Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Unit 533 Understand the Process and Experience of Dementia

|Unit |AC | | | | | | |533 |1.1 |There are many causes of dementia. Dementia is caused by changes to the brain; there are different | | | |types of Dementia. Vascular dementia is caused when the brains blood supply is disrupted, the brain| | | |does not get enough oxygen and brain cells die off. Lewys Body dementia is caused by lumps of | | | |protein in the brain which interfere with chemicals of the brain†¦show more content†¦Early diagnosis | | | |opens up opportunity for treatments, for example with Alzheimer’s you can take drug which can slow | | | |down the effects, but if in late stages of this disease then it will not be prescribed as it will | | | |have no effect. The individual will have access to information resources and support and ensure | | | |they fully understand their diagnosis before it progresses, this enables them to talk to family and| | | |friends about the changes it may have on their life. Getting an early diagnosis also enables an | | | |individual, carers and family chance to plan the future. | | | | |Show MoreRelatedLeadership for Health and Social Care and Children65584 Words   |  263 Pages600/0573/7 2 City Guilds Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care and Children and Young People’s Services (England) (3978-51/52/53/54/55/56) Contents 1 2 3 4 5 Unit 501 Unit 502 Unit 503 Unit 504 Introduction Centre requirements Delivering the qualification Assessment Units Use and develop systems that promote communication (SHC51) Promote professional development (SHC52) 6 44 48 49 54 55 58 Champion equality, diversity and inclusion (SHC53) 60 Develop healthRead Morefactors affecting buying behavior of students on coffee shops8605 Words   |  35 Pagesto branded coffee shops. The findings concluded that most respondents visit coffee shops with friends, with locally branded coffee shops the preferred choice. Consumer motivations to branded coffee shops are most influenced by three factors: past experience/ familiarity; convenience of location/travel; and friends and family. With friendly staff, high quality of coffee and food, good atmosphere and good reputation the most important aspects for branded coffee shops. Recent exposure of tax avoidanceRead MoreGsk Annual Report 2010135604 Words   |  543 PagesIndia in 2010. 10 10 new compounds and vaccines starting phase III clinical trials since the start of 2010. 14% We are committed to improving returns in RD, aiming to increase our estimated return on investment in this area to 14%. c.1bn Units of Lucozade, Ribena and Horlicks manufactured in the UK every year. 2 New Consumer Healthcare Research and Innovation centres opened in China and India. Vaccines Emerging markets 1.4bn Doses of our vaccines supplied to 179 countries aroundRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesRelationships by Communicating Supportively Gaining Power and Influence 279 Motivating Others 323 Managing Conflict 373 PART III GROUP SKILLS 438 8 Empowering and Delegating 439 9 Building Effective Teams and Teamwork 489 10 Leading Positive Change 533 PART IV SPECIFIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS 590 591 Supplement A Making Oral and Written Presentations Supplement B Conducting Interviews 619 Supplement C Conducting Meetings 651 Appendix I Glossary 673 Appendix II References 683 Name Index 705Read MoreMedicare Policy Analysis447966 Words   |  1792 PagesGuaranteeing Access to Essential Benefits rmajette on DSK29S0YB1PROD with BILLS Sec. Sec. Sec. Sec. 221. 222. 223. 224. Coverage of essential benefits package. Essential benefits package defined. Health Benefits Advisory Committee. Process for adoption of recommendations; adoption of benefit standards. Subtitle D—Additional Consumer Protections Sec. 231. Requiring fair marketing practices by health insurers. †¢HR 3962 IH VerDate Nov 24 2008 12:56 Oct 30, 2009 Jkt 089200 Read More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 PagesPresidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching in 1986. He was a regional winner of the IBM Com- Contents 1 The Role of Statistics and the Data Analysis Process 1.1 Three Reasons to Study Statistics 1 1.2 The Nature and Role of Variability 4 1.3 Statistics and the Data Analysis Process 7 1.4 Types of Data and Some Simple Graphical Displays 12 Activity 1.1 Head Sizes: Understanding Variability 22 Activity 1.2 Estimating Sizes 23 Activity 1.3 A Meaningful Paragraph 24

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Amputation Mishap Free Essays

Amputation Mishap The Neighborhood News reports of a medical error at The Neighborhood Hospital. The report states a 62 year-old male patient underwent surgery to have his leg amputated only to discover the wrong leg was amputated during surgery. The newspaper article states the mishap is negligence. We will write a custom essay sample on Amputation Mishap or any similar topic only for you Order Now In the following paragraphs, negligence, gross negligence, and malpractice are discussed and determine if the newspaper’s statement of negligence is correct. Ethical principles in nursing and nursing documentation regarding such issues are also discussed. Negligence and malpractice fall under the tort laws definition. According to Guido (2010), â€Å"Torts are civil wrongs, not based on contracts, but on personal transgressions in that the responsible person performed an action incorrectly or omitted a necessary action† (p. 92). Tort laws are based on fault and in a health-care setting, tort laws are the most common. To determine if the above scenario results in negligence, gross negligence, or medical malpractice, one must understand the definition of each. According to Guido (2010), negligence is a general term and â€Å"equates with carelessness, a deviation from the standard of care that a reasonable person would use in a particular set of circumstances† (p. 2). According to Judson and Harrison (2006), four key elements (four D’s), must be present to prove negligence (p. 101): 1. Duty: The person charged has a duty to provide care to the patient. Neighborhood Hospital and staff have a duty to provide a standard of care that a reasonable person would use in a particular set of circumstances. 2. Dereliction: The person charged breaches the duty of care to the patient. The operating room team failed to identify the correct leg for amputation prior to proceeding with the operation; therefore a breach of duty has occurred. 3. Direct cause: The breach of duty is a direct cause of injury to the patient. The wrong leg is amputated as a direct result of failure to identify the correct leg for amputation. As a direct result, the patient will become a double amputee once the correct leg is amputated. 4. Damages: A recognizable injury to the patient is present. In this case, the wrong leg was amputated deeming a recognizable injury. Using the above criteria, negligence is present in this case scenario. Gross negligence occurs when medical practitioners perform an intentional act regardless of the negative, anticipated consequences. In this scenario, the patient must prove the medical staff at Neighborhood Hospital intentionally amputated the wrong leg. The medical staff at Neighborhood Hospital did not intentionally amputate the wrong leg, therefore ruling out gross negligence. According to Guido (2010), medical malpractice is â€Å"the failure of a professional person to act in accordance with the prevailing professional standards or failure to foresee consequences that a professional person, having the necessary skills and education, should foresee† (p. 93). Guido further states the difference between negligence and malpractice is licensure. If the act is by a non-professional person, it is negligence. If the act is by a professional person, it is malpractice. Six elements must be present to prove malpractice (Guido, 2010, p. 93): 1. Duty owed to the patient Neighborhood Hospital and staff have a duty to provide a standard of care that a reasonable person would use in a particular set of circumstances. 2. Breach of the duty owed to the patient. The operating room team failed to identify the correct leg for amputation prior to proceeding with the operation; therefore a breach of duty has occurred. 3. Foreseeability. The omission of identifying the correct leg for amputation prior to surgery. 4. Causation: breach of duty owed caused injury. The wrong leg is amputated as a direct result of failure to identify the correct leg for amputation. As a direct result, the patient will become a double amputee once the correct leg is amputated. 5. Injury. In this case, the wrong leg was amputated deeming a recognizable injury. 6. Damages. The amputated leg cannot be replaced; therefore the patient is entitled to compensatory damages regarding pain and suffering, permanent disability, disfigurement, emotional damages as well as financial loss and medical expenses. In this scenario, all six elements to prove malpractice are present. The negligence is by licensed personnel in a hospital setting. Using the definitions and criteria above, the newspaper incorrectly defines the mishap as negligence. The correct term to use in this case is professional negligence or malpractice. Nursing documentation should be reflective of the patient’s hospital stay. This includes identifying and addressing patient needs, assessments, problems, limitations, and responses to nursing interventions. According to Guido (2010), â€Å"Documentation must show continuity of care, interventions that were implemented, and patient responses to the therapies implemented. Nurses’ notes are to be concise, clear, timely, and complete† (p. 197). Guido (2010) lists the following guidelines for nurses to use to ensure documentation is complete and accurate (p. 197-209): 1. Make an entry for every observation. If documentation is absent, it can be assumed an observation did not take place. 2. Follow-up as needed. Evaluation and observations require follow up to ensure appropriate patient responses and optimal outcomes. . Read nurses notes prior to giving care. Reading nurses notes enable the nurse to know and understand patient diagnosis, response to treatment, and steps necessary to carry out the plan of care. 4. Always make an entry (even if it is late). Document immediately after the observation to reduce the risk of losing valuable information. A late entry is acceptable altho ugh risks omitting valuable information. Never document an event before it happens. 5. Use clear and objective language. Document using clear, objective, and definite terms to describe the observation. Vague terms lead to misinterpretation. 6. Be realistic and factual. It is important to document factual observations and assessments exactly as they happen. It is also recommended to document a realistic picture of the patient, especially if the patient is noncompliant with the plan of care. 7. Chart only one’s own observations. Charting observations of others is not accurate observations and can cause credibility of the nurse in question. 8. Chart all patient education 9. Correct chart errors. 10. Identify oneself after every entry. 11. Use standardized checklists or flow sheets. 2. Leave no room for liability. According to Guido (2010), â€Å"Understanding one’s ethics and values is the first step in understanding the ethics and values of others and in assuring the delivery of appropriate nursing care† (p. 4). Nurses and other healthcare providers face ethical issues daily. Together, law and ethics guide nursing practice to provide safe, effective care keeping patients free from harm. â€Å"Ethics are concerned with standards of behavior and the concept of right and wrong, over and above that which is legal in a given situation† (Judson Harrison, 2006, p. ). In addition, understanding law and ethics in nursing practice keeps nurses at their professional best and decreases the risk of legal litigation, such as the scenario described by the Neighborhood News. â€Å"Though malpractice is rare in the lives of individual healthcare professionals, the number of malpractice suits is on the rise† (Larson Elliott, 2010, p. 153). The nursing profession has more professional responsibility and accountability than any other time in the history of nursing. According to Weld and Garmon Bibb (2009), â€Å"nurses must confront the fact that they now owe a higher duty of care to their patients, and by extension, are more exposed to civil claims for negligence than ever before† (p. 2). Understanding ethical principles in nursing, importance of nursing documentation and how it relates to medical malpractice and negligence is imperative. References: Guido, G. W. (2010). Legal Ethical Issues in Nursing (5th ed. ). University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Judson, K. , Harrison, C. (2006). Law Ethics for Medical Careers (5th ed. ). University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Larson, K. , Elliott, R. (2010, March-April). The Emotional Impact of Malpractice. Nephrology Nursing Journal, 37(2), 153-156. Ebscohost. com. Prideaux, A. (2011). Issues in Nursing Documentation and Record Keeping Practice. British Journal of Nursing, 20(22), 1450-1454. Ebscohost. com The Neighborhood- Pearson Health Science. The Neighborhood News. Retrieved October 1, 2012, from http://pearsonneighborhood. ecollege. com/re/DotNextLaunch. asp? courseid=3609454 Weld, K. K. , Garmon Bibb, S. C. (2009, January-March). Concept Analysis: Malpractice and Modern-Day Nursing Practice. Nursing Forum, 44(1), 2-10. Ebscohost. com. How to cite Amputation Mishap, Essay examples

