Holiday Decision Making Trends Essay

Introduction Consumer/client behavior is the analysis of the intellectual processes and perceived tendencies that are observed during the search, use and sale of an object, service and product. The need to study consumer tendencies and analysis of what is important and necessary for the zenith of the marketing tactic is very much needed. The client decision process is a sequence of stages of practices that a consumer/client undertakes when deciding to buy any object, product, software or service. Any client/consumer who takes a decision follows a five pronged approach to buying any product. This is the conventional decision process that is traditional. It is very important that the market representative study and master the decision process of consumers. There are various steps that are taken for deciding on the product. The marketer needs to be successfully sell the market by understand this process. There are five critical parts of the conventional decision process that are: Recognition of need, searching for information, Searching and testing the alternatives, Buying and Post evaluation of the process. The first stage is the recognition of need. When a client/consumer knows a special requirement that has not been addressed, that requirement will need to be met. There are two separate types of requirement identification system that clients/consumers usually apply. The first type of consumer is the one who decides to purchase a product only when the existing product does not live up to his or her expectations. There are aptly called the actual aspect clients. The second group of clients/consumers is the ones who need product out of want, not necessity. They are known as the desire aspect clients. This desire for them to have a –product actually fuels their decision making process. This type of consumer is very easy to convince during the marketing stage because there is an underlying desire that needs to be satisfied  (Hawkin et. al, 2003, pp. 71-99). Discussion Identification The second stage is the information search stage. In this stage, the client or consumer has seen a product that may possibly suit his or her needs. There are now two search modes that can apply here: the inside search and the outside search (Robinson, 2008, pp. 22-224). An Inside search refers to the process where a consumer/client remembers all the past experiences regarding that need which he or she is trying to address. These past experiences are the foundation on which the decision process will be based. An outside search refers to the case where the client/consumer uses the environment around him or her as a reference point for making the decision. This may be the case where the person does not have sufficient knowledge or experience in the problem that needs to be addressed. Many buying decisions are conducted using a combined inside and outside search option. It is common for a client/consumer to undertake extensive research in those products that are expensive or which provide a very sensitive or high risk service. There will obviously be less research for those products that are more affordable and feasible in the purpose they serve. The searching mechanism for buying cosmetic products would obviously be different compared to buying a house. In the alternatives evaluation stage, the client/consumer has made a small list of the objects or services that cater to his or her specific need. Now the person will take into consideration the alternatives that are available for meeting their needs. The parameters for alternatives usually include brand, cost, quality and durability. These alternatives are compared with the already selected list of products (Robinson, 2008, pp. 22-224). The products that are viable are termed as the Evoked group. The inept group is those set of products which did not effectively address the need of the consumer and was subsequently termed undesirable. The inert group of products is the brands that the consumer is indecisive about. This means that the products in this group may or may not be of particular interest to the client/consumer. Sequelae In the next stage the consumer finally buys the product. He or she does this after isolating the requirement, carrying out a search and trying out the different options. Consumers are usually found to carry out their purchase in three different ways: trail buy, repetitive buying and lifelong commitment buying (Michael, 2004, pp.234-237). The trail buying is the purchase which a consumer does in order to test runs the product. The second one is the repetitive purchase which is based on a consumer trusting a particular product and brand and thereby purchases it continuously. Lifelong commitment is the purchase a customer makes in spite of a price hike or perceived reduction in volume, as the consumer is now a lifelong patron of that particular product. The final stage is the post-sale stage where the person has now bought the product and is contemplating whether the product had effectively addressed the needs of the person or not. Where the product meets the requirements of the consumer, there is satisfaction. However in the case that the product does not meet the client’ need, there is internal frustration on the part of the client who is now wondering if the product is the fault or the decision skills of the client. Holiday decisions are based on various factors. After analysis of various households and families, it was clear that Holiday decisions followed a precise rudimentary process that was slightly different from conventional decisions. The first thing that was observed was that administrative needs are of utmost importance. The time, day and period of the holiday is all part of the administrative phase. The next step was that there is no cyclic process in deciding for a holiday (Robinson, 2008, pp. 22-224). The need for a holiday arises not as a matter of fact, but out of personal preferences, situational positions, level of commitment, level of responsibility, familiar commitments and other such parameters. The traditional decision is usually taken in a very routine fashion with a clearly defined sequence. This sequence consists of the recognition, search, evaluate, buy and reevaluate stages. This is what conventional decision making is all about. It follows a logical flow of ideas. The conventional decision is taken only if a need arises. It does not depend on any other factor, However Holidays are decided upon based not on a need but on a preference. This preference can be superficial or preventive in nature. It is not a necessity but a possibility. Therefore holidays spur out from a need to relax and unwind. There is no direct need that has to be  met. The holiday decision making process is always subjective in nature. It cannot be objectified (Hawkin et. al, 2003, pp. 71-99). Moreover, the knowledge search inside holiday judgments is found to be more internal or memory based, as compared to external or even stimulus primarily based. However, every piece of information collected just weren’t always used (Michael, 2004, pp.234-237). The holiday choice makers had been also found to be low details searchers. Info accumulated normally in a neo purposive method and they grow to be really important during the last days ahead of a reserving is made. You will find there’s shift observed from internal to outer source of details and from general for you to more certain information completely. Hence in holiday selection, information research information series is not a primary predictor involving actual choices but helps with strongly mentioning the choices of a consumer. Whereas, inside traditional client decision making the knowledge search is mainly internal concentrated (like past experience) for merchandise with safe and products which are less expensive, external (like person reference) with regard to products individuals involve high risk and are high-priced. The higher the consideration of your experience, the more reduced the outside search can be done. Information is considered essential and the info gathered turns into the power in the decision making of a consumer. The kind of transfer from common to specific data hunt just isn’t quite significant in traditional consumer judgments. In traditional consumer making decisions, the search commences as internal and then proceeds to external and then a combination of both (Michael, 2004, pp.234-237). It is also observed which unlike holiday decision making, conventional consumer decision making consumers are keen information individuals and conducts a thorough research before deciding on a particular item. And finally, inside traditional customer decision making, details collection powerful points the particular preferences of consumer, and in addition is a vital forecaster of the actual determination that the customer tends to take. When it came to your evaluation associated with alternatives in the event of holiday decision making, the study carried out brought to light which holiday selection was an ongoing circular process that began using the making of your decision (Robinson, 2008, pp. 22-224). Ideally, as one holiday ended, Christmas decision manufacturers involved themselves in making the following plan. It  absolutely was also noticed that the determination makers involved themselves to produce a number of plans at the same time. So does the examination of alternate options. As they continuously keep attaining information they have an inclination to keep changing their preference for choices. And each in the plans the holiday maker made comprised of various time capabilities, different formulas and different varieties of decision making processes (Lars, 1999, pp. 140-157). Another instance in the case highlighted the fact that vacation decision making had been mostly found to be adaptable and opportunistic. In these cases holiday decision producers, though got willingness to venture to a particular place for a holiday, we were holding found to be planning only when the opportunity struck. For this reason, adaptability along with opportunity were found to be both major criteria on what a holiday selection maker is discovered to analyzing and picking out the option of a holiday destination. Furthermore, these techniques were found to get aligned using situation and the type of judgments unit through which they were required. So even though evaluating the alternative, the alternative which is more favorable to evolve and to which there was a new prevailing opportunity was given far more importance than the usual on Elizabeth which wasn’t beneficial and for that there was no opportunity (Robinson, 2008, pp. 22-224). Altogether, it was found that although evaluating options and making decisions, adaptability and the decision making system to which a trip decision manufacturer belonged influenced for you to situations and decision making unit to which they will belong. If this came to examination, preferences ended up more presented to experience dependent techniques as compared to pre-planned ones. Several holiday makers didn’t make use of any effectively defined techniques while producing their selections. Needs and desires have been directly connected to ch oice options because they are evoked at the same time. Finally, they like simple determination rules even though they are not correct. Alongside, tourists decision strategies were seen as factors like constrained amount of control, selective processing, qualitative reasoning, feature based neo compensatory regulations and a don’t have for the analysis of each option (Hawkin et. al, 2003, pp. 71-99). In comparison to this, in the classic consumer making decisions model the individual evaluates goods based on brand names and criteria. Unlike in holiday judgments, in conventional  consumer judgments consumers adhere to a method whereby initially, the evoked set will be generated depending on the list of makes from which that they plan to help make their selection following which in turn criteria will be used to evaluate each and every brand separately. Based on the standing of criteria, a final product choice is made (Michael, 2004, pp.234-237). Evaluation of options is not a continuing process and it’s also done only when a particular method is recognized to be catering to a specific need/problem identified. Hence traditional client decision making is not in any manner not adaptable neither opportunistic rather their completely need/desire driven. Also before planned choices were the one that was given a lot more importance if this came to analysis. Strategies are generally clearly produced based on ranking of top features of a particular merchandise of a brand name. In standard consumer decision making, evaluation regarding alternatives is characterized by the information of the brand, info gathered as well as the preference associated with criteria evaluated for each and every brand/product of the evoked set (Robinson, 2008, pp. 22-224). When inspecting the purchase point of the getaway decision making, it absolutely was found that the final decision making was developed by consumers in the last minutes. This was generally done to reduce the risk involved, expectancy, availability, loyalty along with personality. It is also found in the case that the purchase of the holiday decision making is conducted instantaneously based on momentary feelings and inner thoughts. Emotional aspects in fact ended up identified to be a major issue based on that this holiday choices were made. Buying is also completed instantly as the holiday determination makers tend to be consumers whose choices are produced suddenly for sudden satisfaction. This shows the fact that successful choice mode is more related than classic information processing mode throughout Holiday judgments model that will in itself is really a highly experiential product or service. Most of the vacation decision manufacturers tend to be optimistic and idealistic inside the starting nevertheless they become practical only with time and ultimate purchase is manufactured only the final moment. The reason for this craze of move was recognized to be the aim intervention as well as subjective perception of contextual factors (Michael, 2004, pp.234-237). Even so contextual factors like occupation, family, and scenario are 1st considered  just before contextual inhibitors like period, money as well as budget. The sense of mental dissonance can be thoroughly noticed in situation of holiday decision making. Due to this experience of mental dissonance that is a post purchase concern it was seen that the informants concerned themselves within gathering details during after the holiday expertise altogether. Your informants in many cases were found to be encountering cognitive dissonance which usually continuously strived to reduce (Lars, 1999, pp. 140-157). Conclusions In the traditional judgments model, type of feel-learn-do is witnessed to be essential whereas the feel-learn-do and feel-do-learn series appear more essential in the holiday decision making. Up against the holiday selection, in traditional consumer making decisions the consumer plans sequentially before making purchasing (Schiffman, 2008, pp. 71-99). They locate a need, carry out information lookup, evaluate your options and make a decision to purchase the chosen merchandise. Unlike in vacation decision making, within traditional customer decision making an effective are seen to be positive, idealistic and sensible right from the need recognition period till this particular stage involving purchase. Furthermore, in case of classic consumer judgments, the article purchase mental dissonance experienced by a person was found to become directly proportional for the risk as well as value associated with the product (Michael, 2004, pp.234-237). Based on the comparative research made it could be evidently described that holiday decision making techniques evidently differs from the traditional customer decision making. From the comfort of the beginning period of will need recognition until the stage regarding post-purchase evaluation phase the differences are evident along with noticeable. Getaway decision making is especially based on opportunities, adaptability and also emotions to some very large magnitude. Unlike conventional consumer making decisions holiday judgments is found to be blend of many procedures (Lars, 1999, pp. 140-157). Hence totally holiday making decisions, is recognized to be a rational process and holiday selection processes and considered to be very important as they may be vital throughout achieving greater order objectives. References Peter Robinson. (2008). Holiday decision making: the family perspective. Available: http://www.insights.org.uk/articleitem.aspx?title=Holiday+Decision+Making:+The+Family+Perspective. pp. 22-24 Michael Richarme. (2004). Consumer Decision Making Models, Strategies and Theories. Available: http://www.decisionanalyst.com/publ_art/decisionmaking.dai. pp. 234-237 Lars Perner PhD . (1999). Consumer Behaviour: Psychology Of Marketing. Available: http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/. pp.140-157 Hawkins, Delbert, Best, Roger, Coney, Kenneth (2003). Consumer Behaviour: Building Marketing Strategy. London: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. pp. 71-99. Leon G.Schiffman, Leslie Lazar Kanuk, Havard Hansen (2008). Consumer Behaviour. England: Pearson Education Limited. pp. 75-91.

