections were suspended in the first 6 years and a new constitution was also established. Marcos changed the Philippine Congress with an Interim National Assembly. An Interim National Legislature (Interim Batasang Pambasa or IBP) was enacted instead because of amendments to the 1971 constitution. An election was held in 1978 to fill positions for the IBP. Marcos dominated the elections with his New Society Movement party (KBL) because opposing groups created parties that focused on regions rather than the national legislature. The Marcos regime managed to give legitimacy to its regime through the conduct of elections. However, there was massive electoral fraud and manipulation of institutions. For example, Marcos allowed block voting system wherein a vote for the party translates to vote for the whole electoral slate. This was a tremendous advantage for the KBL because they had the resources to finance a nationwide electoral campaign. Also, it was easier to tamper ballots and commit fraud. During Marcos term, he tried to centralize power on himself and break the patronage system. He appointed officials not based on merit or patronage but on loyalty to him. He also siphoned the states resources and distributed it to himself and to his cronies. For his critics, he used violence and force. Media companies were closed or under heavy government control. One of his major critics, Benigno Aquino Jr., was assassinated in August 1983. In May 1985, Marcos announced Snap elections to prove or gain political legitimacy. The former elites managed to organize the opposition under Aquinos widow, Corazon Aquino who came from a landed family. The Commission on Elections announced Marcos as the winner in spite of massive cheating. On the other hand, the National Citizens Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) an election watchdog announced Corazon Aquino as the president based on their quick count. Marcos dictatorship ended in 1986 through the People Power Revolution. In addition to the military and political figures, the Church was involved in calling and mobilizing people to participate. Marcos and his family eventually fled to Hawaii and Corazon Aquino was sworn as the 11th President of the Philippines. Elections Post-Marcos During Aquinos term, a new constitution was enacted to return to a bicameral legislature and to limit the power of the presidency. For example, a president cannot run for presidency again. Media and press were free and democratic institutions were restored [Bello, 1988]. However, landed elites returned to power after the fall of Marcos and dominated the lower house. The pre-Marcos patronage system was back again. As a result, the Aquino administration failed to effectively conduct Agrarian reform. Aquino was succeeded by Fidel Ramos, a military general in 1992. Ramos attempted to push for political reforms. After all, he had the strong support of the military. However, it was hard to push for reforms because of a weak party system and stronger congress (Hutchcroft and Rocamora, 2003). The Congress was filled with representatives from the same political families. Only 54 representatives had no close relative in politics compared to 145 belonging to political families. At least 64 were children of political figures, 23 had spouses and 46 had siblings active in politics. At the end of Ramos term, a plan to shift to parliamentary system was exposed by the media. These changes would have allowed Ramos to extend his term after 1998. It was heavily opposed by the Catholic Church and former President Aquino for fear that the term extension would be used to serve political agendas (Rocamora, 1988). Estradas Rise and Fall Estrada was sworn into office in 1998 amidst the Asian Financial Crisis. Unlike previous presidents, Estrada was a movie actor so he was popular among the masses who were tired of traditional politicians. His electoral campaign focused on the poor and the aversion of the masses against typical politicians provided victory to Estrada rather than depending on local elites for voter support. However, Estradas promised populist policies and anti-poverty programs never took place (Fabella, 2007). Instead, the benefits were given to Estradas families and cronies. The fall of Estrada started with his involvement in Jueteng, an illegal gambling game popular among the poor. To sustain operation, protection money is paid among protectors who are usually in the local government or in the police. Estrada tried to legalize Jueteng through the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, a government agency that oversees legal gambling activities. If legalized, the protection money will be central ized to the government and franchise holders. Local operators and receivers of Jueteng money will be out of the picture. Luis Chavit Singson, a governor and rumored Jueteng operator could not accept such outcome because the franchise for his area was not given to him. Chavit exposed Estradas involvement to Jueteng which led to an impeachment case. Public uproar started when the senate which was dominated by Estradas allies refused to open the second envelope which was thought to contain strong evidence against Estrada. People went to the streets again and People Power II occurred which led to the downfall of Estrada.   Arroyo Administration Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) took over the presidency after Estradas downfall. While finishing Estradas term, she experienced the Oakwood Mutiny and Jose Pidal scandal where a bank account containing US$8 million was allegedly owned by her husband. The money was supposedly a payment to then senator Arroyo to prevent her from running for presidency in the 1998 elections. Ignacio Iggy Arroyo, the brother of Arroyos husband announced his ownership of the controversial bank account. He faced tax evasion charges which were eventually ruled out due to legal technicalities. The scandal died and was later elected as congressman. After finishing Estradas term, Arroyo ran for presidency in spite of her prior announcement that she would not. She won by a slow margin of 1 million votes against Fernando Poe Jr., a movie actor and presidential candidate of the opposition. Arroyo was accused of electoral fraud and Poe filed an electoral protest. The congress mooted the electoral protest because of Poes death. However, it heavily weakened Arroyos legitimacy because she used state resources to fund her electoral campaign. Another strong attack against Arroyos presidency came from leaked tapes of her talking to Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcilliano which the media named as Hello Garciscandal. The leaked tape featured a womans voice similar to Arroyo asking for one million votes and an assurance of victory. In the beginning, the Malacanang palace denied the issue but was later retracted. Arroyo admitted and apologized in front of national television. She insisted that there was no cheating and she just wanted to protect her votes. Arroyo successfully finished her term in 2010 but not without challenges and controversies. She ran for lower congress in 2010 and won. Discussion The weakness of the electoral process could bring problems of legitimacy and weak position of the central government to push for reforms. The fragility of the electoral process could be traced from the failure of state agencies to be independent and enforce the rule of law. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is an independent constitutional body that manages the elections and is mandated to give life and meaning to the basic principle that sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them. Through the years, the commission has been involved in electoral scandals, has failed to strictly enforce electoral laws and has been accused of siding with the administration. In 1986 SNAP Elections, the Comelec announced former President Ferdinand Marcos as president in spite of massive electoral fraud. Another incident was the 2004 Hello Garci controversy under Arroyos term.   In 2006, the Supreme Court nullified the contract for the automation of the canvassing and counting of ballots between the COMELEC and Mega Pacific eSolutions Inc because the law and bidding rules were not followed. In 2007, the then Chairman Benjamin Abalos was involved in the ZTE-National Broadband Network deal where he was said to pocket in millions (US D) if the project was pushed through. The controversy eventually led to his resignation. The Comelec also fall shorts to provide fast and reliable solutions for electoral process because of huge costs and bribery in the courts. The poor track record and lack of credibility of the Comelec prove its inability to enforce the rules which influences the conduct of Philippine politics. The Comelec also failed to ensure a level playing field in the electoral process because of weak law enforcement. Winning became dependent on money, force and violence and not on programs and platforms. The growing costs of campaign expenses deter effective participation. Those who run are rich or have wealthy financiers. This provides an incentive for corruption to recoup the costs of electoral campaign and return favors from supporters. Also, it can result to political dynasties. The current president, Benigno Aquino III and his defeated running mate Sen. Manuel Roxas II both came from influential political families namely the Cojuangco-Aquino and Araneta-Roxas-Fores clans. Their reported campaigns for the 2010 elections cost P440 million and P280 million respectively. Antonio Cojuangco, Aquinos second cousin and a rich businessman, reportedly donated P100 million in his campaign. However, their election finances estimate were very much in doubt and were said to be much higher beca use they used television and radio in their electoral campaign which were very expensive. Former President Gloria Arroyo also came from a political clan and was a daughter of a former president. Her sons were congressmen during her term. In addition to financial support, politicians also seek the endorsement of organizations such as the Makati Business Club, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC). The first is sought for their campaign contributions. The CBCP and INC are religious organizations and are believed to command influence on voters. For example, INC is believed to vote as a block and is estimated to deliver 5-8 million votes. In addition to money and endorsements, Philippine elections are filled with election related violence. The latest of which that brought the Philippines to the international arena was the Maguindanao Massacre which killed 57 people. Once elected, the core strength of the president is from his appointing power and control over government funds. The benefits received from supporters during the campaign are paid in return through endowment of huge government contracts and positions in key government agencies. Appointed officials could also appoint their staff. This kind of system results to a far reaching and deep source of patronage. As a result, the government has a weaker capacity to push for reforms because it has to satisfy vested interests. An example would be Estrada. The legalization of Jueteng will bring huge sums of money to the government or to his allies. However, because Chavit was left out of the picture triggered his downfall. Corazon Aquino could have successfully pushed for agrarian reform because of the momentum during her presidency. The law for agrarian reform was passed but has failed to translate into results because it was against the interest of the landed elites in congress. Conclusion The Philippines has a lot to improve in its conduct of elections. Because the electoral process is easily manipulated through money and violence, the politicians elected have most of time always been the same from political clans or landed elites. It also deters participation from new leaders and it does not become representative of the people. The presidents that have passed post-Marcos have cronies, friends or allies to satisfy. As a result, the Philippines have been left behind by her neighbors in the road to Economic growth. A step to improve the electoral process, the Philippines had its first electronic voting system in 2010. Although electoral fraud still exist which critics argue are harder to trace and easier to do, it is still a step forward compared to manual canvassing from the local precinct station to the Congress. There is also a pressing need to improve civil service. This includes putting deserving people in the job because of merit and competency and not connections. This implies that the central government must reduce its appointment of officials and start paying government employees well. It is also important to strengthen the independence of the Judiciary system and the Ombudsman. In the Philippines, the chief magistrates of the Supreme Court are appointed by the president so there is a conflict of interest in times when the president who appointed them is accused. Resolution on electoral disputes should be fast and credible. Lastly, the public should demand more accountability from the Comelec and politicians themselves. In spite of the shortcomings of the electoral process, it is still better to exercise their right to vote.