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Civil Engineering Research Association

Question: Discuss about the Civil Engineering Research Association. Answer: Introduction: In the present competitive business environment, evaluation of each individual performance level within the organizational structure has become extremely important for achieving sustainable growth in the market. For that reason, many organizations tried to utilize several strategies in order to measure the performance level of each individual in an appropriate manner. Many studies have mentioned that proper utilization of performance measurement approach can help employees to identify the strengths and weaknesses in an appropriate manner (Searcy, 2012). In addition, it also helps organizations to provide efficient guidance to the employees according to their performance level. In this report, the focus will be on Civil Engineering Research Association (CERA) that is focusing on the development of effective infrastructure for the community. The prime focus of CERA for developing effective infrastructure, as it can able to evaluate the performance level of each individual in an appropr iate manner. CERA works in the critical engineering sector. For that reason, it has to perform several complex responsibilities for fulfilling the requirements of the organization. It has become necessary for CERA to give their best at the workplace in order to satisfy the clients effectively. For that reason, the organization also has tried to implement different strategies so that it can able to create a positive impact on the productivity of the working employees. Limitations of CERAs individual performance measurement approaches and recommended alternative approaches: As per the article by Zheng et al. (2016), proper utilization of techniques and tools regarding the performance management is necessary within an organizational structure. Otherwise, it also can create obstacles on the path of success for an organization. It has been identified that implement individual performance measurement techniques by CERA do have some limitations. As a result, it has affected the effectiveness of the performances level of the organization. The limitations of CERAs implemented individual performance measurement approach are elaborated as follows: Unstructured financial benefits: As per the article by Bititci et al. (2012), proper utilization of financial benefits structure is very important to influence people to give their best at the workplace. It has been identified that CERA focuses on to providing maximum financial benefits to their best people. In fact, CERAs payment structure is been implemented in such a way so that it can able to provide benefit above than the market rate for their best people (Bufalino et al., 2014). CERA feels that providing benefits above than the market rate can create huge amount of positive impact on the motivational level of the employees. Therefore, they will try to take on more complex and difficult projects with a positive mindset. Now, it can be mentioned that CERA is always focus on taking the challenges of completing complex and difficult projects. Therefore, it is necessary for the organization to maintain the motivational level of the employees. However, Bhattacharya et al. (2014) have criticized this implemented stra tegies as it has not able to justify the equity theory of motivation in an appropriate way. The equity theory of motivation highlights the fact that organizations need to consider each employees equally so that all the members within the organizational structure feel motivated towards the roles and responsibilities. However, CERA has only focuses on providing additional benefits to the specific group of individuals (Chenhall, Hall Smith, 2013). Thus, it will create adverse impact on the perception of other employees regarding their future with the organization. Thus, they will feel de-motivated towards their roles and responsibilities. Therefore, it will definitely create adverse impact on the performance level of the other employees. Thus, implemented individual performance measurement technique will not be able to depict the clear picture regarding the performance level of the employees (Cassel et al., 2014). It has been identified that performance measurement technique focuses o n the results. Therefore, it will unable to depict the exact reason for lack of performances from the entire team members. Spekl Verbeeten (2014) has also mentioned that paying more to specific individuals can actually create adverse impact on the cognitive evaluation theory, which elaborates that paying more than the market rate can minimize the innovative skills of that particular group of engineers. The main reason is that, those individuals will focus more on getting incentives rather than increase the effectiveness or quality of the work. In the present business environment, continues improvement of the level of skills for an organization is extremely important to sustain its position in the market. Therefore, majority of the organizations tries to utilize different innovative process so that it can create positive impact on the level of skills of the organization (Zaman Lehmann, 2013). However, CERAs implemented strategies regarding the offering of financial benefits have created adverse impact on the performance level of the organization. Recommended alternative approaches: The above discussion highlighted the fact that unstructured utilization financial benefits in CERA has created huge amount of adverse impact on the performance level of the employees. Thus, CERAs first objective will be to evaluate the best possible way to provide financial benefits to the employees. Firstly, CERA will have to formulate a well-structured framework with the organization, which will have employees with different designations. After that, CERA will have to standardize the monetary benefit levels for the different designations so that employees can able to understand the exact reason for paying higher benefits to a particular group of employees (Koufteros, Verghese Lucianetti, 2014). Now, CERA will have to mark the exceptional performers of the organization and then will have to provide them with higher designations. This will not only help the top performers to have proper career progression but also will influence others to give their best at the workplace. Since, pos sibility of promotion will increase the motivational level of the employees in a much more effective way. On the other hand, CERA will able to justify the exact reason of extra pay to a particular employee, which reduce the possibility of conflicts within the organizational structure. Ineffective bonus schemes: Many studies have highlighted the significance of proper utilization of bonus schemes so that employees can feel motivated to perform beyond the expectation. However, it has been assessed that CERA has not able to satisfy all the employees with the bonus schemes. In fact, it has been analyzed that organizations working in the same sector is providing better bonus schemes to the employees (Knpfer et al., 2012). Thus, it has created major adverse impact on the effectiveness of the performance level of the employees working CERA. Furthermore, many organizations are looking provide additional benefits like disability, housing and health insurance for all levels of employees so that it can able to motivate employees to give their best at the workplace. However, CERA has not focused too much on the utilizing these schemes for enhancing the performance level of each individual. It has been assessed that organizations that focuses on utilizing all these schemes in an appropriate manner are o ften able to retain their talents. Thus, it increases the probability of enhancing the performance level for an organization (Bhatt et al., 2015). Conversely, as CERA has not focuses on the proper utilization of the incentives scheme it will definitely create adverse impact on the employee retention rate. Recommended alternative approaches: In order to minimize the adverse impact of the ineffective bonus scheme, CERA will have to consider utilization of unique bonus schemes so that it can able to create positive impact on the performance level of the employees. Therefore, CERA will have to cover safety bonus scheme, quality bonus scheme, customer satisfaction/service bonus scheme, attendance bonus schemes in an appropriate manner. As per the article by Grigoroudis, Orfanoudaki Zopounidis (2012) traditional bonus scheme is not creating expected amount of impact on the enhancement of the motivation for the employees. Hence, it has become necessary for CERA to consider all the mentioned bonus schemes so that employees motivate themselves to give their best at the workplace. In order to provide bonus to the employees in an appropriate way, CERA will have analyze the performance level of the employees in an appropriate way. Proper analysis will provide CERA an idea regarding the positive and liability aspects of each employ ee. Therefore, it will help CERA to reduce amount of liability in an appropriate way. For instance, 100% attendance has able to encourage employees to become more regular in several organizations. Thus, it is expected that attendance scheme will also create positive impact on the overall effectiveness of the operational processes. In contrast, too much absenteeism can damages CERAs objective in a major way. Safety bonus scheme is also another important aspect that CERA will have to offer to all level of employees. As a engineering firm, CERA will have to conduct many risky operations. Therefore, it is necessary that organization took care of the safety level of the employees and also provide several benefits for taking risks for the organizational success. Furthermore, Franco-Santos, Lucianetti Bourne (2012) have mentioned that employees can easily compare the bonus scheme of CERA with other organizations. Therefore, CERA will have to analyze the market bonus structure in order to retain employees for a longer period of time. Ineffective performance review technique: As per the article by Melnyk et al. (2014), proper utilization of performance review technique is very important to measure the performance level of the employees effectively. In fact, it also provides organizations the opportunity to analyze how the performance level of a particular employee is increasing or decreasing over the certain period of time. However, CERA has implemented management-by-objectives scheme, which analyze the past year performance of the employees and then question them about this in the next year. As a result, it will induce employees to concentrate more on their future with the organization than focusing on the present performance level. Thus, it will also affect the present performance level of the employees (Barros, Managi Matousek, 2012). Furthermore, it has been highlighted by many studies that utilization of this technique will influence organizations to focus more on the poor performers and best performers will be taken as a granted. For that reason, i t can create major impact on the motivational level of the top performers that will also eventually hamper the effectiveness of the operational processes. Recommended alternative approaches: The above discussion highlighted that implement strategy of CERA for reviewing the performance level of the employees is not at all effective. In fact, it can increase confusion among the employees regarding the performance level. Therefore, CERA will have to make major changes in the performance review process so that it can able to create greater impact on the effectiveness of the operational process. For instance, CERA can utilize performance review system on monthly basis so that employees do not have think too further and can concentrate more on the present performance level. CERA can also recognize best performing employees through a token of recognition like Star performer of the month so that employees can feel motivated in performing their responsibilities in an appropriate manner. CERA can also utilize month wise performance assessment meetings in order to highlight strengths and weaknesses of the employees in an appropriate way. The meeting will also include identification of the best possible way by which each employee can able to fulfill all the goals and objectives of the organization in an appropriate way. Conclusion: From the above analysis, it can be assessed that CERA will have to focus more on the implemented strategies regarding the performance measurement processes. It can be mentioned that implemented strategies of CERA has not able to create desired amount of impact on the performance level of the organization. Thus, CERA will have to focus more on the mentioned alternative approaches in order to enhance the present level of performances of the employees. Furthermore, the above discussion highlighted that CERA has not focuses too much on the consistence improvement on the performance level. Therefore, CERA will also have to implement strategies in such a way so that all employees can able to improve in an appropriate way. It will eventually create positive impact on the sustaining position in the market. References: Barros, C. P., Managi, S., Matousek, R. (2012). The technical efficiency of the Japanese banks: non-radial directional performance measurement with undesirable output.Omega,40(1), 1-8. Bhatt, D. L., Drozda, J. P., Shahian, D. M., Chan, P. S., Fonarow, G. C., Heidenreich, P. A., ... Welke, K. F. (2015). ACC/AHA/STS Statement on the Future of Registries and the Performance Measurement Enterprise: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Performance Measures and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.Journal of the American College of Cardiology,66(20), 2230-2245. Bhattacharya, A., Mohapatra, P., Kumar, V., Dey, P. K., Brady, M., Tiwari, M. K., Nudurupati, S. S. (2014). Green supply chain performance measurement using fuzzy ANP-based balanced scorecard: a collaborative decision-making approach.Production Planning Control,25(8), 698-714. Bititci, U., Garengo, P., Drfler, V., Nudurupati, S. (2012). Performance measurement: challenges for tomorrow.International Journal of Management Reviews,14(3), 305-327. Bufalino, V., Bauman, M. A., Shubrook, J. H., Balch, A. J., Boone, C., Vennum, K., ... Arnett, D. (2014). Evolution of the guideline advantage: lessons learned from the front lines of outpatient performance measurement.CA: a cancer journal for clinicians,64(3), 157-163. Cassel, C. K., Conway, P. H., Delbanco, S. F., Jha, A. K., Saunders, R. S., Lee, T. H. (2014). Getting more performance from performance measurement.New England Journal of Medicine,371(23), 2145-2147. Chenhall, R. H., Hall, M., Smith, D. (2013). Performance measurement, modes of evaluation and the development of compromising accounts.Accounting, Organizations and Society,38(4), 268-287. Franco-Santos, M., Lucianetti, L., Bourne, M. (2012). Contemporary performance measurement systems: A review of their consequences and a framework for research.Management Accounting Research,23(2), 79-119. Grigoroudis, E., Orfanoudaki, E., Zopounidis, C. (2012). Strategic performance measurement in a healthcare organisation: A multiple criteria approach based on balanced scorecard.Omega,40(1), 104-119. Knpfer, A., Rssel, C., an Mey, D., Biersdorff, S., Diethelm, K., Eschweiler, D., ... Nagel, W. E. (2012). Score-P: A joint performance measurement run-time infrastructure for Periscope, Scalasca, TAU, and Vampir. InTools for High Performance Computing 2011(pp. 79-91). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Koufteros, X., Verghese, A. J., Lucianetti, L. (2014). The effect of performance measurement systems on firm performance: A cross-sectional and a longitudinal study.Journal of Operations Management,32(6), 313-336. Melnyk, S. A., Bititci, U., Platts, K., Tobias, J., Andersen, B. (2014). Is performance measurement and management fit for the future?.Management Accounting Research,25(2), 173-186. Searcy, C. (2012). Corporate sustainability performance measurement systems: A review and research agenda.Journal of business ethics,107(3), 239-253. Spekl, R. F., Verbeeten, F. H. (2014). The use of performance measurement systems in the public sector: Effects on performance.Management Accounting Research,25(2), 131-146. Zaman, A. U., Lehmann, S. (2013). The zero waste index: a performance measurement tool for waste management systems in a zero waste city.Journal of Cleaner Production,50, 123-132. Zheng, L., Baron, C., Esteban, P., Xue, R., Zhang, Q., Sotelo, K. I. G. (2016). Pointing out the gap between academic research and supporting software tools in the domain of the performance measurement management of engineering projects.IFAC-PapersOnLine,49(12), 1561-1566.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Music Censorship free essay sample