The story revolved around an unlikely relationship

The story revolved around an unlikely relationship between a boy and a 36-year-old wealthy man. Will was wealthy and trendy. He spent most of his days laying around and being self-absorbed.He was living off his late father’s royalties from his hit single, â€Å"Santa’s Super Sleigh.† He refused to do anything with his life. Bored and desperate to meet women who were desperate for sex, he went off to join a single parent’s group called â€Å"SPAT.† He pretended to have a son, until he met Suzie.At a company outing, Will met Fiona, an eccentric hippy vegan who had a 12-year-old sold named Marcus. He was the type of child who was bullied in school because of his weird haircut and his old-fashioned clothes that his mom chose for him.During that time, Will and Marcus did not like each other very much. It was during that time when, they discovered that Fiona tried to commit suicide. Marcus spied on Will during the day and discovered he was not a single pa rent since he did not have a kid. He tried to convince Will to befriend his mother, fearing that she would try to kill herself again This was because of his mother’s constant crying.Over time, Will allowed Marcus to visit him. He even gave him new trainers. The next day, they got stolen. Marcus had to explain to his mother how Will was trying to help him out socially. Marcus joined a talent show at school to sing â€Å"Killing me Softly† that was supposed to be his mother’s favorite song.Will tried to stop Marcus from doing so and races to his school knowing it was social suicide. He arrived but was not successful in persuading Marcus from performing. Seeing that Marcus was not doing well with the crowd, he came on stage with him playing a guitar. While the performance was not as successful, the friendship forged between Will and Marcus was. It served as a pivotal part in the story as the two turned each other’s lives around.Relationships. The story revol ved around the significance of relationships each character had in each other’s lives. The theme of the story was about how relationships can change your life. Mainly, it was Will’s life that was headlined.   He was living an empty life despite his wealth and free time.It was only when he formed a relationship with Marcus that his life gained meaning and substance. He began to care about someone other than himself as shown in how he brought him new shoes and when he performed the talent show with Marcus. If he did not meet Marcus, could he have changed his life alone? It was unlikely, as he did not realize then that he needed to.It was then that he apprehended that it was not good to live his life for himself alone. He saw how different it was when he did not knew Marcus. Once he had experienced having a real relationship with a person, he yearned for it and realized he needed people too. He felt the emptiness when Marcus was not around.At the same time, Marcus was c ruising through his life as a pushover. He did not know how to act with confidence because he did lack the chance to have a father figure. He did not have anyone whom he could have such an important relationship with.The time he had spent at Will’s house built the relationship between them, even if it was unwarranted. He was hanging out with him after school and it worked for them. The story showed that relationships did not need to be conventional for them to change a person’s life.The friendship that developed between Fiona and Will was also an unusual one. But she needed that relationship with Will in order to keep her sanity and avoid depression. Even if there were times wherein, he threatened her, she was grateful for the role he played in Marcus’ life. She saw that with Will around, she had a chance to make his life better.This showed how the relationships of the people we love have with other people affects our lives as well. People were also placed in ot hers lives for a purpose. It also showed that relationships were built over time. It was also strengthened by genuine concern and honesty.It was something that needed to be worked on. People needed a witness to their lives. The story revolved around relationships and the importance of human connection was to create a meaningful existence.Work CitedHornby, Nick. About a Boy. New York: Riverhead Books, 1998.

Eating Fast Food May Cause Obesity

Elizabeth Collins English 1302 March 27, 2013 Eating Fast Food May Cause Obesity Most American eat out daily and fast food is fried and high in calories, the bottom line is it’s all about choices. Making the decision to choose fried, baked or grilled food is a choice. Fast food, namely McDonald’s, tends to get a bad rap, McDonald’s got a bad rap because it is not only convenient but they made their food look attractive and desirable to kids. They placed those golden arches high in the air on the bright neon sign, and they put toys in their happy meals.While McDonald’s happy meals was not the most nutritious, now there are options as to what you can put in a kids happy meal. Statistics show that more than two-third of United States adults are obese: â€Å"Currently 58% of adults and 39% of children are classified as overweight or obese. † (4). Younger adults are less like to be obesity than adults at age sixty. In 1999-2000 obesity among boys increas ed from fourteen percent to eighteen point six percent in 2009-2010; there was no significance change among girls.In 1999-2000 obesity rate was 13. 8% and 15. % in 2009-2010. Then in 2007-2010 there was no change in general in obesity among boys and girls. Around 25% of children are overweight or obese. Most children that are obese in their childhood will be obese in their adult life. It is appropriate to say fast food may cause obesity. According to these statistics; this is because at most fast food restaurants you can up-size: medium, large, or super-size. Ordering oversized portions of servings may cause you to overeat.Although in the past McDonalds was blamed for a large part of obesity rate, McDonalds has made efforts to consciously make consumers more aware of what their food contains. It has also made more choices available, with much better nutritional value. In comparison, KFC chicken pot pies has 790 calories in them and wouldn’t this much soda be higher in calorie s. Much like big business where there’s a need; there’s an opportunity to make money, but many fast food restaurants are putting more healthier choices on their menu: For instance, Chipotle, my fit foods, Fuddruckers, 2nd even Luby’s.Studies have been done to show the effect of fast food on obesity. Americans may be prone to other behaviors that affect obesity when they eat fast food. It is a concern that fast food restaurants close to schools lead more children to obesity. To begin with, Data is computed to determine how many miles the fast food restaurants is within distance of the school. Knowingly there is a fast food restaurant in the area; if the restaurant is very close to the school, its questionable how so and that is a good way to recognize the effect of fast food on obesity.Next, the studies monitor a rich set of school and area individuality in their analysis. Finally, over a period of time, these studies will vary. Not long ago I was asked to look a t a choice between making a hot dog using a hot dog bun or using regular bread. The actual content of the hot dog is pretty ordinary, but the biggest difference can be made when choosing to eat an actual bun versus using bread for better or worse? Some people say fast food does not cause obesity.They say fast food restaurants have food now with less calories and a menu to show how many calories in the serving you are eating, and that fast food restaurants has more than doubled, because more American say it convenient to eat out than the go home and cook. While in the reports on popular press have repeatedly suggested that fast food is slightly to blame for the rise of the obesity rate in the U. S, it’s hard to show a connection between fast food and obesity. As an American, you have the ability to make healthier choices, so do it.With all things considered, you just need to know what to order and watch the amount of calories you take in. On salads, try using Balsamic Vinaigre tte instead of Ranch or Thousand Island. Consider picking grilled chicken over breaded. Maybe try eating a sandwich without any type of dressing, or just try exercising at least twice a week. Yes; fast food can cause obesity, but it’s all about the choices we make. Work Cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 Jan. 2011.Web. 25 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"How Is Fast Food Contributing to Obesity in America? † LIVESTRONG. COM. N. p. , n. d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. http://www. livestrong. com/article/457854-how-is-fast-food-contributing-to-obesity-in-america/. â€Å"Obesity Facts. † Obesity Facts. N. p. , n. d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"The National Bureau of Economic Research. † The National Bureau of Economic Research. N. p. , n. d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. .

Supply Chain Operations Management Assignment Essay

Supply Chain Operations Management Assignment - Essay Example Ownership upstream towards suppliers and subsidiaries of inputs to production is known as backward vertical integration, while ownership downstream towards buyers and distribution centres is known as forward vertical integration. Figure 1: Vertical Integration (Source: PPT) The disadvantages associated with vertical integration in achieving economies of scale can be highlighted as: 1. The costs incurred in forward and backward vertical integration are huge and can be used to expand production activities which would contribute more towards profits than that contributed through integration. 2. The core management time gets more involved in managing diverse structure of the organization as a result of integration. Such time could otherwise be devoted to core activities of management and contribute to organizational profits. 3. It is argued that production capacities, as a result of vertical integration, may become so large that customer demand might fall short and hence, economies of sc ale might not be fully utilised. Also, a lot of production time might get wasted in meeting a definite customer demand, thereby reducing scope for optimum utilisation as well. This becomes a major disadvantage because as a result of vertical integration, fixed costs sharply become so high that in times of slumps in demand, a fall in production might lead to a greater rise in per unit fixed costs rather than variable costs. Such a scenario makes realisation of breakeven point near difficult. Question 1b It is suggested that vertical integration decreases costs, but when it is viewed from the organizational point of view, vertical integration leads to higher cost in terms of managing different new organizational departments and also, backwards integration tends to reduce efficiencies of suppliers by eliminating competition, thereby increasing costs. When a firm decides over vertical integration, it invests significantly in terms of investments in the organizational process. These inve stments arise out of forward and backward integration and are done on acquiring firms. Such costs are capital expenses. Huge expenses made during integration reduce a firm’s capability to stretch production capacity at least for some period of time. In an unpredictable market environment, such inflexibility can be quite serious and might lead to loss of market share altogether. During the process of integration, a firm invests in high cost machines which are necessary to carry out production activities of the acquired firm. In the slump demand scenario, the machine might not be utilised to the fullest or utilised at all. However, the acquiring firm has made expenses for the machine and the costs of which shall get added to per unit produce. Variable costs, on the other hand, are incurred per unit of good produced and can be reduced during slack in demand. Additionally, such costs cannot be shared with the consumer owing to competition. Hence, we see how vertical integration c ontributes to higher fixed costs and lower variable costs. In such a scenario, a firm can explore alternatives to vertical integration for eliminating the disadvantages associated with the integration process. Only after due consideration of the competitive environment, efficient scale of production of the prospective firm to be acquired and its alignment with the company’

Quantitative and Qualitative Designs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quantitative and Qualitative Designs - Essay Example Achievement of meaningful conclusions after a research requires to use appropriate statistical parameters to achieve the desired objective. In the report, appropriate statistical descriptions are used which include things such as mean age, sex ratio, height, and weight. Further sophisticated parameters for increased precision are used which include Jacobs Pediatric Anger Scale (PANGS scale), sphygmomanometer, and Jacobs Pediatric Anxiety Scale (PANX) were used to collect data. Furthermore, the report gives a brief description of the tests involved and the means of recording the unique methods such as PANX. The report does not indicate the presence of an analysis system that allows for the determination of errors. In particular research, errors are most likely to occur in different stages such as the choice of sample and collection of data. The report clearly indicates that the anxiety and anger test were carried out once which gives a wide margin of error in the final results. Therefore, it is crucial for researchers and analysts to determine possible errors during the research and, therefore, have a corrective measure before presenting the final result. Use of tables is imperative in such a scenario where juxtaposition is involved. The researchers went to an extent of establishing a statistical correlation between sex, anger, and anxiety. The findings show that there is a weak correlation between sex, anger, and anxiety as it is recorded between boys and girls. Although minor, it is crucial to determine such a relationship as it may have a significant impact on the final result and conclusions. Choice of method of data analysis enormously depends on the method and type of the data collected. Collection of data through the internet by asking a general question that is answered by an explanation or a description requires a sophisticated system of analysis.