Religious Hypocrisy in Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

   Huckleberry Finn – Religious Hypocrisy       Every so often a piece of literature is written that can question the beliefs of millions of people with what they hold to be true. Nothing is held to be truer than the feeling of righteousness, being faithful, morally pure, and the idea of an exalted higher purpose- religion. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn questions this truth. Indirectly, Mark Twain argues and criticizes the great deal of religious hypocrisy the American culture faces. Through the masterful use of satire and anecdote, the author conveys his repulsion to the dishonest church goers and religious practices, often cloaked behind a veil of humor. Mark Twain uses mountains of satirical imagery to help carry his theme. I took up, and held it in my hand. I was trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. As a runaway boy, Huck Finn has the painstaking choice of doing the right thing to write a letter to the owner of a runaway slave and tell where the slave was, or go to hell if he helps the slave Jim, his friend. Morally, Huck is taught to give Jim in, but he sacrifices himself to take up wickedness again and steal Jim out of slavery. Defying his religious teachings, ironically, Huck does the most Christ like thing.    Mark Twain creatively puts in incidents that the reader can infer to represent religion and the church followers who refuse to learn the teachings. Another time, when Huck talks to a skiff with two men in it with guns looking for runaway slaves, he lies to stop them from searching his raft and finding Jim. He tells them that his pap got smallpox, and he needed their help to move the raft. The guys who were so concerned to rave through the raft are making excuses not to. Now we're trying to do you a kindness; so you just put twenty miles between us. The men don't want the smallpox so they feel sorry for Huck and they give him a twenty-dollar gold piece each. The men symbolize the church followers who solve any problem they have by giving money to the church and believing that they solved the problem but in reality only ran away from it. Religious Hypocrisy in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays    Huckleberry Finn – Religious Hypocrisy       Every so often a piece of literature is written that can question the beliefs of millions of people with what they hold to be true. Nothing is held to be truer than the feeling of righteousness, being faithful, morally pure, and the idea of an exalted higher purpose- religion. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn questions this truth. Indirectly, Mark Twain argues and criticizes the great deal of religious hypocrisy the American culture faces. Through the masterful use of satire and anecdote, the author conveys his repulsion to the dishonest church goers and religious practices, often cloaked behind a veil of humor. Mark Twain uses mountains of satirical imagery to help carry his theme. I took up, and held it in my hand. I was trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. As a runaway boy, Huck Finn has the painstaking choice of doing the right thing to write a letter to the owner of a runaway slave and tell where the slave was, or go to hell if he helps the slave Jim, his friend. Morally, Huck is taught to give Jim in, but he sacrifices himself to take up wickedness again and steal Jim out of slavery. Defying his religious teachings, ironically, Huck does the most Christ like thing.    Mark Twain creatively puts in incidents that the reader can infer to represent religion and the church followers who refuse to learn the teachings. Another time, when Huck talks to a skiff with two men in it with guns looking for runaway slaves, he lies to stop them from searching his raft and finding Jim. He tells them that his pap got smallpox, and he needed their help to move the raft. The guys who were so concerned to rave through the raft are making excuses not to. Now we're trying to do you a kindness; so you just put twenty miles between us. The men don't want the smallpox so they feel sorry for Huck and they give him a twenty-dollar gold piece each. The men symbolize the church followers who solve any problem they have by giving money to the church and believing that they solved the problem but in reality only ran away from it.