Avoid adding any new information into the concluding paragraph. Include appropriate transitions within and between paragraphs. Post your draft essay as an attachment to campus. THESIS Metal music has both negative and positive effects on todays youth. We will write a custom essay sample on Music Censorship or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Paragraph one In this paragraph I will give the history of metal as well as a definition and a modern description. I will also give the milestones that it has gone through. I will give the history starting point. Paragraph twoIn this paragraph negative stereotypes and assumptions of metal music. Will also look at the negative psychological aspect it has on todays youth This will include any bad reports in news, gossip, and printed paper. I will disprove false accusations of metal. Paragraph three In this paragraph I will state the positive aspect of metal. I will state the good things that metal has accomplished through its history. I will also give show the positive reports in news, and impact on todays youth. Paragraph fourThis will be the over all impact of metal music, weather it be good or bad. This will state which side the evidence favors verses popular opinion. Paragraph five. This will be the conclusion. This of demonstration of the impact as well as how the positive and negative effects affect people. Positive effects even too due to popular belief there are positive effects to heavy metal music. Those positive effects are positive outlet of aggression, the lyrical content brings darker but important facts to light. Music Censorship free essay sample This cause and effect essay analyzes the lyrical content of popular music recordings, cited as censored. Out of 60 articles from the music trade magazines, Billboard and Rolling Stone, 77 instances of censorship were recorded and analyzed. The categories for evaluation were the year of citation, music style, and reason for censorship. Nineteen ninety was the year with the highest number of journal articles (21 ) covering music censorship. Rap (48%) and rock (44. %) music accounted for a large portion of the total censored recordings and the majority of according were censored because of lyrics seen as explicit, profane, obscene or vulgar. In addition, five rock recordings were censored because of objectionable artwork on or inside the covers. Recordings were also censored because of opposition to a view the artist expressed. Two tables depict the years of citation and the reasons for censorship, each according to music styles. (Anthony K. S 1 995) Music has historically been, and continues to be, censored In an attempt to enforce morality. We will write a custom essay sample on Music Censorship or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Its not a coincidence that music censorship In America began to accelerate urine the sass, when traditional and conservative values began to unravel. At the time, order, strict obedience to authority, and conservative values were part of the accepted mindset. (Lombardi, Victor 1991) With the advent of rock n roll, however, young America began to loosen attitudes on Issues relating to morality. Technology also played an Important part In shaping the moral power struggle In the 1 sass. (Lombardi, Victor 1991) For example, the sass era saw similar complaints against flappers and Jazz musicians; however, radio wasnt as dominant at that time.In the sass, radio provided access to new types of music that challenged traditional morality and created the dynamics for music censorship. (Lombard, Victor 1991) In 1 956, Elvis may have been known as the king or rock and roll, but he was very controversial in his performances and mannerisms in the sasss. Ray Charles would also have a very controversial history when It comes to releasing music. Being one of the first artists to turn gospel music to R;B made him his music censored and many of the southern states back in December of 1954. A lot of the artists of the 1 sass paved the way in the starting of music censorship. Moral authorities aim to determine what behavior is acceptable for individuals and for society. Drugs, violence, and especially sex are topics moral authorities attempt to regulate. The end of the sass witnessed many members of society, particularly young adults and teens begin expressing new attitudes about these topics: Sex and drugs were no longer hidden and secretive acts, but something to be exposed and celebrated.A lot of kids look up to those rappers and rock stars as role models and music censorship helps the artist become that good role model. In conclusion, I believe music censorship is a very important part in our community and should always remain. Music censorship may stem from race, fear, and morality Just to name a few sources of censorship. I believe even though music censorship didnt always start off by Just means in the past doesnt mean it isnt Just in the present. References: retrieved from AAU virtual library * Anthony, K. Music Censorship free essay sample This cause and effect essay analyzes the lyrical content of popular music recordings, cited as censored. Out of 60 articles from the music trade magazines, Billboard and Rolling Stone, 77 instances of censorship were recorded and analyzed. The categories for evaluation were the year of citation, music style, and reason for censorship. Nineteen ninety was the year with the highest number of journal articles (21 ) covering music censorship.Rap (48%) and rock (44. 2%) music accounted for a large portion of the total censored recordings and the majority of recordings were censored because Of lyrics seen as explicit, profane, obscene or vulgar. In addition, five rock recordings were censored because of objectionable artwork on or inside the covers. Recordings were also censored because of opposition to a view the artist expressed. Two tables depict the years of citation and the reasons for censorship, each according to music styles. (Anthony K.S 1 995) Music has historically been, and continues to be, censored in an attempt to enforce morality. We will write a custom essay sample on Music Censorship or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Its not a coincidence that music censorship in America began to accelerate during the sass, when traditional and conservative aloes began to unravel. At the time, order, strict obedience to authority, and conservative values were part of the accepted mindset. (Lombardi, Victor 1991) With the advent of rock n roll, however, young America began to loosen attitudes on issues relating to morality.Technology also played an important part in shaping the moral power struggle in the 1 9505. (Lombardi, Victor 1991 ) For example, the 1 sass era saw similar complaints against flappers and jazz musicians; however, radio wasnt as dominant at that time. In the 1 9505, radio provided access to new types of music that challenged rotational morality and created the dynamics for music censorship. (Lombardi, Victor 1 991) In 1956, Elvis may have been known as the king or rock and roll, but he was very controversial in his performances and mannerisms in the sasss.Ray Charles would also have a very controversial history when it comes to releasing music. Being one of the first artists to turn gospel music to R;B made him his music censored and many of the southern states back in December of 1954. A lot of the artists of the 1 sass paved the way in the starting of music censorship. Moral authorities aim to determine what behavior is acceptable for individuals and for society. Drugs, violence, and especially sex are topics moral authorities attempt to regulate.The end of the sass witnessed many members of society, particularly young adults and teens begin expressing new attitudes about these topics: Sex and drugs were no longer hidden and secretive acts, but something to be exposed and celebrated. This shift in outlook began breaking down the traditional moral order in many aspects of society especially music. Race may seem a strange factor in music censorship, but it has played a significant role. In particular, the sass and early sass saw a new genre of music rhythm and blues emerge onto the national music landscape. Magnum, Eric 1989) R;B music included freely expressed sexual desires, clear drug references, and other features that were not as prevalent in other forms of popular music. R;B was and still is?dominated by black musicians and traditionally was enjoyed mainly by black audiences. (Magnum, Eric 1 989) When its audience expanded to include mainstream white youths and young adults, this was a problem for many older whites who considered R;B music as a threat that corrupted young people and promoted moral behavior. (Magnum, Eric 1989) This phenomenon prompted moral authorities to take action.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The term digital technology” refers to the technology that is electronic or computer based The WritePass Journal