MBA Strategic Analysis and Choice Research Paper

MBA Strategic Analysis and Choice - Research Paper Example This study is initiated to investigate and analyse Tesco strategic resources, environment, choices and action while defining the company's reaction should it discover that a competitor is competing on the basis of the BCG growth Matrix. The study first of all scans the market environment, then using Porters Five forces framework, Porters generic strategy, the SWOT matrix and the core competences and capabilities of Hamel and Prahalad, the study analysis Tesco in order to identify those invisible taken for granted assumptions, capabilities and resources that competitors have found difficult to emulate. The study made three important findings. Firstly, Tesco unlike the competitors is focused on cost leadership, generic focus and product differentiation. This has become part of the company's culture. To the company lower cost does not mean lower quality. Secondly, as a company's reaction to a competitor using the BCG growth matrix, the company's management emphasizes on its core values, lay emphasis on product differentiation and lower cost; that is using the cash cows and stars to reduce the company's question marks. Also, it has been argued in this paper that, the company should enter into exclusive long term relationship with suppliers, co-branding with celebrity, artist and designers to create a unique product. It should be so, because taking a lead of innovation might mean innovation in branding, innovation in product variation and innovation in other formats. Introduction Today, business environment has become more turbulent, chaotic and challenging than ever before. In the present phase of events, to survive it is vital that a firm does something better than its competitors (Wonglimpiyarat 2004). Globalisation has not only altered the nature and the intensity of competition but has dictated and shaped organisations in terms of what consumers want, how and when they want it and what they are prepared to pay for it (Hagan 1996). In the context of today's global competition, businesses and firms no-longer compete as individual companies but try to corporate with other businesses in their activities (Wu & Chien 2007). These researchers further argue that, this strategy is now quite common in many businesses including the retail chain stores. In the retail chain stores, the conventional vertical integrated company based business model is gradually being replaced by collaborative relationship between many fragmented, but complementary and specialized value stars and constellation (Wu & Chien 2007). Having said this, the remaining parts of the paper will be structured as follow. The next section provides an introduction to the company under case study. There after, the purpose of the study will be defined. Using certain analytical techniques,

Reading commentary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Reading commentary - Essay Example I find his questions on the part that he addresses the issue of â€Å"Holiness† of the church particularly interesting. He asks how a church that has been implicated in many atrocities over the years be declared â€Å"Holy†. He gives example of the church’s support for the torture, slavery, and persecution of Galileo and Giordano Bruno2. To me this is extremely interesting given that during the introductory part of the chapter he uses the story of Saul to explain a view. The story of Saul from the Acts 9:4 that he quotes shows a man who was prosecuting GODs people, but in the end GOD chose and purified him. After Saul getting to know that prosecuting and punishing Christians, he was acting against the will of GOD; he changes and proclaims the Word. Therefore, that quote can be used by Robert Barron to answer his questions about the involvement of the church in the example of persecutions that he gives, instead he chooses not

Individual privacy vs. National Security Research Paper

Individual privacy vs. National Security - Research Paper Example These efforts by the government were aimed at enhancing national security. The mode or tactics applied by the federal government to ensure national security has raised question from the public concerning the cost the public needs to pay for a secure nation. Civil liberties are personal freedoms and guarantees that are beyond the control and regulation of the federal government. With the current anti terrorism trend, the government has been forced to draw a boundary between civil liberties and war on terrorism. The federal government should promote civil liberties and democracy despite the current security concerns. This analyzes the importance of maintaining personal privacy without compromising national security and war against terrorism. The US patriot act was introduced after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. According to our research findings, the Act was introduced to unite American and prevent any future acts of terrorism (Sunstein, 2003). The Act was therefore meant to prevent terrorism by punishing terrorists across the United States and around the world. Fighting terrorism is a good thing however; the American government seems to have taken the fight to an extreme end. This is because the war on terrorists ended up on people’s doorstep making them to become victims of the war. Since the implementation of the Patriot Act, the First and Fourth Amendment were changed to heighten war on terror. This led to a compromise on people’s freedoms. Firstly, the first and Fourth amendment considered the national security as a priority. Since the implementation of the Patriot Act, the first and fourth amendments were changed to enhance national security. This implied that according to the act the authorities had the rights to vary and at sometimes compromise people’s freedom in their fight against terrorism. Personal privacy is a civil liberty; according to the constitution, the government has a duty to ensure that it protects human righ ts. The national Act was designed to fight terrorism, had little or no concern over individual privacy and civil liberties. Although fighting terrorism to ensure national security is, a good thing for the government it is costly and therefore the government needed to think otherwise. The cost that the government incurred in ensuring national stood out as an opportunity cost. The government needed to consider the opportunity cost that it suffered in ensuring national security at the expense of civil liberties. From the investigations, it was found out that the government incurred heavy costs through Loss of credibility and trust among its people. If the government considered these cost then it could have realized that enhancing civil liberties was beyond national security. Fighting terrorists is the responsibility of the government. I have no any problem with the efforts the government took to fight terrorists. Every American citizen believes that war against terrorist compromises pe ople’s democracy and should have been controlled. Democracy was established to enhance people’s freedom on their movement, speech, and personal privacy among other civil liberties. Personal privacy is a civil liberty and hence a symbol of democracy. From the investigation, it was established that the authorities had difficulties distinguishing terrorists from citizens.

Managing Information Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Managing Information Technology - Essay Example The decomposition process of a system comprises of sub systems that are most likely to form more sub systems. The process of breaking down system in to sub systems simplifies the complexity and thorough understanding of the processes. Moreover, subsystems are also trouble-free to generate, edit or alter. The hierarchical sub system is a procedure to split a system in to succeeding level of sub systems. Five goals are essential for hierarchical decomposition (Brown, DeHayes, Hoffer, Martin, & Perkins, 2009). The goals are (Brown, DeHayes, Hoffer, Martin, & Perkins, 2009): The complexity of the system must be understood at an in depth level. Examine or evaluate only the specific area or part of the system Each sub systems that are interrelated to a system or sub system must be designed and constructed at various times. The focus must be to express the attention of viewers All the components that are related to the system must be independent to operate. References Brown, C.V., DeHayes, D.W, Hoffer, J.A., Martin, W.E., Perkins, W.C. (2009). Managing information technology (6th ed.). Prentice Hall.

Children Stay at Home for Entertainment Essay Example for Free

Children Stay at Home for Entertainment Essay The twenty first century held many changes for our life . This changes are different and multifarious . as well as this covered all aspects of life. The most effect was on the children that changed their life completely different rather than previous generation . Those children become spend a large amount of time inside their homes , playing computer games and watching television , rather than playing games and sport outside . This phenomenon is disturbing many people, therefore they ask what are the benefits , and what are the drawbacks in this case. This essay will talk about these views. To begin with ,there are two reasons may be most advantages for the children spend a large of time inside their home. Firstly , It is clear that children who spend more time at home for entertainment will be more safe from those who spend time outside, which may causes for them risk of theft or assault. Secondly , Children sit at home a long time help them to avoid many bad practices such as smoking or drug. On the other hand , there are many drawbacks in this instance , firstly , children who spend bulk of time inside their home, that means they will disappear from the sun for a long time, it may result in they have deficiency in vitamin D , which the sunlight is natural source for it , kids tend to stay indoor more days and play on their computers instead enjoying the fresh air . This mean their vitamin D levels are worse then previous years (S.Peace 2010)[1]. Consequently it lead to some diseases such as rickets , which this practice blamed for increasing numbers of children suffer from it . As well as these figures dismayed some scientists as well according to professor T Cheetham from Newcastle university[2] . Secondly, stay a long time in front of screen lead to fitness that the most common diseases among children. In conclusion can the children of new century enjoying with a new technologies , but they should not ignore the healthy practice which protect them from diseases . In fact I think the generation of this century is more lucky than their ancestors ,particularly if I compared him with our generation.