Nursing Article Research Abstract

The nursing journal which I have selected is by Showalter Et al (2000), titled â€Å"Patients' and their spouses' needs after total joint arthroplasty: a pilot study†, from the journal Orthopedic Nursing.   The aim of the paper was to determine the experiences and the requirements of the patients and their spouses following hospitalization for two specific forms of orthopedic surgeries namely total hip and total knee arthroplasty. The study was performed on a small-scale basis and only 5 subjects (patients) and their spouses were included.   The study was performed by a personal interview that was videotaped for future research.   The design included in the study was descriptive. The study was conducted in one health center In Richmond USA. The findings revealed that the patients and their spouses required greatest help in making transitions. The patients felt the greatest distress when they were unable to get back to their activities within the stipulated period of time.   The spouses of the patient felt insecure when the patient was unable to perform the daily activities within the stipulated period of time. The transition period was marked by disturbances felt when the patient was unable to recover within the stipulated period of time as planned before the surgery.   Some of the issues that were a concern included post-operative pain, problems with rehabilitation, and application of skills at home, which are learned in the hospital. During the transition period, the spouses and the patients have to change their roles, relationships, abilities and behaviors, so that a faster recover process is enabled.   The healthcare professionals have to also ensure that the patients are educated about the various problems that can be encountered and means of solving these problems.   The patients and the spouses have to also be taught that the entire recovery process should be given realistic considerations. Further, certain groups (known as ‘focus groups’) have to be trained to ensure that the healthcare professionals are sufficiently educated about the transition changes that are needed.   However, the author has suggested for the need for further research studies when it comes to determining and fulfilling the needs of patients and their spouses following total joint replacement surgeries.   Focus groups seems to be one effective way of educating the healthcare processionals, who in turn that can meet the needs of the patients and their spouses. References: Showalter, A., Burger, S, & Salyer, J. (2000). â€Å"Patients' and their spouses' needs after total joint arthroplasty: a pilot study.† Orthop Nurs, 19(1), 62. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11062624?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlusDrugs1 http://www.orthopaedicnursing.com/pt/re/orthonurs/selectreference.htm;jsessionid=HYTTQ6SxLSksKl8cQjpvksfZ0g1SVBqTfJnZTwwKZXnmQB6QGlJX!1759956393!181195629!8091!-1!1205390899957?an=00006416-200311000-00012&id=P136&data=00006416_2000_19_49_showalter_arthroplasty_%7C00006416-200311000-00012%23xpointer(id(R15-12))%7C1160700%7C%7Covftdb%7C&lu=ovid:/bib/medline/11062624/ui Medline Link Record Unique Identifier 11062624. Authors Showalter A; Burger S; Salyer J. Authors Full Name Showalter, A; Burger, S; Salyer, J. Institution Total Joint Arthroplasty Program, Medical College of Virginia Hospitals at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA. Title Patients' and their spouses' needs after total joint arthroplasty: a pilot study. Source Orthopaedic Nursing. 19(1):49-57, 62, 2000 Jan-Feb. Abbreviated Source Orthop Nurs. 19(1):49-57, 62, 2000 Jan-Feb. NLM Journal Name Orthopaedic nursing / National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses Publishing Model Journal available in: Print Citation processed from: Print Country of Publication UNITED STATES. MeSH Subject Headings Adaptation, Psychological Aged Aged, 80 and over *Arthroplasty, Replacement/ae [Adverse Effects] Arthroplasty, Replacement/nu [Nursing] *Arthroplasty, Replacement/px [Psychology] *Attitude to Health Focus Groups Humans Middle Aged *Needs Assessment/og [Organization & Administration] Nursing Methodology Researc h Orthopedic Nursing Patient Education as Topic Pilot Projects *Postoperative Care/mt [Methods] Postoperative Care/nu [Nursing] *Postoperative Care/px [Psychology] Social Support *Spouses/px [Psychology] Abstract PURPOSE: To describe the experiences and needs of patients and their spouses during hospitalization and recovery from either total hip or total knee arthroplasty. DESIGN: Descriptive. SAMPLE: A purposive sample of 5 patients and their spouses in one health sciences center. METHODS: Qualitative study using a videotaped focus group interview. FINDINGS: Content analysis revealed two perspectives of one theme: patients and their spouses need â€Å"help making transitions.† Situational and role transitions that were problematic for patients reflected distress over not being able to resume activities they enjoyed within an expected time frame. Incongruence between expectations and reality was the source of distress. As a consequence of role reversal, spouses experienced feelings of insecurity and being overwhelmed. Health and illness transitions that patients experienced were also related to incongruence between expectations of the recovery period and the reality that recovery is a slow process. Pain experienced during post discharge recovery and rehabilitation, and problems encountered when applying information and skills learned in the hospital to the home setting were sources of concern. CONCLUSION: The needs and experiences of patients and spouses after total joint arthroplasty reflect transitional change–changes in roles, relationships, abilities, and behaviors. Health care professionals can facilitate transitions by providing education that reflects â€Å"best case-worst case scenarios† so that expectations of the recovery process are realistic. By being the link between hospital and home, health care professionals can lend support to patients as they continue the recovery process. As a program evaluation strategy, focus groups provide useful information to health care professionals who are interested in the needs and expectations of health care consumers. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING RESEARCH: Further exploration of the needs of patients and their spouses following joint replacement surgery is warranted. Use of focus group methodology might provide additional insight into the needs of this population and suggest ways in which health care professionals can modify existing programs to help these patients and their spouses make the transitions. ISSN Print 0744-6020. Publication Type Journal Article. Date of Publication 2000 Jan-Feb Year of Publication 2000 Entry Date 20001109 Revision Date 20071115 Update Date 20071203