The term digital technology† refers to the technology that is electronic or computer based The term digital technology† refers to the technology that is electronic or computer based Introduction Digital marketing and communicationParadigm on Customer Loyalty and branding communications in the field of digital marketing communications E-Marketing Mix.E-product strategiesE-price strategiesE-place strategiesE-promotion strategiesConsumer online buying behavior. Online marketer’s persuasion tools and the Web experience Consumer Relationship management and ICTCRM: DEFINITION AND BENEFITS EVALUATION ICT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND CRM BENEFITS References Related Introduction The term digital technology† refers to the technology that is electronic or computer based, . The field of digital technology is incessantly evolving and has dramatically changed the way of communication in a variety of arenas. Digital technology has made its mark in the technology world; everything is seemed to be inspired by it. Things had become easy and handy to maintain. It is so vast that now we have different types of digital media available that are run on different platforms but they have a common character that is they all use digital technology. Digital technology enforces an electronic media in to new world. Computer, Television, audio/video devices, I Pods, cellular phones etc. The effect of the digital media is common everywhere. , Newspapers books and magazines are also become digital. This is because of the latest facilities and features that digital technology provides to its end users. Digital marketing and communication The concept of â€Å"digital marketing† has been used more frequently and operationally, where as the theoretical understanding and comprehensive models of  Ã‚   why and how to use different digital channels are still in developing process. Urban (2004) suggests,   â€Å"The Digital marketing uses the Internet and information technology to extend and improve traditional marketing functions.† He relates all the traditional 4 P’s, and focused on both customer retention and acquisition.  Ã‚   Terms like   â€Å"interactive marketing,† â€Å"one-to-one marketing,† and â€Å"e-marketing† are close to digital marketing, but neither are they defined very precisely. Coviello et al,(2001) define e marketing as â€Å"using the Internet and other interactive technologies to link the firm with the identified or targeted customers.   They consider e- marketing as a subject of e-commerce. They focused e- marketing as managing continuous IT-enabl ed relationships with consumers by forming dialogue and interactivity (scripts). Paradigm on Customer Loyalty and branding communications in the field of digital marketing communications As described in Fig. 1 which proposes an integrative model of the effects of digital marketing communication on customer loyalty. This model consists of means of brand communication via different sources or channels.  · Moderators interactivity and personalization  · Outcomes -Perceived values and commitment,  · Customer loyalty, Mediators customer characteristics, situational factors, involvement, and relationship. By â€Å"brand communication† we refer the quality of communication between the brand and customers. It includes direct marketing, advertising, newsletters, or any other related consumer’s activity in a brand community. This complies the process of building brands and customer relationships is much more efficient than traditional media advertising as example given by Aaker and Joachimsthaler 2000, Duncan et al,1998. The presented model focused on how brand communication affecting customer loyalty. There are two main factors in building brand communication what are expected to affect customer loyalty and its frequency example, how many brand messages and content, promotional or relational. The main outcome in the model is customer loyalty is divided into behavioral example purchases and attitudinal loyalty or consumers brand attitude. For true customer loyalty to exist, a pattern of repeat purchases must be accompanied by a positive attitude ( Jakoby and Chestnut 1978). This distinguishes it from spurious loyalty, where only behavioral loyalty is detected with low relative attitudes (Dick and Basu 1994). Brand communication can also be personalized. For example, customer profiles or preferences effects the brand communication are constructed in customers minds through information so the assumption also mediating factors that affect how the loyalty effects of DMC are created. They can be used to create customized message content for different marketing segments or individual customers delivered via their chosen channels that increase the value of communication to the customer.   Identifying the content, timing, and channels are also personalized elements to look after. Brand contacts can differ interactively example customers can search the information or make inquiries, and can leave the feedback or various other activities with marketers or other customers can be processed. It leaves the positive effect on customer loyalty. Interactivity can be described as its divisions: Functions (e.g. a web contact form), Processes (e.g. that messages are contingent upon previous messages), Perceptions (how customers perceive interactivity), and time spent Brand (e.g. playing games on branded website). The effects of brand communication on customer loyalty can be verified from behavior and attitudes of the consumer: example purchases, visits, brand satisfaction attitudes, feedback forms etc E-Marketing Mix. The e-marketing mix considers the elements of presenting the marketing mix online. E-product strategies The buyer knows immediately about product features, the facts, not sales persons, consumers know what they get as the verity of choices available. The buying process is also customized for returning visitors, making repeat purchases easier. Organisations can also offer immediately ancillary products along with the main purchase. Example, the chance to buy extra printer cartridges along with your purchase of your printer online.   The product can also be customised to consumers needs. E-price strategies The Internet has made pricing very competitive. Many costs i.e. store costs, staff cost have disappeared .The Internet gives consumers the power to shop around for the best deal at a click of a button. The competition on pricing is unpredicted and global. . The online auction company www.ebay.com has grown in popularity with thousands of buyers and seller bidding daily. E-place strategies One of the biggest changes to the marketing mix is online purchasing. Consumers purchase direct from manufacturers cutting out retailers totally. The challenge for online retailers is to ensure that the product is delivered to the consumer within a reasonable time. Location is important within our place strategy. Online location can refer to where links are placed on other websites. Placing a link on www.google.com home page would generate high consumer traffic for you. Knowing your customer and knowing where they visit should help you understand where to place your online links and advertisements. E-promotion strategies Promoting products and service online is concerned with a number of issues. E-promotion includes: Having a domain name.: (A recognisable domain name is first stage towards e-promotion. Organisations such as egg.com have successfully positioned their brand on the online world. ) Banner promotions: (Placing banner advertisements on other WebPages )   Web public relations (WPR):   E-leaflets: Direct email: (It is a popular and common form of e-promotions, although slowly becoming the most hated my many consumersDirect emailing is also known as SPAM which stands for Sending Persistent Annoying eMail. (SPAM). ) Consumer online buying behavior. The consumers† buying behavior has always consider as a popular marketing issue, with broadly considered and also debated over the last decades. The principal approach, explaining fundamentals ways of customer behavior, mention the customer buying procedure as learning, information-processing and decision-making action categorized in various following steps: Identiï ¬ cation about a particular problem Search tool that contains information. Alternative evaluations. Purchasing making decision. Post-purchase behavior (Bettman, 1979; Dibb et al., 2001; Jobber, 2001; Boyd et al., 2002; Kotler, 2003;Brassington and Pettitt, 2003) To understand the mechanism of virtual online shopping and the consumer relationship behavior of the online customers is a main concern for practitioners challenging in the fast growing practical marketplace. By giving the constant expansion of using the Internet techniques in terms of user statistics, transaction volume and business infiltration to the huge amount of research attempt is not giving any kind of surprising. There is 20 per cent of Internet user in several countries who already purchase goods and services online (Taylor Nelson Sofres, 2002) while about     50 per cent of US net user frequently buying online. (Forrester Research, 2003). These kinds of development are regularly transforming e-commerce into a mainstream business activity while at the same time online customers are growing and practical vendor understand the importance and necessity for an expert and customer-oriented approach. While totally understand the needs of customers and behavior of the consumer who dealing online (Lee, 2002) while most of them â€Å" . . . continue to resist with how successfully to market and sell goods online† (Joines et al., 2003, p. 93). A very significant input in classify the rapidly growing number of investigate papers on the issue of the effective customer’s behavior is the study of Cheung et al. (2003). The ï ¬ ndings of their complete prose review are summarizing in a form that depict the major category of factors that disturbing the online consumer. Online marketer’s persuasion tools and the Web experience Next to the personal and external uncontrollable factors inï ¬â€šuencing the buying behavior, exposure of customers to the company’s marketing can affect the decision-making by providing inputs for the consumer’s black box where information is processed before the anal consumer’s decision is made (kolter, 2003). Online marketers can inï ¬â€šuence the decision making process of the virtual customers by engaging traditional, physical marketing tools but mainly by creating and delivering the proper online experience, the Web experience: a combination of online functionality, information, emotions, cues, stimuli and products/ services, in other words a complex mix of elements going beyond the 4Ps of the traditional marketing mix. The prime medium of delivering the Web experience is the corporate Web site, the interfacing platform between the ï ¬ rm and its online clients (Constantinides, 2002). Consumer Relationship management and ICT The Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is now became a strategic imperative for all company as its efficient execution be able to add to customer satisfaction, reliability and maintenance and so, in general sale and replicate purchases (Feinberg Kadam 2002, Kotorov 2002, Anton Hoeck 2002). However, though CRM is consider as one of the fastest growing management approaches thay is   adopted across many business firms (Adebanjo 2003) and mainly tourism and hospitality firms (Sigala 2003), CRM operation is not mean to always delivered the predictable results (Rigby et al. 2002), many CRM initiative have unsuccessful (Early 2002, Feinberg Kadam 2002), while Kekoe (2002) notify that almost   20% of business executive were   claimed that CRM initiative had   been damage by   consumer relationships. With a result, several organisation in the tourism sector are presently surprised their CRM funds or delay implementation of their future project (Sigala 2003a). Furthermore, th e incapacity of CRM application to carry expected profit has not just intensify the legality of earlier findings and claims about the ICT productivity paradox (Sigala 2003b), but it is also boost with current investigate, which is reflect with the huge number of study investigative the grave success factor of CRM (e.g. Cann 1998, Rigby et al. 2002, Rheault Sheridan 2002). Though, even if these studies offer personal evidence of the impact of ICT management practice on CRM effectiveness, and also there is a lack of experimental studies that may questioning the association in between CRM association and presentation aspects (Tu et al. 2001). Karimi et al. (2001) showing the full force on ICT association to perform on consumer service application, but there   is a procedure has been   unsuccessful   for   providing full   proof of the relative of these create with concert profit. CRM: DEFINITION AND BENEFITS EVALUATION CRM realization is greatly reliant on and driven by ICT tools advances (Bradshaw Brash 2001), it is broadly argued that CRM is a combination of software, hardware, processes, management commitment, and application (Sigala 2003a, Rigby et al. 2002). The ICT tools exploitation and their integration with the applications of CRM are expected to take a number of benefits such as (Krishnan et al. 1999, Fitzsimmons Fitzsimmons 1997): improved service and product quality; customer satisfaction; improved financial performance, higher productivity; and formation of barriers to entry; customer services and enhanced convenience through the initiation of new products and various other service/delivery channels. The diverse CRM tools enabling such benefits can be classified as follows (Dyche 2001, Karimi et al. 2001): operational tools for improving customer service, automating sales force, online marketing, etc; improving relationships, analytical for building data warehouses, analysing data e tc; collaborative for the creation of online communities, service personalization ;developing b2b customer exchanges, etc. Customer focused CRM applications help firms in enhancement of effectiveness and efficiency of customer service, online sales and marketing,aby automating: 1)asales forceaprocesses toareduce informationaasymmetry andadelays, and toaimprove efficiency; 2) callacentre’s andaintegrating customeradatabases to reduce staffarequirements and theatotal cost ofaownership of callacentres; 3) e-mailainteractions withacustomers to improveacustomer service andaservice efficiency andaintegrate e-mail, telephone andaweb interfaces; and 4) customer responsesaand profiles, tracking marketingacampaigns throughavarious media across a numberaof channels and managingaquote andaproposal processesafrom negotiationsato closing. Operational focusedaCRM processes benefitafirms in supply chainamanagement, orderamanagement andaservice field by: 1) usingadatabase information and supp lierapipeline processes toaforecast demandamore accuratelyaand create viableascheduling applications;a2) reducing overallaproductionacostsaby streamliningathe flow ofagoods through productionaprocesses and byaimproving informationaflow; and 3)aimproving lead time/qualityaand enabling moreacustomization at a loweracost. ICT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND CRM BENEFITS ICT managementasophistication is found toasignificantly moderate the materialisation of the fullaICT business valueaand has been traditionallyaused to characterise aafirm’s evolution in itsamanagement orientation,aplanning, organisationaand control aspectsaof its ICT functiona(Karimi et al. 2001, Sigala 2003b, Tallon et al. 2000). Greater ICTamanagement sophistication is characterised by (Karimi et al. 2001):athe IT manager beingaaware of the firm’s long-termastrategic plans; theafirm’s future strategicaplans being explicitly consideredaduring ICT planning; and theaICT performanceabeing evaluated based onacontribution to the overallafirm’s objectives andanotexclusively on cost savings.aParallel, in firms withahigh ICT managementasophistication, top managementais expected to have greateraknowledge about ICT andaparticipate moreaactively in ICTaplanning.   Moreover,astudies investigatingathe ICT productivityaparadox have also revealedathat CRM benefitsâ₠¬â„¢ materialization depends onathe sophistication ofaICT management as CRM successais inhibited/facilitated by theafollowing factors: failure to developaa CRM strategy andaadopt a strategic orientationa(Cann 1998, Rigby et al. 2002, Sigala 2003a); lack of robustaimplementation approaches (Rheault Sheridan 2002, Adebanjo 2003); lack ofameasurement tools (Abbot 2001); selectionaand configuration of theaCRM tools according to businessaprocesses and strategic goals (Rheault Sheridan 2002; Adebanjo 2003); ICTaimplementation and integration (Cavaye 1995, Adebanjo 2003, Sigala 2003a); ICTamanagement (Karimi et al. 2001); and management of organisationalachange, cultural management (Corner Hinton 2002, Sigala 2003a, Fjermestad Romano 2003).   Previous research (Karimi et al. 2001, Tallon et al. 2000) has also proved thatacorporate strategic ICTagoals have a direct as well as anaindirect (by influencing the wayaorganisations plan, invest, useaand monitor ICT projects) impact onaICT be nefits. Based on this analysisathe followingahypotheses can beaproposed: H1) managers in firms with moreafocused goals for ICT will perceiveagreater CRM benefits; and H2) managers claiming higherasophistication in their ICT managementapractices will perceiveahigher CRM benefits. References Urban, Glen L. 2004. Digital Marketing Strategy: Text and Cases, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Coviello, Nicole E., Roger Milley and Barbara Marcolin. 2001. â€Å"Understanding IT-enabled Interactivity in Contemporary Marketing.† Journal of Interactive Marketing 15 (4): 18-33. Aaker, David A. and Erich Joachimsthaler. 2000. Brand Leadership. New York: The Free Press. Duncan, Tom and Sandra E. Moriarty. 1998. â€Å"A Communication-Based Marketing Model for Managing   Relationships.† Journal of Marketing 62 (April): 1-13. Jacoby, Jacob Chestnut, Robert. 1978. Brand Loyalty: Measurement and Management. New York: Wiley. Dick, Alan S. and Kunal Basu. 1994. â€Å"Customer Loyalty: Toward an Integrated Conceptual Framework†, Journal   of the Academy of Marketing Science 22 (2): 99-113 Bettman, J.R. (1979), An Information-Processing Theory of   Consumer Choice, Addison-Wesley, Glen View, IL. Dibb, S., Simkin, L., Pride, W.P. and Ferrell, O.C. (2001), Marketing Concepts and Strategies, 3rd ed., Houghton-Mifï ¬â€šin Company, Boston, MA. Boyd, H.W., Walker, O.C., Mullins, J. and Larre ´ che ´ , J-C. (2002), Marketing Management, A Strategic Decision-Making Approach, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, Columbus, OH. Kotler, P. (2003), Marketing Management, 11th ed., Prentice-Hall International Editions, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Brassington, F. and Pettitt, S. (2003), Principles of Marketing, 3rd ed., Prentice-Hall/Financial Times,Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Taylor Nelson Sofres (2002), The TNS Interactive – Global eCommerce Report,availableat;www.tnsofres.com/ ger2002/home.cfm Brassington, F. and Pettitt, S. (2003), Principles of Marketing, 3rd ed., Prentice-Hall/Financial Times,Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Forrester Research (2003), â€Å"Forrester Research projects US ecommerce to hit nearly $230 billion†, press release,   available at: www.forrester.com/ER/Press/Release/ 0,1769,823,00.html, and â€Å"Consumer technographics: the online consumer 1998 to 2003†, available at: www.forrester.com/ER/Research/Brief/Excerpt/ 0,1317,17225,00.html Lee, P-M. (2002), â€Å"Behavioral model of online purchasers in e-commerce environment†, Electronic Commerce Research, Vol. 2, pp. 75-85. Constantinides, E. (2002), â€Å"The 4S Web-marketing mix model, e-commerce research and applications†, Elsevier Science, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 57-76. Feinberg, R., and Kadam, R. (2002). e-CRM web service attributes as determinants of customer satisfaction with retail Web sites, International Journal of Service Industry Management, 13 (5), 432 – 451 Anton, J., and Hoeck, M. (2002). ebusiness Customer Service, The Anton Press: Santa Monica, CA Adebanjo, D. (2003). Classifying and selecting e-CRM applications: an analysis based proposal, Management Decision, 41 (6), 570 – 577 Sigala, M. (2003a). Implementing Customer Relationship Management in the hotel sector: Does ‘IT’ always matter?†, 11th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS) â€Å"New Paradigms in Organisations, Market and Society’: UniveS. Cuore, Naples, Italy 16 – 23 June, 2003 Kekoe, L. (2002). Long live e-business: software is finding a new role in helping companies to share information effectively†, Financial Times, March 16, 14 Cann, C. (1998). Eight steps to building a B2B relationship, Journal of Business Industrial Marketing, 13 ( ¾), 393 – 405 Rigby, D., Reichheld, E., Schefter, P. (2002). Avoiding the four perils of CRM, Harvard Business Review, 80 (2), 101 – 109 Rheault, D., and Sheridan, S. (2002). Reconstruct your business around the customer, The Journal of Business Strategy, 23 (2), 101 – 109 Karimi, J., Somers, T., and Gupta, Y. (2001). Impact of Information Technology Management Practices on Customer Service†, Journal of Management Information Systems, 17 (4), 125 – 158 Krishnan, M., Ramaswamy, V, Meyers, M. and Damien, P. (1999). Customer satisfaction for financial services: the role of products, services ad information technology. Management Science, 45(9), 1194 – 1209 Fitzsimmons, J. and Fitzsimmons, M. (1997). Services Management: Operations, Strategy, and Information technology. Irwin: New York. Dyche, J. (2001). The CRM handbook: a Business Guide to CRM, Addison Wiley: Boston, MA Abbott, J. (2001). Data data everywhere   and not a byte of use. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 4 (3), 182 – 192 Rheault, D., and Sheridan, S. (2002). Reconstruct your business around the customer, The Journal of Business Strategy, 23 (2), 101 – 109 Adebanjo, D. (2003). Classifying and selecting e-CRM applications: an analysis based proposal, Management Decision, 41 (6), 570 – 577 Corner, I., and Hinton, M. (2002). Customer relationship management systems: implementation risks and relationship dynamics, Qualitative Market Research: An international Journal, 5 (4), 239 – 251 Fjermestad, J., and Romano, N. (2003). Electronic customer relationship management: revisiting the general principles of usability and resistance – an integrative implementation framework, Business Process Management Journal, 9 (5), 572 – 591 Tallon, P., Kraemer, K. and Gurbaxani, V. (2000). Executives’ perceptions of the business value of information technology: a process-oriented approach, Journal of MIS, 16 (4), 145 – 173