Operations Management Of The Hotel Industry

Operations Management Of The Hotel Industry With the increasing sophistication of hotel guests and patrons, the continual improvement of hospitality services towards the attainment of unparalleled excellence in the business remains the only edge the hotel has to sustain its position if not attain the leadership in the industry. By adopting the ISO 9001:2008 framework, the acculturation of a learning organization into the consciousness of each employee of the hotel shall provide the impetus to strive and be better in providing service to hotel guests and patrons. A Quality Management System or QMS will govern the conduct of each of the hotels front liners. The QMS shall also provide the parameters for quality service while performance monitoring of each of the processes shall be through the process key performance indicators. Any flaw or parameter that fails to satisfy the accepted threshold of the performance indicator shall be subject to a root cause analysis to determine a corrective or preventive solution. The QMS requires regular review to ensure that the organization remains focus and faithful to its objective. The hotel employees performance shall be subject to evaluation by using the key performance indicators root cause analysis. For QMS, the hotel guests or patrons feedback, comment or opinion is accorded greater weight as it will not only change how the hotel will conduct its business but it will equally show how the hotel value their guests and patrons point of view with regard to the hotels operation. Contents Executive Summary 2 Contents 2 Introduction 4 METHODOLOGY 5 THE HOTEL 5 Design 6 Supply 7 Planning 7 Shop-floor control 8 The environment 8 Technology 8 The Hotels CUSTOMER SERVICE 9 CUSTOMER SERVICE Challenges 11 Summary 12 Bibliography 13 Introduction Revenue in a Hotel business shall anchor on two factors, namely: (1.) level of occupancy or guest traffic that includes patrons to its facilities, and (2.) Efficiency and Quality of its services (Cornell University, 2010). Thus, among other industries in the world, the Hospitality industry remains dependent on the market pulse and good business sense. Good business sense refers to the operation strategy and business strategy that would result to operation efficiency and quality service. The marriage of technology and human ingenuity are very much apparent in the hotel industry by deploying an Enterprise Resource Planning system. As applied to the hotel industry, it would ensure excellent customer experience from their reservation up to their next visit. The deployment of a Customer Relationship Management System would ensure that all issues are addressed and monitored and shall similarly ensure that the business is properly guided on how to become customer centric. However, technology will not work on its own as its success will be dependent on the employees who use the system and those who will execute the work instructions recommended by the system. A framework that will capitalize on the strength of the employee enabled by technology shall be the onus of this paper. The sole purpose of which is to ensure the customer focused operation of the hotel while practicing processes that feed on continual improvements to manage the bottom line. Using these strategies, Leadership in the industry and profitability should not be far behind. METHODOLOGY The valuable discussions in Operation Management have been the inspiration by this writer to seek out more knowledge in pursuit of excellence. Thus, it led to the discovery that the concepts presented herein have been in existence for some time, and various authors not only wrote extensively on the subjects but they have exhaustively been part of its continual improvement so to speak. Capitalizing from the experiences of these management gurus and the erudite deliberation in Operations Management this author therefore recommend a more comprehensive examination of the Hotels Customer Service. Using the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System framework, this author shall discuss the merits and wisdom of its implementation in this paper in support of the Hotels operation and primordial goal. It is ideal to implement the quality management system in all the processes of the Hotel to ensure that there will be no gap that can dissuade if not prevent the Hotel from being the center for customer service excellence. The ISO 9000 Quality Management System have previously been regarded as applicable only to the manufacturing industry since it normally refers to the quality in the creation of a product. However, in ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System the word product can alternately refer to as service  [1]  . The hospitality industry has long been recognized a service-oriented industry (Ramaswamy). Its main product is unlike any other industry since its product is the service provided by the hotel employees. The quality metrics of hospitality service is equal to the amount of satisfaction of each customer multiplied by the number of customer over a period of time. THE HOTEL The hotel is a five star hotel that is highly profitable and popular privately owned located in the center of an international city with a high level of tourist traffic, particularly international tourists. It boasts of a two hundred fifty suites, two dining rooms, one of which offers a standard menu and seats three hundred people while the other seats only a hundred but it offers discriminating a la carte choices for an upscale market. The hotel also has two cocktail bars; one that is publicly accessible from the streets while the other is for hotel guests only however both are open to guests and non-guests alike. The hotel is home to three kitchens, with the two serving the two dining rooms while the third serves the three function rooms rented for parties, weddings, conferences and other similar events. The function rooms seat fifty, two hundred and one thousand, respectively while each function room can have their own bars if required. The hotel similarly provides other facilities that would include a swimming pool, gym, sauna and a car park with one hundred and fifty private bays. The hotel employs both permanent full-time and part-time contract workers. Each area has its own supervisor, with qualified and experienced managers overseeing the supervisors for the respective departments. As indicated, not only does the hotel enjoy a modest profit from its operation, it boasts of a decent amount of guest and patron traffic from its hotel and facilities operation. Design Designing a particular type of service impacts the hotels customers to enrich their stay or their hospitality experience is a practical application of this concept as described by Slacks and Johnston in 2004. To illustrate: the design process in the formulation of a process that will provide returning guests with discounted rates if they return during the off-peak or lean days will ensure occupancy during the lean months and expand marketing exposure. Supply Raw materials used as ingredients to hotel food are sensitive to spoilage and contamination thus it is important to manage its handling from delivery, storage and inventory. The release of the goods from storage should be strictly enforced and implemented through proper tagging and warehousing strategy. To illustrate; Meat products can last for a certain period through refrigeration but must also consider volatility and seasonality to its supply. The system predicting the usage of the hotel base on its routine consumption and the scheduled events shall either place an order or forego an order automatically and later implement First-in-first-out in the warehouse with the use of the inventory tag. Planning Planning within the context of the hospitality industry often relates to Business Planning. Case in point, the hospitality business is sensitive to the time of the year particularly its occupancy. From July to August is normally the time when air travel is at its busiest due to the summer vacation in the United States and some countries. Hotels outside the United States that are vacation destinations of Americans are at its busiest. However, during the lean months, when occupancy is at its lowest, hotel managers and administrators creativity are normally put to test. To illustrate a viable business strategy during the lean months is to pre-sell the room through discount cards. The concept is to sell discount cards at a price of one or two nights stay that will be availed only during the lean months. Modest discounts may be availed by cardholders including the facilities or services offered by the Hotel. The card shall expire within one year from its issuance to give the hotel the opportunity to sell continuously the unoccupied hotel rooms during the lean months. Shop-floor control Shop floor strategies include Job and shift Scheduling, housekeeping, Process improvement and increasing process efficiency in the context of providing quality service. ISO 9001:2008 has closed the gap between a tangible product and service that both demand quality. According to the system, the best way to ensure quality service is to identify focus areas, then to provide measurable targets that are congruent with the focus areas goals. The environment Some hotels realize their impact to the environment of the local community and as part of their strict adherence to their corporate conscience social responsibility often adopts a sound environmental management system. Not only would this comply with the international initiatives regarding environmental concerns but in practice, this will also respond well to its corporate social responsibility initiatives. Technology The use of technology to lower the cost of operation through the automation of processes and increase the security at the hotel is a strategy that does not normally provide a tangible and visible result overnight. To illustrate: Supply Chain Management as envisioned is a technology driven strategy that will ensure that raw materials used as ingredients for food do not spoil or do not get contaminated. The strategy requires inventory immediate tagging in each delivery. By providing secure keys to every guest, a hotel management system would be able to adjust the room temperature and the Air Handling Unit load depending on the rooms that have activated keys. Using the secure keys inserted in its slot will enable the system to determine the additional load needed for the air conditioning requirement instead of the Air Handling Unit continuously operating even without any guest inside is a waste of energy. The Hotels CUSTOMER SERVICE The hotels customer does not start becoming a customer when he finally pays the initial down payment for a room or service, he does not start becoming a customer at the instant he shows up at the hotels premises or orders his first drink from the bar. A guest or patron starts becoming a customer as soon as he says the first word to any of the hotels staff, telemarketer or even parking attendant or valet (Borsenik Stutts, 1997). Ergo, all aspects of the hotels operation almost concern itself with customer service. Customer service is not merely providing the hotels service to the guests or patron, it is making sure that the customer is satisfied and fulfilled in the usage of the facilities including their encounter with the hotels staff (Michelli, 2008). Therefore, all processes that will affect the customer directly or indirectly are customer service providing processes. To illustrate the reservation clerk represents the hotel as its first liner when the customer called in to reserve a room or book the one of the services of the hotel. A pleasant conversation would result to immediate booking and a not so pleasant conversation is the loss of a potential client. The interaction with the valets or the parking attendants may be the second encounter of the hotel with its customer. The next would be the door person, the front desk, the concierge, the room boy, the hotel cleaners and then floor security for hotel guests. While for those partaking and enjoying the services of the Hotel would be entertained from the door person by the receptionist and then the floor manager or the facilities attendant. The guests would then be interfacing next with the waiters if they were at the bar or restaurant, the lifeguard for the swimming pool and fitness instructor for the gym and sauna. To illustrate the indirect service providers in the Hotel that ensures not only the satisfaction of the guests or patron they themselves are responsible for the behind the scene hospitality experience. These would include the kitchen staff that would include the chef and those responsible for preparing the food. The engineer that ensures the temperature of the pool and the gym is optimal or the safety engineer monitoring the safety levels at the sauna, the hallway and lobby temperature. The indirect service providers also include the cashiers that provide the correct change and charges, the security guards that ensures the safety of the guests and the surrounding. This also includes the janitorial staff that ensures the health of the guests by making the immediate surrounding garbage or dirt free. The processes that govern the operation and performance of the customer interaction of the services provided as described shall be the focus of the Quality Management System framework of ISO 9001:2008 (International Organization for Standardization, 2008). Aligning with the Vision, Mission, Values and Strategy of the Hotel the Quality Management System framework will allow the Hotel to define its own Quality Mission Statement that states the personality of the hotel. Each of the processes followed or implemented by the process owners as described above that interacts with the Hotels guests, patrons or customers, in general, shall be covered by the Quality Mission Statement. Juxtapose with the Quality Missions Statement aligned processes, Key Result Areas will be developed will remain the targets of the processes. The Key Result Areas should be customer centric and should work towards the attainment of the best hospitality experience of the guests or patrons as provisioned by the Hotel. In order to measure the success of the process owners in achieving their key result areas, metrics in the form of key performance indicators for each process are to be developed. To illustrate: The valet service is often neglected by most Hotels but its importance and the opportunity it presents to save the Hotels image from the customers bad experience from the services of the hotel is precious being the last process the customer has to go through before leaving the hotel. The possible key result area for the valet services could be the immediate return of the guests vehicle to him. The key performance indicators could be the amount of time it will take the valet to retrieve the car and return it to the owner. The idea would be the shorter the amount of time it takes to retrieve the car the more satisfied the customer would be. CUSTOMER SERVICE Challenges Cultural Sensitivities The primary challenge in any customer service is the differences in the personality or origins of the guests. Cultural sensitivities often create friction between the service provider and the customer. To illustrate: in the west shaking the head from side to side often means no, however in some culture particularly the Indian culture it means yes. Gender and Other Sensitivities At times, being chivalrous is being sexist while being helpful to people with disabilities is being offensive. A balance and clear criteria are should be studied depending on the area where the Hotel is located so as not to compromise quality service with sensitivities. Summary The hospitality industry has evolved from an industry that only provided board and lodging to transient travelers in the previous century to an actual destination that offers a myriad of services to weary travelers and to vacation and relaxation seekers. The Quality Management System as enabled by technology should provide the edge to the hotel in terms of managing its bottom line from the business perspective while also providing the framework in determining the best way to service its guests and patrons. The Quality Management System therefore will equally define the customer centric culture of the hotel geared towards providing the best, if not one of the best hotel experience to its guests. The continual improvement concept of the Quality Management System will engender excellence in the very fiber of the hotels staff. The key performance indicators shall provide the metrics to gauge the efficacy of the process including the performance of its employees. The root cause analysis as well as the development of the corrective and preventive solution is essential to the concept. One of the virtues of ISO 9001-2008 Quality Management System is that it would let the hotel develop its own Quality Management framework as derived from the hotels unique culture. The hotel shall not only reflect its personality but it shall be the driving force towards excellence in customer service. The commitment to customer service as driven by the Quality Management System shall therefore be personal not only for the organization, but also for the individual employees.