Friday, November 22, 2019

Alcohol Abuse in America

Alcohol abuse in the United States has a long history of boys drinking. European businessmen and colonists initially introduced alcohol to the United States. Most of us soon fell in love with this new drink. 150 years from the colonial period to the revolutionary war was an era where alcohol was truly popular. Alcohol is considered to be a good creature of God. It is used as a medicine and is considered a tool for relaxation and good fellowship. This alcohol concept changed dramatically in the mid 1800 's. Alcohol is the most widely used and abused drug in the USA. Alcoholism is a national epidemic affecting 80% of the population. A nationwide household survey conducted in the mid-1990s concluded that 103 million people are currently drinking and 11 million people are heavy drinkers. Approximately 10% of the US population is alcoholic, with 5 to 7 affected by poisoning. In the United States, alcohol-related crime accounts for 54% of murder and attempted attempts, 68% mansion assault, 52% rape and / or sexual violence, and 48% robbery. According to a survey on drinking at university, university students aged 18 to 24 drink alcohol and cause about 1,400 deaths, 500,000 injured people, and 70,000 sexual assaults or sexual assaults each year . The social cost of alcoholism causes annual losses of 100 billion dollars of productivity and associated health costs. Alcohol abuse in the United States has a long history of boys drinking. European businessmen and colonists initially introduced alcohol to the United States. Most of us soon fell in love with this new drink. 150 years from the colonial period to the revolutionary war was an era where alcohol was truly popular. Alcohol is considered to be a good creature of God. It is used as a medicine and is considered a tool for relaxation and good fellowship. - Media perception of puberty, alcohol and driving is very obvious. Almost all articles, reports, or documentaries (especially if they are combined) on these things a re indicative of irresponsibility, danger and / or violence and aggression

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Assignment 2 - Essay Example Considered as one of the best living American writers, McCarthy has written 10 novels in the span of four decades, but never once was he interviewed on television. This is what makes this Oprah interview special. Because this is a first for McCarthy (Winfrey, 2008), we might expect that he will be uncomfortable and might find it difficult to answer some of the questions. To prevent this from happening, Oprah went to Santa Fe where McCarthy is working so that he will be in a familiar setting and reduce the anxiety since there are no other people in the room (except for the camera man, of course). Moreover, Oprah chose to open the interview with the obvious question: Why did McCarthy never had any TV interview? This was something that the world renowned author can easily address this because he probably rehearsed this a number of times in different interviews before. From this question, Oprah went on to ask subtle, more personal questions so as to understand how McCarthy works and what inspires him to do what he does. Oprah’s interview had a good combination of direct, open-ended questions. The progression of her questions were well timed, starting with question pertaining to the author’s work before going into details which will force the interviewee to â€Å"think deep† and â€Å"reach into the heart† to find the answers. Aside from the questions, Oprah also showed a real interest in the information being provided by the interviewee. She looks directly at McCarthy and she provides her own reactions to his responses. While I am pretty sure that she had an interview agenda, she does not have it written down, she has remembered all the questions she wants to ask, but she phrases it in the same language used by her interviewee. This way, she improves the communication between them, and it also allows the interviewee to feel that Oprah was really listening to what he

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Feedback Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Feedback - Essay Example nd of the first placement student social work should demonstrate effective use of knowledge, skills and commitment to core values in social work in a given setting in predominantly less complex situations, with supervision and support. They will have demonstrated capacity to work with people and situations where there may not be simple clear-cut solutions. By the end of last placement student social workers should have demonstrated the knowledge, skills and values to work with a range of user groups, and the ability to undertake a range of tasks at a foundation level, the capacity to work with more complex situations; they should be able to work more autonomously, whilst recognising that the final decision will still rest with their supervisor; they will seek appropriate support and supervision. Mimi instructed the children with clarity about the activity and how to care for it afterwards (name and brief instruction on the plastic cup) she displayed patience when reminding the children how much water/seeds where needed. Even after they had completed the task (wanted more seeds) an understanding of the differences in age and ability was reflected in her approach – giving me or less where necessary. Mimi respected the children wishes by allowing then not to participate if they didn’t want to, health and safety was adhered to by Mimi ensuring that hands where washed after the activity and area was swept clean and all traces of debris cleared. I would consider the feedback given by the professional as an apt assessment of my engagement in social work activity throughout my placement period. Indeed, I concur that the instructor guided me well through the activities. We held several close meetings with the qualified social worker, and I must confess it was quite intimate. Never have I engaged a qualified person in his/her field in a close discussion. I would confess it was the first time. Nevertheless, I composed myself and managed to participate objectively

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Rizal in Dapitan Essay Example for Free

Rizal in Dapitan Essay A Simple and Prolific Life of Rizal in Dapitan â€Å"Simple yet prolific† is the best word that can describe the life of Rizal in Dapitan. It is simple in a way that he lives like an ordinary people and prolific because when he was there, his time was not wasted and made a lot of contribution not only to the place but also to the people. In the first part of his exile, he lived in a commandant’s house but after winning the second prize in the Manila Lottery and also from his savings being a merchant and farmer, he bought a land in Talisay. In this place, he built three houses made of bamboo, wood and also nipa with different shapes. The first house served as his home, the second house is for his students and lastly, the third house is for his chickens. Even though Rizal is in Dapitan, he continued to send a letter to Ferdinand Blumentritt that described his life in Dapitan. The letter says that Rizal is waking up early in the morning to feed his chickens and cook for their breakfast. After eating their breakfast, Rizal treats those patients who come to his house and also those in towns. In the afternoon, after being a doctor in the morning, he transformed into teacher to teach the young boys in their town. These young boys do not have any tuition fee, but there is one condition, they have to work, especially in the farm, together with Rizal. And Rizal ended the day in reading and writing. After 4 years, he left Dapitan but Rizal’s presence remains there because he has a lot of contribution and also some projects that until now are running. One of his contributions is the good waterworks system he constructed in the province. As you can remember Rizal studied surveying when he was in Ateneo Municipal. Rizal also has a lot of contributions to the agricultural development, in his multi hectare land; he planted crops and fruit-bearing trees together with his students. He also introduced the modern methods and machineries in farming and also in fishing to many of our Dapitenos. By these many reasons, we can’t deny that Rizal was truly loved by all Dapitenos. As you can see, when Rizal left Dapitan, all of his students, their parents and also ordinary people together with a band said their last goodbyes.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Demolition Man :: essays research papers

"Demolition Man" "Demolition Man" is an action/science fiction movie staring Sylvester Stallone as a police officer named John Spartan, Wesley Snipes as a criminal named Simon Phoenix, and Sandra Bullock as an SAPD officer named Lenina Huxley. The movie begins in the year 1996 in the "out of control" city of Los Angeles. The city is out of control. John Spartan arrests Simon Phoenix for a hostage situation, but the hostages are killed and Spartan is charged with their murders. Both men are then sent to a prison where they are to be frozen until their parole. In 2023 when Phoenix is thawed out for his parole hearing he kills some prison officers and then he escapes. Because of Phoenix's actions Spartan is thawed out in order to recapture Phoenix. After Spartan is released he teams up with Lenina Huxley. Spartan and Phoenix have been frozen for 36 years. When they are released the city has changed dramatically, it is now a computerized society called San Angeles. In the city of San Angeles there is no chaos, everything is controlled and in complete harmony. In San Angeles everything that is harmful to people is illegal. Smoking, drinking, salt, caffeine, spicy foods, meat, and contact sports have been banned. This computerized society can keep track of every citizen because they all have a microchip in their bodies and there are cameras on every corner. There are fines for cursing and dirty jokes. The music that the citizens in San Angeles listen to is commercial tunes. Taco Bell is the only restaurant because of the franchise war. San Angeles has a lot of control of its citizens. There is rarely any physical contact, the clothing is bland and it covers up most of the body. Fluid transfer is illegal so women have to go to a clinic and be tested in order to get pregnant. The people who will not obey the strict rules of San Angeles live underground in tunnels and sewers. They are called Scraps or Hooligans. The tunnels and sewers are very dirty, smelly and crowded. The Scraps are against the rules of San Angeles because they feel they take their freedom of choice. The Scraps drink alcohol, eat meat, and curse freely. Because of their behaviors and beliefs the Scraps are seen as outcasts from the rest of society and they are left to fend for themselves.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Describe the hardware and software used to create and edit graphic images Essay

Hardware – A hardware is a device that is manually connected to the computer. An example of hardware is a computer monitor that allows you to see what you are doing on the computer. Graphics Card – In order to create a graphics image, a graphics card is necessary. The graphics card proceeds digital information directly from the operating system stating what needs to be shown on the monitor. The graphics cards are needed to produce images that meet the wants of the users by using the abilities of the monitor. Internal Memory – The interior memory of a computer is called RAM. It is mainly used to hold programmes and pages that are open or any documents and graphics that the user is viewing. This is useful for creating graphics images because once the programme or document is in the RAM then it works at a higher speed which is good because users are able to complete their work at a faster speed and don’t have to experience any problems. Processor – The processor is the main part of the computer system, it allows the operating system and other programmes to run on the computer system. The processor also works out the calculation that is required to operate digital graphics. The processor is important in continuing the performance with difficult digital images. Digital Camera – When working with digital graphics, professionals will usually need to bring in their own images for their work so they will usually use digital cameras. By using digital cameras it will be easy for them to put the pictures directly onto the computer system from the digital camera. This could either be done by a cable or a card. Fire Storage – When working with digital graphics they will need to be saved onto the computer system so they can be used again by the designer. They may also need to be modified by backed up or even sent to other people that would need to see the images such as a client so they will need to be saved in order to complete those steps. USB Devices – With digital graphics using a USB device is need in order to input or move graphic images to another computer or onto a different device such as a digital camera. Input Devices – When dealing with digital graphics input devices are useful and important as the user can capture the images and put the onto the computer system. Graphical input devices include a scanner or a graphics tablet. Software – A software is a typoe of programme that is run on the computer. Example of softwares include photoshop and fireworks. Vector Based Graphic- Vector based graphic softwares include CorelDraw. CorelDraw is a vector graphic editing software that allows graphic designers to edit their work by uisng the following software. Vector images are diagrams and graphics because they are able to have a higher resolution so the pictures are clear. Vector images are also good for enlarging and reducing size as they will not loose the focus of the image. Bitmap Based Graphic – Bitmap based graphic softwares include Corel Paint Shop and Microsoft Paint. Both Corel Paint Shop and Microsoft Paint are graphics paint programme and are used to create bitmap grahics. Bitmap graphcis differs from vector graphics due to bitmap graphics having a large file size when saved onto a drive. Bitmap graphics also lose the focus of the image when they are enlarged or reduced with size. Bitmap graphics are good when they are used for screenshots and webpage pictures. Photo Manipulation – Photo manipulation sotware applicatios are professional bitmap programmes that have the necessary tools in order to manipulate the photographs. Examples of photo manipulation softwares include Corel Photo-Paint and Adobe Photoshop. Other softwares include: Image Viewers and Photo Galleries Image Viewers – Image viewers are certain programmes that allow users to see a view of the folder with previews of the files that are located in the folders. Examples of image viewers include Microsoft Windows Explorer. With Microsoft windows explorer the user will be able to set the view at different sizes e. g. medium, large or extra-large icons in order to see the files in the folders. Photo Galleries – Photo galleries is a software that shows a gathering of photos. Photo galleries are often used for a collection of web pages to show he images that different people have posted.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Health care provider Essay