Life Of Raphael Sanzio :: essays research papers

During a time when Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci were the prime artists in Europe, a young man by the name of Raffaello Sanzio was starting to attract major attention with his artworks. The Italian high Renaissance was marked by paintings expressing human grandeur and very humanistic values. No one better portrayed the Italian high Renaissance then Raphael Sanzio, with his painting’s clarity and ease of composition, Raphael was easily one of the greatest painters of this period.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Born in an artistically influenced town in Italy called Urbino, Raffaello Sanzio was first taught by his father, Giovanni Santi, how to compose works of art at a very early age. At the age of fourteen, Raphael’s father realized his son’s potential and sent him to a very talented teacher by the name of Pietro Perugino. Pietro Perugino lived from 1478 to 1520, and had a strong influence on Raphael’s early artworks. Perugino was a Umbrian painter who loved to incorporate beautiful landscapes into his paintings. Raphael’s early works resembled Perugino’s so much that paintings such as the Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John, Saint Jerome, and Saint Mary Magdalene were thought to be Raphael’s until the church of San Gimingniano proved that they were in fact Perugino’s. "Raphael was only 14. It is undoubtedly a Perugino calmly emotional, and pious rather than passionate. Unlike the other great painters of this time, such as Michelangelo and Da Vinci, Raphael was born with a great understanding of art and required little instruction if any. Because of Raphael’s great understanding of the arts, he quickly surpassed his teacher and ventured out on his own to the great city of Florence in 1504.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the same time Raphael arrived in Florence, the other great painters of time, Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci were the popular painters of the city. Because of the competitive environment of Florence, Raphael adopted many new painting techniques such as shading, anatomy, and frozen action.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Michelangelo and Da Vinci’s styles influenced Raphael while he was in Florence. Raphael’s energetic paintings with softness and balance such as the "Small Cauper Madonna", were influenced directly from Michelangelo. While Raphael was in Florence, Duke Guidobaldo employed him to paint a painting for King Henry VII of England. In the painting "Saint George and the Dragon", Raphael portrays Saint George as a brave warrior fighting against a dragon right outside it’s lair. Life Of Raphael Sanzio :: essays research papers During a time when Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci were the prime artists in Europe, a young man by the name of Raffaello Sanzio was starting to attract major attention with his artworks. The Italian high Renaissance was marked by paintings expressing human grandeur and very humanistic values. No one better portrayed the Italian high Renaissance then Raphael Sanzio, with his painting’s clarity and ease of composition, Raphael was easily one of the greatest painters of this period.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Born in an artistically influenced town in Italy called Urbino, Raffaello Sanzio was first taught by his father, Giovanni Santi, how to compose works of art at a very early age. At the age of fourteen, Raphael’s father realized his son’s potential and sent him to a very talented teacher by the name of Pietro Perugino. Pietro Perugino lived from 1478 to 1520, and had a strong influence on Raphael’s early artworks. Perugino was a Umbrian painter who loved to incorporate beautiful landscapes into his paintings. Raphael’s early works resembled Perugino’s so much that paintings such as the Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John, Saint Jerome, and Saint Mary Magdalene were thought to be Raphael’s until the church of San Gimingniano proved that they were in fact Perugino’s. "Raphael was only 14. It is undoubtedly a Perugino calmly emotional, and pious rather than passionate. Unlike the other great painters of this time, such as Michelangelo and Da Vinci, Raphael was born with a great understanding of art and required little instruction if any. Because of Raphael’s great understanding of the arts, he quickly surpassed his teacher and ventured out on his own to the great city of Florence in 1504.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the same time Raphael arrived in Florence, the other great painters of time, Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci were the popular painters of the city. Because of the competitive environment of Florence, Raphael adopted many new painting techniques such as shading, anatomy, and frozen action.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Michelangelo and Da Vinci’s styles influenced Raphael while he was in Florence. Raphael’s energetic paintings with softness and balance such as the "Small Cauper Madonna", were influenced directly from Michelangelo. While Raphael was in Florence, Duke Guidobaldo employed him to paint a painting for King Henry VII of England. In the painting "Saint George and the Dragon", Raphael portrays Saint George as a brave warrior fighting against a dragon right outside it’s lair.

Louis Pojman’s Ethics: Discovering Right and Wrong Essays -- Utilitari

Utilitarianism is a theory which states that the purpose of morality is to achieve maximal goodness in a society. It is consequentialist rather than deontological in that the moral value of ethical decisions are to be judged in terms of their effects, rather than the intrinsic properties of the acts themselves. Those effects are deemed good which generate the most pleasure or happiness, or which minimize overall pain. There are two classical types of utilitarianism which will be under our consideration: act-utilitarianism and rule-utilitarianism. Two objections to utilitarianism will be examined, as well as Louis Pojman’s responses to those objections in Ethics: Discovering Right and Wrong. It will be shown that Pojman presents an adequate defense of utilitarianism, and that utilitarianism succeeds as a worthwhile moral theory. Act-Utilitarianism is the thesis that â€Å"an act is right if and only if it results in as much good as any available alternative† (Pojman 110). One conspicuous problem with the thesis is that it suggests that correct moral actions will often clash with our intuitions about basic moral norms. For example, Pojman refers to Richard Brandt’s criticism in which he points out that the act-utilitarian seems to be committed to helping the needy above one’s own family, repaying debts only if there is no better use for the money, and ending the lives of those who are a drain on others (Pojman 110). Rule-Utilitarianism is a response to this objection and an attempt to formulate a more plausible conception of the theory. Pojman’s definition is: â€Å"An act is right if and only if it is required by a rule that is itself a member of a set of rules whose acceptance would lead to greater utility for society tha... ... more difficult objections can be countered in various ways. The â€Å"no-rest† objection isn’t defeating, since leisure can be incorporated into the moral rules. The justice objection has two responses: one of defeat, the other of integration. I have found the response of defeat (that justice can be overridden) to be unsatisfactory, since justice is an intrinsic good that is absolutely necessary for human flourishing. The conciliatory approach to the justice objection seeks to integrate justice into the higher level rules. I think that this is a credible utilitarian position. It captures the importance of justice in our moral reasoning and legitimates utilitarianism as a moral theory without sacrificing the principles of consequentialism nor utility. Works Cited: Pojman, Louis P. Ethics: Discovering Right and Wrong. 5th edition. Thomson Nelson. Toronto: 2005.

Billy Budd Essay example -- essays papers

Billy Budd Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor is evidently an extremely divisive text when one considers the amount of dissension and disagreement it has generated critically. The criticism has essentially focused around what could be called the dichotomy of acceptance vs. resistance. On the one hand we can read the story as accepting the slaughter of Billy Budd as the necessary ends of justice. We can read Vere’s condemnation as a necessary military action performed in the name of preserving the political order on board the Bellipotent. On the other hand, we can read the story ironically as a Melvillian doctrine of resistance. Supporters on this pole of the debate argue that Billy Budd’s execution is the greatest example of injustice. They argue that the execution is a testament of denunciation, deploring the shallow political order of a paranoid military regime. I do not wish to argue either side of this debate. I have pointed it out to illustrate that Billy Bud d, Sailor is a text about principles of right conduct, or at least this view is held by critics. Is Vere’s conduct right or wrong? This is the basic question at stake. In this sense it is a text about moral values and ethical conduct. However, considering that Billy Budd, Sailor is an ethical text, what I find most curious about it is the mysterious absence of the emotion guilt. Here we have a story about two murders. Billy obviously kills Claggart and Vere (Although it is indirect, ultimately the decision is his) kills Budd. Neither of these murderers shows the emotion of guilt in the form of remorse. For a narrative which tries so hard to situate the reader in an ethical and moral position of choosing interpretations, isn’t it somewhat ironic that the cha... ...g or resisting an ethical dilemma is perhaps a moot point. The ethical thrust of the story could possibly be to indict mans insatiable need to punish and requite injuries through erroneous means. As Nietzche seems to think, "we may unhesitatingly assert that it was precisely through punishment that the development of the feeling of guilt was most powerfully hindered." If we conceive of the text of Billy Budd, Sailor as situating the reader for an alignment with this viewpoint, then perhaps the reader "gags" at the death of Billy Budd not for the seemingly unfair and unjust killing of a sympathetic character, but instead for its illustration of a social system inherently disjointed at its foundation; one which doesn’t make sense considering human nature, but one which is so inextricably linked to society that it is doubtful that it could ever, or will ever, be changed. Billy Budd Essay example -- essays papers Billy Budd Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor is evidently an extremely divisive text when one considers the amount of dissension and disagreement it has generated critically. The criticism has essentially focused around what could be called the dichotomy of acceptance vs. resistance. On the one hand we can read the story as accepting the slaughter of Billy Budd as the necessary ends of justice. We can read Vere’s condemnation as a necessary military action performed in the name of preserving the political order on board the Bellipotent. On the other hand, we can read the story ironically as a Melvillian doctrine of resistance. Supporters on this pole of the debate argue that Billy Budd’s execution is the greatest example of injustice. They argue that the execution is a testament of denunciation, deploring the shallow political order of a paranoid military regime. I do not wish to argue either side of this debate. I have pointed it out to illustrate that Billy Bud d, Sailor is a text about principles of right conduct, or at least this view is held by critics. Is Vere’s conduct right or wrong? This is the basic question at stake. In this sense it is a text about moral values and ethical conduct. However, considering that Billy Budd, Sailor is an ethical text, what I find most curious about it is the mysterious absence of the emotion guilt. Here we have a story about two murders. Billy obviously kills Claggart and Vere (Although it is indirect, ultimately the decision is his) kills Budd. Neither of these murderers shows the emotion of guilt in the form of remorse. For a narrative which tries so hard to situate the reader in an ethical and moral position of choosing interpretations, isn’t it somewhat ironic that the cha... ...g or resisting an ethical dilemma is perhaps a moot point. The ethical thrust of the story could possibly be to indict mans insatiable need to punish and requite injuries through erroneous means. As Nietzche seems to think, "we may unhesitatingly assert that it was precisely through punishment that the development of the feeling of guilt was most powerfully hindered." If we conceive of the text of Billy Budd, Sailor as situating the reader for an alignment with this viewpoint, then perhaps the reader "gags" at the death of Billy Budd not for the seemingly unfair and unjust killing of a sympathetic character, but instead for its illustration of a social system inherently disjointed at its foundation; one which doesn’t make sense considering human nature, but one which is so inextricably linked to society that it is doubtful that it could ever, or will ever, be changed.

Soccer: the Game of My Life

General purpose: To inform Goal: In my speech I would like to talk to my audience about soccer, which is my hobby. Introduction I. I am sure each of you have a hobby or an activity, which is an escape from the everyday life. II. Such as hobbies or sport activities let’s you relief the stress, and give you the strength to live. III. I also have a hobby, which is soccer. I play soccer since I was a little boy, and it had a big influence on my life. IV. Today, I would like to tell you about how playing soccer shaped my physical and mental strength, allowed me to travel, and meet people and friends.Body I. To begin, let’s talk about health benefits I gained from playing soccer. A. I shaped my overall physical strength and health. 1. Years of playing soccer let me keep my body in good shape. Running, jumping, and stretching, had build up my flexibility, endurance, and physical strength. 2. Continuous training allowed me to stay healthy all the time. Beside occasional colds o r flu I never got sick. B. Pushing my body to hard work influenced my mental strength. 1.The desire to win the game and the endless forcing myself to work hard taught me to never give up, to â€Å"fight to the last whistle†. 2. Soccer allows me to escape from the everyday life. When I play soccer, I forget about all my worries and problems. During the game my stress is relived. Transition: Beside physical and mental health I also received many social benefits from soccer. II. I did travel a lot; I met many people, and made lots of friends. A. Many years of playing soccer allowed me visited many places. 1. Playing in regular season involved travel in a bus around the country.There was always time to stop to see important monuments, explore interesting places or cities. 2. To prepare for the season we often travel to other countries for several days. I have visited many cities in Russia, Ukraine, Slovakia, or Germany. 3. Now, when I am playing for Tarnovia Chicago, I do traveli ng as well. My team is participating in the soccer tournaments hosted in Wisconsin, Michigan, New Jersey, California, and Florida. B. While traveling with the team I met many new friends. 1. Traveling involves spending a lot of time with your teammates.Long bus and train rides, or living in the same room give plenty of time to play, talk, and get to know each other. 2. I also met many people on the field from the opponent teams. With some of those people we have set specific form of friendship, which only exists on the soccer field. We meet once a while at the game and we enjoy playing against each other. Conclusion Summing up my speech, soccer is a team sport, where the personal strengths, trust, and friendships between people are being formed. Those are the things I value the soccer for.

Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer's Disease does not kill instantly; it destroys the individual bit by bit, tearing away at their person-hood and self-identity. Most victims suffer for 9 to 15 years after onset of the illness. It is the most common type of dementia in the United States and Canada and after age 40, the risk of developing it doubles with aging every 5.1 years during adults' life. A form of dementia, the DSM-IV-R's (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) criteria for diagnosing dementia include: impairment in short- and long-term memory, at least one of the following: impairment in abstract thinking, impaired judgement, other disturbances of higher cortical functioning, personality change, significant interference with work, social activities, or relationships, in addition, symptoms do not occur exclusively during the course of delirium; and specific etiologic organic factor is evidenced or can be presumed. For an individual with this terrible disease, living with memory loss and its associated disabilities are very frightening. Alzheimer's includes behavioral characteristics that extend beyond its cognitive explanations. These behaviors require study because of the influence on both the patient and caregiver. Treatment often looks to drugs for relief of symptoms and to slow the course of progressive decline, rather than on assisting the individual with coping mechanisms. It has been termed a â€Å"family disease†, not only because of possible genetic relation between victims, but because family members provide 80 percent or more of the care giving. Chronic and progressive mental and physical deterioration decrease the victim's capacity for independence and increase the need for support from family members caring for the victim at home. The victim attempts to make sense of a seemingly new and hostile world, and this leads to dubious and uncharacteristic changes in behavior, personality, decision-making, function, and mood. Certain symptoms that are often associated with depression may be observed in patients who are cognitively impaired but not depressed. Professionals must be aware of all the symptoms the patient is experiencing, and reports from family members must also be taken into account. The patient usually reports fewer negative feelings or mood problems than are identified by caregivers. Patients often attempt to cover up their disease by modifying the behaviors of others, rather than identifying their own inevitable retrogression. Fears of the unknown, fears of abandonment, lowered frustration tolerance, and loss of impulse control may result in problematic behavior. Also, appropriate behavior may simply be forgotten, and faces of family members and friends unfamiliar. However, the victim of Alzheimer's often denies these symptoms. More obvious, even to themselves are the expression of emotions such as panic and deprivation. Experiences such as early retirement and anticipated changes in the responsibilities of daily life are never realized. The inability to drive a car is especially painful and frustrating for some. Self-esteem and sense of worth plummet. Individuals with Alzheimer's lose their capability to plan, postpone, wait, or predict the outcomes of their actions. Family members very often fail to attribute losses similar to those previously mentioned to a d isease. They tend to deny the existence of the disease. Family members may go through a period of denial in which they make excuses for the patient, attributing the problems they encounter to normal aging, stress, etc. Alzheimer's disease creates new demands on the family, who have to adopt numerous roles. The parent, once the primary caregiver to their children, is now like a child receiving care. Each family member defines the situation differently, but display common management behaviors that will be discussed further. Within these similar stages of management, reflection of individual attitudes is obvious due to unique interpretations of the stages. The spouse is usually the primary caregiver of the patient, but when unable to provide the care necessary, an adult child is the most likely candidate. These adult children fear that the disease terrorizing their family and destroying a loved one will be hereditary. Negative behavior changes that are undergone by the victim have major effects on the caregiver. Mental health and life satisfaction of the caregiver seem to decrease rapidly, but according to Lisa Gwyther (1994), the key to minimizing these effects is to strategically change responses by the human and physical environment. Changing the responses of the outside world, rather than attempting to change the responses of the individual with the disease helps to organize difficult changes. Experienced spouses and wise families learn to distract the patient rather than confront them on their shortcomings. They should learn to enrich the victims' pleasure in each moment, spurring preserved memories and skills to maintain the victims' positive feelings of competence, belonging, productivity, and self-esteem. Consistent reassurance and unconditional love are vital to peace and harmony within the family. The patient experiences degeneration of short-term memory, which often results in misplacement of objects and forgetting the names of familiar people. They have irrational or imaginary fears that make them suspicious of those closest to them, and they may accuse others of theft and/or infidelity. This is a source of increased frustration, confusion, distress, and irritability on the part of both the patient and the family. As a result, those involved may rely on alcohol and drugs to alleviate the stresses of coming to terms with the disease. Many families of victims either fail to seek, or do not receive a correct medical diagnosis. They tend to become over-involved and angry, stages necessary in the process of adjustment. The family members attempt to counterweigh the losses experienced by the patient, because the deterioration is beginning to become obvious. Their anger, not necessarily with the patient, stems from the burden, embarrassment, and frustrations caused by the patient's behavior. Burden is reported to be highest in this phase of mild dementia. When the spouse is the primary caregiver (in comparison with adult children or others), care is more complete, and less stress, conflict, and ambivalence are observed. Spouses tend to look for activities, or ways of interpreting the patients behavior, that allow for a continuing adult relationship, rather than a parent- child one, which may belittle the patient. Psychological stress results from conflict between resentment, anger, ambivalence, and guilt, self-blame, and the pain of watching a loved one deteriorate. Caregivers also report physical fatigue from providing care to their regressing loved one. Of all of these, the most difficult is performing the basic daily activities for the patient, and coping with upsetting behavior. Proactive approaches towards treatment of the disease involve the conscious decision that success is possible, both for the patient and family- unfortunately this is something that most afflicted individuals realize too late. In addition, the victims of Alzheimer's may or may not respond to certain types of intervention. A patient may react to one type of treatment one minute and not the next. Immediate, observable changes in patient and family behavior, function, and mood were noted when caregivers learned to separate the resolution of the problem from the intention of the patient. For example, rather than confronting a patient or assigning blame when an object is lost, the caregiver replaces the item the patient claimed â€Å"stolen†. In this way, unnecessary stress and tension are eliminated for both patient and caregiver. Each family member experiences a similar process of coming to terms with the changes. This process includes three stages: describing how the victim is the same, and/or different, prior to disease onset, rewriting the individuality of the victim, and redefining the relationship with the victim. During the first stage, family members look for behaviors that still represent the victims' â€Å"true† self, and those that the person with Alzheimer's no longer has. In the second stage, the disease and individual with the disease must be seen as two in one. Part of the struggle in this stage is to maintain the adult identity of the victim while managing their child-like needs. Still, in the third stage of the adapting process, major problems continue to present themselves. These may include: family and social disruptions, increased marital conflicts, and employment-related difficulties. Family members are usually not aware of one-another's viewpoints; they do not understand that they are not all seeing the victim the same way. Due to the fact that they are not all having the same type of relationship with the victim, paths towards the common goal of attaining highest level of function for the victim may be divided. As a result, the more effort individual family members put into achieving this goal, the more conflict is created. However, it individuals voice their different perspectives and encourage discussion, this may allow the family to function as a complete whole. Understanding between family members can be coupled with social support groups' ideas about the disease. A social network may be effective in protecting individuals with terminal diseases from some of the negative effects. An active organization, The Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association (ADRDA) established a network of individuals and families affected with dementia. The speed at which this network is growing is clear evidence of the need for more groups like it. Information sharing, encouragement, and provision of social support are among the top objectives of such groups. A committee at the St. Louis Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association developed Project Esteem to provide emotional intervention for people with Alzheimer's in the Forgetful phase. Its purpose is to provide opportunities to share thoughts and feelings with peers and professionals, and to have some fun. It came about as two separate groups, one being individuals with Alzheimer's and the other, caregivers. Reported feelings related to dementia from both groups include: anger, anxiety, stress, acceptance, and frustration. The number of individuals who report negative feelings greatly outweigh those of acceptance. At initial meetings, bonding is established through the sharing of early memory experiences. Gradually, comfort comes from knowing that the victims are not alone; there are others with the same limitations. The realization that the victims are ordinary people with a chronic illness, rather than an uncontrollable mental illness, is comforting. Overall, the most effective coping occurs when the individual recognizes their own mental change, realizes the diagnosis, and deals with the unexpected attitudes of others. Benefits of group support in this early stage of Alzheimer's are considerable. Individuals sharing similar situations gain insight and encouragement through verbal exchange; when real world suggestions were needed, and non- verbally; when words were simply not accessible. However, as word comprehension and creation becomes increasingly difficult, the individual enters a new stage of disease development. Short-term memory, orientation, and concentration are now severely impaired. Throughout this stage, remote memory, intellectual functioning, comprehension, and judgement decline steadily. Ability to care for one's self also declines, and sleep patterns are altered; this is a severe blow to the patient's independence and self-esteem. The patient then becomes suspicious and paranoid, even of those closest to them. Likelihood of involvement in accidents at home and abuse of medication increase. Behaviors may include night wandering, night shouting, and nocturnal micturition (night- time urination). Obviously, traditional family behaviors and interactive patterns realize drastic alteration. Family members begin to feel guilty for their impatience and intolerance of the patient, even though many of the demands of the patient are unrealistic and illogical. A major problem for those closest to the patient is readjusting expectations of the patient and themselves. Changes and problematic behavior become a source of stress during this phase, but overall limitation and conflict is reported to decrease, which may simply be the result of institutionalization of the victim. Use of drugs is found to be twice as high in care-givers as in community subjects, and care-givers often let their own health deteriorate. Particularly for the spouse's caregivers, social isolation becomes an issue of psychological well being. Lack of time, energy, and interest in social activities becomes prominent as the deterioration of the patient increases. In one study, spouses of patients exhibited higher levels of stress, in comparison to adult children caregivers; but husbands, in comparison to wives, report fewer burdens, and are more willing to admit the difficulty of the tasks at hand and seek out professional help. Adult male children are as likely as women are to assist their parents, but the men appeared to have the ability to distance themselves from the aging parent. This physical and emotional separation seemed to lower the amount of guilt felt by the men. Possibly because of these differing abilities to deal with the disease, there is often conflict between family members as to how to care for the victim. Two broad coping techniques of family members of Alzheimer victims are: (1) Distancing techniques and (2) Enmeshing techniques. Distancing techniques (as discussed earlier) involve establishing distance between the patient and caregiver both emotionally and physically. Enmeshing techniques involve the intensification of the relationship, and often the exclusion of others. This option is usually observed in cases where the spouse is the primary caregiver. Apparently, it is very difficult for spouses who use the Enmeshing technique to become involved in social support groups. Social support is a proven mediator and alleviator of family stress and patient dejection. Adult day care programs provide respite for family members, and allow the patient to interact with individuals with similar conditions. Generally, the patients see the support group as being most helpful in the areas of information sharing and peer support. This information and assistance may help determine the strength of the individual in last stages of the disease. This phase is the final stage of Alzheimer's disease. Mental deterioration is complete; many patients are completely unaware of, or unable to respond to their surroundings. The patients are totally dependent on others for all aspects of daily living. The patient will, most likely, not identify family and friends, and may not communicate at all. Paranoia, agitation, and combativeness increase significantly, if the