Greg Wilson, a 65-year-old man, is diagnosed with pneumonia. He has a history of congestive heart failure. His physician has ordered an antibiotic for the pneumonia and he takes digoxin every day. As the health care provider, which question would you ask first before administering his antibiotic? Why is the first dose of the antibiotic twice as much as the maintenance dose? Which variables may slow his metabolism and excretion? You should submit your initial response to each discussion question by Wednesday at 11:59 pm (MT) each week. You are also required to respond to a peer and/or their instructor on one other day of the week. LP2.1 Discussion: Medication Effects As a health care provider we must ask the right questions especially before administrating any medication. In the case study for Greg Wilson, the first and most important question his health care provider should ask is â€Å"have you ever had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic?† The reason for this question is imperative because it helps the provider to determine which antibiotic is best for him. If Greg Wilson has had a reaction before, the health care provider can avoid and more complications to Greg. Sometimes a provider will prescribe a prescription that will have instructions that instruct the patient to take two doses on the first dose, and after the first dose to take only one dose. This form of administrating medication is known as the loading dose. The loading dose is when a patient takes the initial dose that is often the maximum dose and then continues taking the medication using a smaller dosage. The reason for using this method is to quickly elevate the level o f the drug in the blood. The health care provider that is responsible for Greg Wilson’s prescription must also factor in other variables regarding the patient. The following variables must be known in order to administer the correct medication and dosage for it to be effective. * Age – as we get older our metabolism and excretions become slower, which can cause effects on how the medication is absorbed and excreted. * Weight – many drug doses depend on the weight of a patient. In most cases the heavier the patient the higher the dosage. * Gender – Men and women have different factors that cause them to respond differently to medication. Some factors are pregnancy, ratio of fat per body massdiffers in men and women, and hormone levels are also different in men and woman These factors are important because they all have some effect on how a patient’s body is going to react to the medication they were provided. The effectiveness and possible side effects of medication are all determined on many things, and it’s the health care provider’s responsibility to know a lot of important information about a pat ient in order to provide them the best care they can offer. Sources: Essentials of Pharmacology for Health Occupations, Sixth Edition

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Too Many Things To Write About

Too Many Things To Write About â€Å"If neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at once and the same time, then I’m neurotic as hell. I’ll be flying back and forth between one mutually exclusive thing and another for the rest of my days.†Ã‚  - Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar A common complaint But writing anything is progressive. Even writing the wrong story, if there is such a thing. Putting words on paper, crafting plot, molding character, solving structure are all positive, advancing efforts in the evolution of a writer. All that time stressing and not writing is wasting time you could spend writing. I have a partial novel on a flash drive. I doubt Ill ever complete it, because Ive found other writing I love better. However, the weeks and weeks I spent writing those thirty thousand words taught me what I wanted and didnt want to write. It was an over-zealous project for me at that stage of my career, but the lessons were legion. I admire that unfinished piece as many stair steps toward what I ultimately published. Ideas. . . we all have them. Some of us incessantly ponder them in their heads. Others of us just write lists of them. Others carry through and complete the stories. Most of those stories wont see the light of day, will be rejected, or will simply become dead ends. But those writers. . . the ones who go through the sweat of crafting those ideas into words, will have taken the biggest strides forward. Those are the ones who will one day strike gold Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and heres to writing badly in order to find the good.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Global economic and marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Global economic and marketing - Essay Example 1.3 Decreasing the price of a commodity does not necessarily mean that a business establishment will realise profits. This is because there are other market forces such as competition that decide the price at which good and services are to be offered in the market. This being the case the management of the company should perform an assessment of the market in order to understand how various factors affect the price and demand of transport. After doing so the company will be well equipped to know to which level they should lower their prices in order to enjoy profits. Question two 2.1 One notices that changes in the income tax change in different ways from 2008 to 2013. This can be attributed to various factors that force the government to adopt taxation policies. For instance, when the government is running on a deficit budget then it is within reason that the government increases the income tax rate or tax band in order to increase its revenue. From the data provided one establishes the United Kingdom does not increase the tax rate but it increases the tax band. This is considered by various scholars as a good policy to adopt when allocate tax revenue especially in economic turmoil times. The tax system of the United Kingdom is designed in a manner in which those who earn minimum wages are charged lower taxes than those who earn higher amounts. For instance a person who earns 150,000 pounds is charged a higher tax rate when compared to one who earns 10, 000 pounds. This is so since the one earning above 150,000 falls under three different tax bands with three different tax rate each higher than the other. As a result their salary is deducted a considerable amount of their tax money. The United Kingdom government employs a tax system based on tax bands rather than increasing tax rates in order to ensure that low income earners are not deducted huge sums of money as income tax while at the same time the government continues to earn more revenue from those earnin g high incomes. In short, it is a good policy adopted since the latter complements the previous. 2.2 Income level 1 - ?10,000 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Personal allowance ?6,035 ?6,475 ?6,475 ?7,475 ?8,105 Income after reduction of personal allowance

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Pluto Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pluto - Essay Example Pluto has five moons which are Charon, Hydra, Nix, Kerberos, and Styx and there are believed to be many other smaller moons some which have been discovered and others which have not yet been discovered. Charon which is the largest was also discovered first in 1978 followed by Hydra and Nix which were both discovered in 2005. The discovery of these moons suggests that the planet may be having a ring system though past studies show that no ring exists on the planet or on its periphery. It is also worth noting that these moons are unusually close to the dwarf planet than all other objects that surround it and also then it is the case in the majority of other planets which have been explored. The origin and the identity of Pluto are not very clear and there are actually many differing theories all of which try to explain these two aspects. Some of these theories suggest that the planet used to be a moon of the neighboring planet Neptune that escaped from the normal path of circulation he nce resulting to a new planet. Other theories differ with this and argue that the paths of the two planets are far away from each and thus there is no possibility of the two colliding. There is a lot to be explored on Pluto and therefore the possibility of a spacecraft landing on the planet this year is expected to be of great benefit as far as studies concerning the planet are concerned. There is, therefore, need for more studies and visits to be launched in order to solve all the mysteries surrounding the planet.

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Analyse and evaluate the impact of volunteer tourism on host Essay

Analyse and evaluate the impact of volunteer tourism on host communities - Essay Example Volunteer tourism is thus aimed at serving for the welfare of the community and at the same time facing the challenges in touring new places of diverse language and culture. Generally mass tourism is viewed as an activity of excursion or entertainment trip that is aimed at refreshment for the people undertaking the tour. The visit to new places is aimed at getting to know the language, culture and heritage of the places. The activities of mass tourism involve leisure with food and lodging, luxurious transport, etc. These activities impact the host community as it leads to environmental pollution and degradation and accumulation of garbage and waste. With the rise in globalization and increase in activities of the tourism industry, the issues of environmental degradation and conservation of wildlife and awareness of pollution have become sensitive issues all over the world. Volunteer tourism is an activity undertaken the volunteer tourists in undertaking tours to different places with an objective to serve for the welfare of the tourist spots (Benson, 2010, p.39). Discussion The activities of volunteer tourism has shifted the objective of tourism from the welfare of tourist industry to the welfare of host community or the places which host the tourist for a being popular destinations. The members of the community view the activities of volunteer tourism as restoration of nature and environmental balance of the host community. As a result of this, the members of the host community engage themselves directly in activities undertaken as a part of volunteer tourism. The members of the host community act in collaboration of the volunteers tourists and extend full co-operation and support to the volunteers in order to accomplish the goals of volunteer tourism. As a result of the volunteer tourism, the tourists are also exposed to the culture, language and social heritage of the area and thus there is a healthy exchange of culture between the local people and the volun teer tourists. The overall purpose of volunteer tourism being aimed at welfare of the host community, the local area is positively impacted by the honest efforts of the volunteer tourists. The volunteer tourists also have the objective of providing assistance to the community development projects that have been planned for execution. In order to be fully effective, the community development projects should be supported with necessary funds along with the knowledge and skill for efficient execution (Bricker,  Black and  Cottrell, 2012, p.49). The community development programmes may be aimed at development of children and women in the region, provision of food and nourishment for the under privileged, conservation of trees and forests, environmental balance, etc. The volunteer tourists play a vital role in collecting the necessary funding and also share the knowledge and skill required for execution of the community development projects. The volunteer tourism activities provide a means for the host community to increase their income levels and also accumulation of wealth. The volunteer tourist activities put up in the target destination for a period of time. Thus the basic and essential needs of the volunteer tourists need to be fulfilled by the economy of the host country. The supply from the host community is purchased by the volunteer tourists due to which the income levels of the host commu

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

United States Defense Policy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

United States Defense Policy - Research Paper Example The disaster energized the country especially its defense system and the administration to generate modifications in the existing defense policy. By analyzing major political transactions that occurred in the Middle East and central Asian countries it is clear that some philosophical, ethical and moral questions are involved in formulating the existing defense US defense policy. Its policies in Post Cold War period, programs against international terrorism and internal security constitute ethical and moral issues. Studies often reported that the policy is not effective to resolve various ethical and moral issues. Current defense policy of the United States’ concentrates to deter aggression against the country, its allies. Another significant element that one can find in US defense policy is the programs to control most dangerous weapons and the effective implementation of Nuclear- Proliferation Treaty. Current US defiance policy underlines effective coordination of various defiance department and security agencies. The online article entitled Security System Reform and Governance gives information about Security System Reform and it rightly comments that; â€Å"SSR frameworks should therefore address both external and internal threats to people’s safety, to law and order and to state stability.† (Manning, 2005, p.22). Existing Defense policy of the United States plays a significant role in the field of international politics, immigration, and economic transactions and its programs to prevent international terrorism constitutes desirable results. United States’ Dep artment of Defense is the central body that coordinates various agencies and supervises the process of policy making. There are a number of factors or institutions that are involved in the process of policy formation such as the Department of the Army, Navy and Air force. Other institutions are

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Acupuncture for Chronic Headache in Primary Care

Acupuncture for Chronic Headache in Primary Care Research Critique Introduction Research involves the use of systematic procedures to answer an inquiry. It involves data collection, synthesis and analysis in the light of the question or inquiry; and formulation of conclusions and recommendations, (Badke, 2004). General types of research include experimental studies which â€Å"are used to test the effect of a treatment or intervention†, (Peat, 2001, p. 16). Clinical trails fall under the broad category of experimental trials. Clinical trials are controlled experiments with patients, which range from â€Å"studies to prevent, detect, diagnose, control and treat health problems to studies of the psychological impact of a health problem and ways to improve people’s health, comfort, functioning, and quality of life†, (Brooten, 2006, p.86). Generally, clinical trials can be categorised into either randomised trials or non-randomised trials. This paper will try to evaluate the scientific research conducted by Vickers and colleagues (2004), entitled: Acupuncture for chronic headache in primary care: large, pragmatic, randomised trial, which was published on 15 March 2004 at the British Medical Journal. This particular topic was selected due to its relevance to this field of study. Numerous insights from this field of study and valuable best practice information in quantitative research methods can be gained from undertaking this critiquing task. This critique will be carried out using the research framework for critiquing health research formulated by Caldwell and co-workers (2005), which provides a comprehensive set of criteria against which the elements of the research article by Vickers and colleagues (2004) can be appropriately measured. This paper will first evaluate the overview of the study, including the abstract, literature review and the methodology used. Next, it will critically analyse issues concerning resear ch ethics, data protection and research funding. Then, it will evaluate the reliability, validity of the research results, including the sampling methods employed. It will then identify the specific strengths and weaknesses of the research article. Finally, the concluding judgement about the research article will be presented. Below are the definitions of selected important terms used in the research article: Acupuncture – pertains to the â€Å"technique of traditional Chinese medicine, in which a number of very fine metal needles are inserted into the skin at specially designated points†, (â€Å"Acupuncture†, 2007). ANCOVA – stands for ‘analysis of covariance’ which is a statistical treatment that combines analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression; whereby â€Å"the predictable component of the individual differences can be removed with regression analysis†, (Anderson, 2001, p. 283). Chronic – â€Å"all impairments or deviations from normal that have one or more of the following characteristics: are permanent; leave residual disability; are caused by nonreversible pathological alteration; require special training of the patient for rehabilitation; or may be expected to require a long period of supervision, observation or care†, (Sidell, 1997, p. 1) Negative binomial regression – â€Å"is one of a class of mixed Poisson models that mix a second source of variance with the Poisson variance to account for overdispersion†, (Cohen, et al., 2003, p. 531). Outcome measures – â€Å"reflect patient health status at either the individual or the aggregate (population) level†, (Stommel Wills, 2004, p. 234). Randomised trial A randomised trial is a clinical trial that pertains to â€Å"an experiment in which therapies under investigation are allocated by a chance mechanism†, (Brooten, 2006, p.86). Sham Treatment – is the experimental treatment that â€Å"has no effect and which subjects cannot distinguish from the active treatment â€Å"(Peat, 2001, p. 20). Critical Analysis In March 15, 2004, the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association, published the research article in its medical journal, the British Medical Journal (BMJ). Its â€Å"print BMJ has been published continuously since 1840, and now appears in four weekly editions, varying only in their advertising content. Together, their circulation totals about 122 000 copies, of which 10 000 are distributed outside Britain†, (BMJ, undated). Its website provides â€Å"the full text of everything published in the print journal since 1994, as well as much material unique to the web†, (BMJ, undated).These make the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. an influential and authoritative source of medical articles. The authors are recognized medical practitioners with different fields of specialisations. Andrew Vickers is an assistant attending research methodologist at the Integrative Medicine Service, Biostatistics Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York; Rebecca Rees is a research officer at the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre), Social Science Research Unit in London; Catherine E Zollman is a general medical practitioner from Montpelier Health Centre in Bristol; Rob McCarney is a research officer at the Department of Psychological Medicine, Imperial College in London; Nadia Ellis is lecturer Department of Health and Social Sciences, Coventry University in Coventry; and both Peter Fisher, who is the director of research and Robbert Van Haselen who works as the deputy director of research are from Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. Thus, based on their qualifications, the authors have the credibility, needed knowledge and e xpertise to engage in an extensive scientific study such as the article being evaluated. The article is appropriately titled as Acupuncture for chronic headache in primary care: large, pragmatic, randomised trial, since it essentially focussed on the effectiveness of the use of acupuncture to relieve chronic headache. Moreover, the title expressly implies that the methodology utilizes a large sample in the randomised trial. The abstract appears to be concise and complete. In a few paragraphs, the essential research components were summarised in the abstract, namely: (1) the research objective; (2) setting; (3) participants; (4) interventions; (5) main outcome measures; (6) results; and (7) conclusions. The abstract provides the complete key information that the readers need to fully understand the article. The introduction explained the health costs related to headache, which is the main topic of the article, including the need to apply other approaches in its treatment, particularly, acupuncture. The introduction also provides the main aim or rationale of the study, whi ch was: â€Å"to estimate the effects of acupuncture in practice† in general; and â€Å"to determine the effects of a policy of ‘use acupuncture’ on headache, health status, days off sick, and use of resources in patients with chronic headache compared with a policy of avoid acupuncture†, in particular, (Vickers et al., 2004). However, the literature review was limited to only one source of published work – the Cochrane review of 26 randomised trials. This would be very insufficient in terms of the extent of evaluating available sources of information related to the topic of the study. Moreover, it does not provide a comprehensive evaluation of scholarly work from which the rationale of the study could be based. The study is a quantitative research, since the data obtained are represented in the form of numbers and statistical treatment was employed to interpret the data gathered (Grinnell Unrau, 2005, p. 62). Despite the lack of implicit statement of the hypothesis, the audience or reader can obtain a general notion or idea of what is being tested (the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic headache). However, the variables were not clearly defined. Nevertheless, the procedures employed in the methodology were intricate and systematic. The participants were clearly identified and adequately described in the study. In the accrual of patients, several stages were established to facilitate the flow and recruitment of participants. Figure 1 in the appendix illustrates the flow of participants in the study. Moreover, ethical principles were upheld during the conduct of participant recruitment. Since most legal instruments expressly prohibit the use of human subjects for medica l research, the researchers obtained written informed consent from the participants. The researchers implemented a system to ensure randomization of the study through a ‘password protected database’, thereby eliminating the potential for bias and subsequently improving the quality of the results. As Peat (2001, p. 28), explains: â€Å" in randomised controlled trials, the quality of the evidence is improved if measurement bias, such as observer or reporting bias, is reduced by using objective outcome measurements and if observers are blinded to the group status of the subjects. The method of data collection proves to be valid and reliable, as evidenced by the relatively high number of treatments (12 treatments) employed over a sufficient length of time (3 months). Moreover, a follow-up procedure was implemented to generate â€Å"a global estimate of current and baseline headache severity†, (Vickers, et al., 2004). This further enhanced the validity of the results. The large sample size helped ensure the reliability of the results. Additionally, t he use of measurable outcomes such as the Likert scale of headache severity helped eliminate bias by extending common measurement criteria for the respondents. The article correlated its results with the findings in â€Å"prior literature on acupuncture†, (Vickers, et al., 2004), suggesting a high degree of validity of results generated. The presentation of results was systematic and at the same time, clear and comprehensive. The results portion explained the process of participant recruitment including the flow of participants through the trial, patient compliance and dropout rate and their characteristics. It also provided a clear explanation of data that were obtained with accompanying tables and graphs. Thus, the audience can easily comprehend the results obtained. In the discussion, the results generated were translated into the main findings of the study which were stated in a clear, yet simple manner. Moreover, the strengths and the limitations were identified and discussed clearly. The strengths of the research article are anchored on its methodology, such as in the recruitment of participants with a large sample size, the implementation of a system to conceal the randomization and the meticulous follow-up procedure one year after the experiment. Such procedures helped ensure that the research findings are reliable and valid. On the other hand, one of the limitations of the study is the absence of sham acupuncture for the participants, thereby failing to consider the potential placebo effects. Additionally, the participants were not blinded in the study; thereby raising the possibility of bias in terms of the participants’ assessments of their headache scores. In terms of the literature review, the article failed to provide an objective evaluation of a sufficient body of literature related to the topic of the research. Thus, it failed to address the gaps in knowledge related to acupuncture and chronic headache due to the lack of an extensive evaluation o f available literature. Conclusion In the final analysis, the research article serves as an additional source of authoritative and credible information regarding the use of acupuncture for the relief of chronic headache. The findings of the study strongly support available scientific evidence. The weaknesses of the research article discussed above can serve as important considerations for researchers who are planning to engage in a similar undertaking – they must evaluate a substantial body of literature to gain insight into the currently available information and subsequently identify knowledge gaps. Moreover, future randomised clinical studies in acupuncture should include a sham treatment to be able to consider potential placebo effects; and blinding of participants must be observed to eliminate bias. Bibliography Acupuncture. (2007). In The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. Anderson, N.H., 2001. Empirical Direction in Design and Analysis. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Badke, W.B., 2004. Research strategies: Finding your way through the information fog. (Second Edition). New York: iUniverse, Inc. British Medical Journal. Undated. Available from: http://resources.bmj.com/bmj/about-bmj. [Accessed: 18 April, 2008]. Brooten, D., 2006. Clinical Trails. In: Encyclopedia of Nursing Research (Second Edition). Joyce Fitzpatrick and Wallace, J.J., (Eds). New York: Springer Publishing Company. Caldwell, K., Henshaw, L., Taylor, G., 2005. Developing a framework for critiquing health research. Journal of Health, Social and Environmental Issues, 6(1), 45-54. Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S.G. and Aiken, L.S., 2003. Applied Multiple Regression / Correlation Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Grinnell, R. M., Unrau, Y. A., (Eds.), 2005. Social Work Research and Evaluation: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches (7th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. Peat, J. K. (Ed.), 2001. Health Science Research: A Handbook of Quantitative Methods. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen Unwin. Sidell, N. L. , 1997. Adult Adjustment to Chronic Illness: A Review of the Literature. Health and Social Work, 22(1), 5+. Stommels, M., Wills, C.E., 2004. Clinical Research: Concepts and Principles for Advanced Practice Nurses. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Vickers, A.J., Rees, R., Zollman, C.E., McCarney, R., Smith, C.M., Ellis, N., Fisher, P., 2004. Acupuncture for chronic headache in primary care: large, pragmatic, randomised trial. Available from: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/328/7442/744. [Accessed: 15 April 2008]. Appendix Figure 1Flow of Participants Through the Trial Source: Vickers, et al., 2004