patient is able to display these emotions at all. He/she eventually becomes extremely weak, incontinent, non-ambulatory and bedridden. It has been hypothesized that at least some of the premorbid changes in strength and weakness may be predicted from changes observed in the earlier stages. Descriptions by caregivers of premorbid personality traits of the victim are similar to symptoms of depression, hallucinations, and delusions. It is during this stage that most victims are admitted to an institution for professional care. Several behavioral problems such as aggression and wandering appear to increase as individuals are moved from the community to nursing homes. Acceptance of this disturbing disease comes very slowly to the family members. The disease's sly onset and the original appearance by the victim of retention of regular physical vigor make acceptance increasingly difficult. As the disease progresses further and further, the changes that occur for the victim become increasingly obvious and family members tend to define the situation more similarly than in previous, seemingly inconspicuous stages. The grieving process is lengthy, because the death of the person is long before the death of the physical body. Although the loved one is long gone, their shell lives on. At some point during this stage, the spouse must undergo the final challenge of marital evaluation. Because the patient does not recognize anyone, the spouse is totally alone, but not single. Obtaining a divorce often creates many difficult legal issues. Many caregivers need assistance coping with the guilt of â€Å"abandoning† their spouse when placing them in a nursing home. Thus, financial problems come into the picture. Paying for nursing home services is difficult, as all effort in previous years has been put into caring for the patient. Relatives of deceased victims can be compared to those whose family member is still living. Wives and husbands display similar feelings of burden, but the husbands report more social limitations. On the contrary, sons and daughters are different in their descriptions of burden. Sons report less social limitations than daughters do, and less affective limitation when the demented parents had died. The sons of the deceased elderly also report less conflict with others than the daughters do. The need for individual support for the caregiver and family of the deceased is important, especially at this stage of sorrow. There may also be a sense of relief and release, as the extensive suffering of a loved one has finally ended. The empty body, which once contained a loved one, can finally be put to rest. Help and support from the staff at institutions with dealing with the grief of the final loss of a loved one is valuable and most definitely appreciated. Alzheimer's Disease is a ceaseless debilitating disease without known cause or cure. Deterioration of mental and physical processes is inevitable, but varies between individuals- the cause for this variance has only been looked at hypothetically. It is a terrifying disease for the victim, who is constantly aware of the losses that are occurring, but can do nothing to prevent the disease from proceeding on its deadly course. Family members respond to the disease within certain guidelines, but the attitude towards the different stages differs for all involved. Social support systems have proven extremely effective for both the victim and caregiver in the Forgetful phase of the illness. From that point on, influence on patients decreases significantly, but personal gain for caregivers continues. There is an evident need for publicly funded support for Alzheimer's disease victims and their families. The obvious lack of information concerning the symptoms and results of the disease show the necessity for incorporation of education and support into intervention strategies for caregivers. Evaluation of a patient with possible dementia requires a complete medical history, neurologic evaluation, and physical examination. At the present time, no diagnostic tests for Alzheimer's are available in laboratories. It is simply a diagnosis based on elimination of other diseases. There is great need for a biological marker that would confirm the diagnosis of Alzheimer's in a living patient. Rapid progress has been made in identifying a potential genetic marker that could be used to diagnose the disease without autopsy, biopsy, or extended evaluations. Potential disadvantages of this approach would be the reluctance of both patients and physicians to have lumbar punctures done, and the potential overlap of normal patients and Alzheimer sufferers. These potential markers are a glimpse of light at the end of a dark tunnel. Metaphorically, Alzheimer's can be seen as a house that is constantly being eaten by termites, from the inside out. Although the house may look the same on the outside, the very foundation of the house, the part that makes it a home, deteriorates. Attempts to stop the decay are futile and, at best, temporary. Eventually, one will not feel comfortable at home, and will most likely leave the home- possibly for someone else to deal with. This relief is also temporary. The eating away of the house continues, until it eventually topples into an unrecognizable heap of what used to be a home. This feeling was best described by one individual in the middle stages of the disease: â€Å"†¦(J)ust a wild lost world. I'm here but I don't know where I am†. Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer's disease is one of most prevalent medical conditions that affect the older sector of society. More and more people continue to suffer from this disease, but at present, there is still no cure available. So what causes Alzheimer's disease? What are its effects, and are there any possible solutions for this condition? This essay would delve into the aforementioned details of Alzheimer's disease. Before the nature of Alzheimer's disease can be discussed, it is important to first define what dementia is.This is because Alzheimer's disease is identified as the most general cause behind the dementia not only in America but also throughout the world. Dementia refers to a syndrome which generally damages a person's daily functioning. This is because the memory is impaired, as well as other thinking capabilities, such as reasoning and thought organization. Even the capacity for language and sight is also affected. Due to the memory decline, simple activities become difficult and pa tients need assistance from others since they cannot take care of themselves anymore.Consequently, Alzheimer's disease is a medical condition which affects the brain; it is a disease that slowly develops, damaging one's memory and other mental processes. These include â€Å"reasoning, planning, language, and perception. † It is believed that the disease is caused by the overproduction or amassment of the protein called beta-amyloid; this protein is believed to result in the demise of nerve cells. The condition worsens as time goes by and can lead to death.The possibility of acquiring Alzheimer's disease increases as one ages, especially when one reaches the age of 70. Those who are beyond 85 years of age are most likely to be affected. However, it is important to point out that though memory loss is a normal part of aging, something as severe as Alzheimer's disease is not part of it. Alzheimer's disease was first discovered in 1906 by a German doctor named Alois Alzheimer; in 1910, the disease was officially named after him. Five years prior, Dr.Alzheimer had 51-year-old patient named Frau Auguste D. ; the symptoms of her condition include problems of speech, memory and understanding. She even began doubting her husband's loyalty for no reason at all. Her condition became worse and eventually, she died. When Dr. Alzheimer performed an autopsy, he found that the size of the brain had decreased. The most notable finding was that the cortex had significantly shrunk; the cortex is responsible for memory and speech, among other vital mental functions.When her brain was viewed in the microscope, Dr. Alzheimer discovered brain cells which are either dead or in the process of dying. There were also fat and other deposits found in the blood vessels and brain cells. The brain is composed of neurons, which are nerve cells. These neurons produce signals which are chemical and electrical in nature. The signals are transferred from one neuron to another, enabling the person to think and recall. The transmission between neurons is made possible by neurotransmitters.Those who suffer from Alzheimer's disease experience the demise of neurons; eventually, neurotransmitters are also affected, and the brain functions are completely interrupted. The autopsy that Dr. Alzheimer performed on Auguste D. revealed that the brain tissues were characterized by â€Å"clumps† and â€Å"knots† of brain cells. At present, the former is recognized as plaques, while the latter is now identified as tangles. Both are acknowledged markers of Alzheimer's disease. These two are also possible contributors in causing the brain disorder.On one hand, plaques are composed of the aforementioned beta-amyloid protein. There is still no determined reason for the death of neurons, but the said protein is believed to be responsible for it. There are three genetic mutations that are recognized as responsible for a small percentage of the early-onset type of the disease . These three are as follows: â€Å"amyloid precursor protein, presenilin 1 protein (PS1) and presenilin 2 (PS2). † The said mutations create plaques of amyloid. All three mutations are known to cause at least ten percent of all cases of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer's Disease does not kill instantly; it destroys the individual bit by bit, tearing away at their person-hood and self-identity. Most victims suffer for 9 to 15 years after onset of the illness. It is the most common type of dementia in the United States and Canada and after age 40, the risk of developing it doubles with aging every 5.1 years during adults' life. A form of dementia, the DSM-IV-R's (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) criteria for diagnosing dementia include: impairment in short- and long-term memory, at least one of the following: impairment in abstract thinking, impaired judgement, other disturbances of higher cortical functioning, personality change, significant interference with work, social activities, or relationships, in addition, symptoms do not occur exclusively during the course of delirium; and specific etiologic organic factor is evidenced or can be presumed. For an individual with this terrible disease, living with memory loss and its associated disabilities are very frightening. Alzheimer's includes behavioral characteristics that extend beyond its cognitive explanations. These behaviors require study because of the influence on both the patient and caregiver. Treatment often looks to drugs for relief of symptoms and to slow the course of progressive decline, rather than on assisting the individual with coping mechanisms. It has been termed a â€Å"family disease†, not only because of possible genetic relation between victims, but because family members provide 80 percent or more of the care giving. Chronic and progressive mental and physical deterioration decrease the victim's capacity for independence and increase the need for support from family members caring for the victim at home. The victim attempts to make sense of a seemingly new and hostile world, and this leads to dubious and uncharacteristic changes in behavior, personality, decision-making, function, and mood. Certain symptoms that are often associated with depression may be observed in patients who are cognitively impaired but not depressed. Professionals must be aware of all the symptoms the patient is experiencing, and reports from family members must also be taken into account. The patient usually reports fewer negative feelings or mood problems than are identified by caregivers. Patients often attempt to cover up their disease by modifying the behaviors of others, rather than identifying their own inevitable retrogression. Fears of the unknown, fears of abandonment, lowered frustration tolerance, and loss of impulse control may result in problematic behavior. Also, appropriate behavior may simply be forgotten, and faces of family members and friends unfamiliar. However, the victim of Alzheimer's often denies these symptoms. More obvious, even to themselves are the expression of emotions such as panic and deprivation. Experiences such as early retirement and anticipated changes in the responsibilities of daily life are never realized. The inability to drive a car is especially painful and frustrating for some. Self-esteem and sense of worth plummet. Individuals with Alzheimer's lose their capability to plan, postpone, wait, or predict the outcomes of their actions. Family members very often fail to attribute losses similar to those previously mentioned to a d isease. They tend to deny the existence of the disease. Family members may go through a period of denial in which they make excuses for the patient, attributing the problems they encounter to normal aging, stress, etc. Alzheimer's disease creates new demands on the family, who have to adopt numerous roles. The parent, once the primary caregiver to their children, is now like a child receiving care. Each family member defines the situation differently, but display common management behaviors that will be discussed further. Within these similar stages of management, reflection of individual attitudes is obvious due to unique interpretations of the stages. The spouse is usually the primary caregiver of the patient, but when unable to provide the care necessary, an adult child is the most likely candidate. These adult children fear that the disease terrorizing their family and destroying a loved one will be hereditary. Negative behavior changes that are undergone by the victim have major effects on the caregiver. Mental health and life satisfaction of the caregiver seem to decrease rapidly, but according to Lisa Gwyther (1994), the key to minimizing these effects is to strategically change responses by the human and physical environment. Changing the responses of the outside world, rather than attempting to change the responses of the individual with the disease helps to organize difficult changes. Experienced spouses and wise families learn to distract the patient rather than confront them on their shortcomings. They should learn to enrich the victims' pleasure in each moment, spurring preserved memories and skills to maintain the victims' positive feelings of competence, belonging, productivity, and self-esteem. Consistent reassurance and unconditional love are vital to peace and harmony within the family. The patient experiences degeneration of short-term memory, which often results in misplacement of objects and forgetting the names of familiar people. They have irrational or imaginary fears that make them suspicious of those closest to them, and they may accuse others of theft and/or infidelity. This is a source of increased frustration, confusion, distress, and irritability on the part of both the patient and the family. As a result, those involved may rely on alcohol and drugs to alleviate the stresses of coming to terms with the disease. Many families of victims either fail to seek, or do not receive a correct medical diagnosis. They tend to become over-involved and angry, stages necessary in the process of adjustment. The family members attempt to counterweigh the losses experienced by the patient, because the deterioration is beginning to become obvious. Their anger, not necessarily with the patient, stems from the burden, embarrassment, and frustrations caused by the patient's behavior. Burden is reported to be highest in this phase of mild dementia. When the spouse is the primary caregiver (in comparison with adult children or others), care is more complete, and less stress, conflict, and ambivalence are observed. Spouses tend to look for activities, or ways of interpreting the patients behavior, that allow for a continuing adult relationship, rather than a parent- child one, which may belittle the patient. Psychological stress results from conflict between resentment, anger, ambivalence, and guilt, self-blame, and the pain of watching a loved one deteriorate. Caregivers also report physical fatigue from providing care to their regressing loved one. Of all of these, the most difficult is performing the basic daily activities for the patient, and coping with upsetting behavior. Proactive approaches towards treatment of the disease involve the conscious decision that success is possible, both for the patient and family- unfortunately this is something that most afflicted individuals realize too late. In addition, the victims of Alzheimer's may or may not respond to certain types of intervention. A patient may react to one type of treatment one minute and not the next. Immediate, observable changes in patient and family behavior, function, and mood were noted when caregivers learned to separate the resolution of the problem from the intention of the patient. For example, rather than confronting a patient or assigning blame when an object is lost, the caregiver replaces the item the patient claimed â€Å"stolen†. In this way, unnecessary stress and tension are eliminated for both patient and caregiver. Each family member experiences a similar process of coming to terms with the changes. This process includes three stages: describing how the victim is the same, and/or different, prior to disease onset, rewriting the individuality of the victim, and redefining the relationship with the victim. During the first stage, family members look for behaviors that still represent the victims' â€Å"true† self, and those that the person with Alzheimer's no longer has. In the second stage, the disease and individual with the disease must be seen as two in one. Part of the struggle in this stage is to maintain the adult identity of the victim while managing their child-like needs. Still, in the third stage of the adapting process, major problems continue to present themselves. These may include: family and social disruptions, increased marital conflicts, and employment-related difficulties. Family members are usually not aware of one-another's viewpoints; they do not understand that they are not all seeing the victim the same way. Due to the fact that they are not all having the same type of relationship with the victim, paths towards the common goal of attaining highest level of function for the victim may be divided. As a result, the more effort individual family members put into achieving this goal, the more conflict is created. However, it individuals voice their different perspectives and encourage discussion, this may allow the family to function as a complete whole. Understanding between family members can be coupled with social support groups' ideas about the disease. A social network may be effective in protecting individuals with terminal diseases from some of the negative effects. An active organization, The Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association (ADRDA) established a network of individuals and families affected with dementia. The speed at which this network is growing is clear evidence of the need for more groups like it. Information sharing, encouragement, and provision of social support are among the top objectives of such groups. A committee at the St. Louis Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association developed Project Esteem to provide emotional intervention for people with Alzheimer's in the Forgetful phase. Its purpose is to provide opportunities to share thoughts and feelings with peers and professionals, and to have some fun. It came about as two separate groups, one being individuals with Alzheimer's and the other, caregivers. Reported feelings related to dementia from both groups include: anger, anxiety, stress, acceptance, and frustration. The number of individuals who report negative feelings greatly outweigh those of acceptance. At initial meetings, bonding is established through the sharing of early memory experiences. Gradually, comfort comes from knowing that the victims are not alone; there are others with the same limitations. The realization that the victims are ordinary people with a chronic illness, rather than an uncontrollable mental illness, is comforting. Overall, the most effective coping occurs when the individual recognizes their own mental change, realizes the diagnosis, and deals with the unexpected attitudes of others. Benefits of group support in this early stage of Alzheimer's are considerable. Individuals sharing similar situations gain insight and encouragement through verbal exchange; when real world suggestions were needed, and non- verbally; when words were simply not accessible. However, as word comprehension and creation becomes increasingly difficult, the individual enters a new stage of disease development. Short-term memory, orientation, and concentration are now severely impaired. Throughout this stage, remote memory, intellectual functioning, comprehension, and judgement decline steadily. Ability to care for one's self also declines, and sleep patterns are altered; this is a severe blow to the patient's independence and self-esteem. The patient then becomes suspicious and paranoid, even of those closest to them. Likelihood of involvement in accidents at home and abuse of medication increase. Behaviors may include night wandering, night shouting, and nocturnal micturition (night- time urination). Obviously, traditional family behaviors and interactive patterns realize drastic alteration. Family members begin to feel guilty for their impatience and intolerance of the patient, even though many of the demands of the patient are unrealistic and illogical. A major problem for those closest to the patient is readjusting expectations of the patient and themselves. Changes and problematic behavior become a source of stress during this phase, but overall limitation and conflict is reported to decrease, which may simply be the result of institutionalization of the victim. Use of drugs is found to be twice as high in care-givers as in community subjects, and care-givers often let their own health deteriorate. Particularly for the spouse's caregivers, social isolation becomes an issue of psychological well being. Lack of time, energy, and interest in social activities becomes prominent as the deterioration of the patient increases. In one study, spouses of patients exhibited higher levels of stress, in comparison to adult children caregivers; but husbands, in comparison to wives, report fewer burdens, and are more willing to admit the difficulty of the tasks at hand and seek out professional help. Adult male children are as likely as women are to assist their parents, but the men appeared to have the ability to distance themselves from the aging parent. This physical and emotional separation seemed to lower the amount of guilt felt by the men. Possibly because of these differing abilities to deal with the disease, there is often conflict between family members as to how to care for the victim. Two broad coping techniques of family members of Alzheimer victims are: (1) Distancing techniques and (2) Enmeshing techniques. Distancing techniques (as discussed earlier) involve establishing distance between the patient and caregiver both emotionally and physically. Enmeshing techniques involve the intensification of the relationship, and often the exclusion of others. This option is usually observed in cases where the spouse is the primary caregiver. Apparently, it is very difficult for spouses who use the Enmeshing technique to become involved in social support groups. Social support is a proven mediator and alleviator of family stress and patient dejection. Adult day care programs provide respite for family members, and allow the patient to interact with individuals with similar conditions. Generally, the patients see the support group as being most helpful in the areas of information sharing and peer support. This information and assistance may help determine the strength of the individual in last stages of the disease. This phase is the final stage of Alzheimer's disease. Mental deterioration is complete; many patients are completely unaware of, or unable to respond to their surroundings. The patients are totally dependent on others for all aspects of daily living. The patient will, most likely, not identify family and friends, and may not communicate at all. Paranoia, agitation, and combativeness increase significantly, if the patient is able to display these emotions at all. He/she eventually becomes extremely weak, incontinent, non-ambulatory and bedridden. It has been hypothesized that at least some of the premorbid changes in strength and weakness may be predicted from changes observed in the earlier stages. Descriptions by caregivers of premorbid personality traits of the victim are similar to symptoms of depression, hallucinations, and delusions. It is during this stage that most victims are admitted to an institution for professional care. Several behavioral problems such as aggression and wandering appear to increase as individuals are moved from the community to nursing homes. Acceptance of this disturbing disease comes very slowly to the family members. The disease's sly onset and the original appearance by the victim of retention of regular physical vigor make acceptance increasingly difficult. As the disease progresses further and further, the changes that occur for the victim become increasingly obvious and family members tend to define the situation more similarly than in previous, seemingly inconspicuous stages. The grieving process is lengthy, because the death of the person is long before the death of the physical body. Although the loved one is long gone, their shell lives on. At some point during this stage, the spouse must undergo the final challenge of marital evaluation. Because the patient does not recognize anyone, the spouse is totally alone, but not single. Obtaining a divorce often creates many difficult legal issues. Many caregivers need assistance coping with the guilt of â€Å"abandoning† their spouse when placing them in a nursing home. Thus, financial problems come into the picture. Paying for nursing home services is difficult, as all effort in previous years has been put into caring for the patient. Relatives of deceased victims can be compared to those whose family member is still living. Wives and husbands display similar feelings of burden, but the husbands report more social limitations. On the contrary, sons and daughters are different in their descriptions of burden. Sons report less social limitations than daughters do, and less affective limitation when the demented parents had died. The sons of the deceased elderly also report less conflict with others than the daughters do. The need for individual support for the caregiver and family of the deceased is important, especially at this stage of sorrow. There may also be a sense of relief and release, as the extensive suffering of a loved one has finally ended. The empty body, which once contained a loved one, can finally be put to rest. Help and support from the staff at institutions with dealing with the grief of the final loss of a loved one is valuable and most definitely appreciated. Alzheimer's Disease is a ceaseless debilitating disease without known cause or cure. Deterioration of mental and physical processes is inevitable, but varies between individuals- the cause for this variance has only been looked at hypothetically. It is a terrifying disease for the victim, who is constantly aware of the losses that are occurring, but can do nothing to prevent the disease from proceeding on its deadly course. Family members respond to the disease within certain guidelines, but the attitude towards the different stages differs for all involved. Social support systems have proven extremely effective for both the victim and caregiver in the Forgetful phase of the illness. From that point on, influence on patients decreases significantly, but personal gain for caregivers continues. There is an evident need for publicly funded support for Alzheimer's disease victims and their families. The obvious lack of information concerning the symptoms and results of the disease show the necessity for incorporation of education and support into intervention strategies for caregivers. Evaluation of a patient with possible dementia requires a complete medical history, neurologic evaluation, and physical examination. At the present time, no diagnostic tests for Alzheimer's are available in laboratories. It is simply a diagnosis based on elimination of other diseases. There is great need for a biological marker that would confirm the diagnosis of Alzheimer's in a living patient. Rapid progress has been made in identifying a potential genetic marker that could be used to diagnose the disease without autopsy, biopsy, or extended evaluations. Potential disadvantages of this approach would be the reluctance of both patients and physicians to have lumbar punctures done, and the potential overlap of normal patients and Alzheimer sufferers. These potential markers are a glimpse of light at the end of a dark tunnel. Metaphorically, Alzheimer's can be seen as a house that is constantly being eaten by termites, from the inside out. Although the house may look the same on the outside, the very foundation of the house, the part that makes it a home, deteriorates. Attempts to stop the decay are futile and, at best, temporary. Eventually, one will not feel comfortable at home, and will most likely leave the home- possibly for someone else to deal with. This relief is also temporary. The eating away of the house continues, until it eventually topples into an unrecognizable heap of what used to be a home. This feeling was best described by one individual in the middle stages of the disease: â€Å"†¦(J)ust a wild lost world. I'm here but I don't know where I am†.