Evidence based in nursing Essay Example for Free

Evidence based in nursing Essay Evidence based in nursing Introduction Literature search            The topic I searched on was management of brain injuries. The main purpose of this research was to ascertain what literature stated on how to monitor and treat a patient to curb post traumatic seizures, which are brought about due to limitation of amount of oxygen that goes to the brain. This causes excessive release of excitory neurotransmitters, thereby increasing the brain’s metabolic needs, that raises pressure within the intercranial space. Unfiltered Evidence            The unfiltered article that I came across had important information in it. It had three authors namely; James W. Y. Chen, Robert L. Ruff and Roland Eavey. It had 21 references in it, â€Å"Post traumatic epilepsy and treatment.† I found it in the Wiley online library database. It clearly defined the whole post traumatic epilepsy symptoms, diagnosis and physiotherapy practices involved in treating it. This article was very useful as it gave a clear highlight on how to go about the nursing process of post-traumatic seizures. However, this did not show the research and advances that have been made in diagnosing and treatment of the condition. Filtered Evidence            Filtering of articles was critically hectic and cumbersome. I discovered informative articles on post traumatic seizures diagnosis, treatment and care. However, most of them were obsolete and did not show clear progress in current research and health advances towards dealing with brain injury associated epilepsy. I succeeded in getting present day ideas when I used the online Harvey/ John Hay Whitney medical library tool. I got 20 results from the search. Despite most of them being outdated, I managed to find a relevant one which was talking about the advances and treatment administered to the epileptic patients. It had a broad variety of the whole process and it had a lot of information. The article I found was in synopsis form (Fulton, John F. and Ralph W. Gerard, 2014). Critically Appraised Topics            When I used the AHRQ database I collected 173 searches on head injury post traumatic seizures. It was very wide thus difficult to obtain the information required. It was comprised of all other neural based injuries like the spines making it difficult to come up with a clear article on post traumatic epilepsy. The nearest article that I came across was on â€Å"Nerve and Brain Conditions.† Systematic Reviews            It was the most effective tool that I used and its results were very easy to internalize. I found an article in the Pubmed database that showed the way forward in dealing with head injury traumas in a comprehensive context and I liked it a lot. I dealt with the symptoms, diagnosis and medications, and therapeutics used in dealing with the post trauma epilepsy. (Dalmady Zasler, 2014) Useful Tip            In order for one to have a complete literature research, the most sufficient way to go about it as I learnt from this assignment, is by using more than one database when searching for a specific topic. Another way is that, with the higher you go the more broad the evidence you get in a distinct hierarchical order. References Dalmady-Israel, C., Zasler, N. (n.d.). Post-traumatic seizures: A critical review. Brain Injury, 263-273. Retrieved December 9, 2014.Tsao, J. (2012). Traumatic brain injury a clinicians guide to diagnosis, management, and rehabilitation. New York: Springer. Source document

Declaration of Independence Essay Example for Free

Declaration of Independence Essay Thomas Jefferson effectively uses anaphora and asyndeton to declare the separation of the British Colonies from British rule in the Declaration of Independence. The use of â€Å"We† in the Declaration of Independence represents the concrete will of the American People to take action in an effort to remedy the many grievances of the colonies against the British Crown. Thomas Jefferson incorporates the idea that the colonies were united in their cause: Independence from the British monarchy. The constant repetition of the anaphora becomes more and more serious until Jefferson declares, â€Å"We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and Hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind. † His emphasis on the fact that this document represents the will of the people to take actions immediately against King George III for denouncing their separation reinforces the colonies’ aspiration for their own independent country in the strongest way possible. As a united country, the United States is bound to have its own policy and way of government. Jefferson implies â€Å"that as Free and Independent states, they have full power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce† like any other independent state. The asyndeton stresses the contrasting ideas between a monarchial country and a democratic country; it helps to build the colonies as an ideal society in the eyes of the reader in an attempt to garner support from both the many intellectuals and politicians in Europe and the entirety of the population of the colonies. The goal was to obtain military and monetary support from abroad and loyalty at home by appealing to the readers’ sense of unity. The Declaration of Independence, a list of many grievances for independence, criticizes the British King’s imbalanced rule and policy over the American Colonies. Thomas Jefferson uses passion and logic devices to depict King George III as a corrupt leader among American Leaders and supporters. Jefferson states that the king â€Å"has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. † When Jefferson gets to this section of the declaration he lists out the many grievances of the colonials. However, he does not make a simple list. Instead, he uses repetition and extreme specificity to describe every crime committed. This not only makes the list seem longer, but also depict the King as a beast bullying his feeble victim. The over exaggeration of this line is essentially propaganda against the King, creating a common hatred of King George III among all the American people. The Declaration of Independence also logically discusses the King’s crime in the American Colonies. The King â€Å"has kept†¦standing armies without the consent of† it’s â€Å"legislatures† and â€Å"for Quartering large bodies of armed troops among† them. These logical accusations present the king as a common enemy among the American people and abroad. Jefferson appeals to both a reader’s logic and passion in vilifying King George III and fanning the flames of rebellion. He gives specific examples of the King’s crimes, while phrasing them in an extremely emotionally charged manner. A passionate idea forms when reading the declaration of independence, and it serves as the catalyst of an all out war for American Independence is the ignition of a all out war for America’s Independence.

Explain the Various Elements of the Marketing Process

Explain the Various Elements of the Marketing Process Introduction This paper explains the strategic marketing planning process illustrating the discussion with examples from the low cost airline, Easyjet. The paper proceeds in five parts. In the next section of the paper, the concept of market segmentation is described and discussed. Next, the concept is located in the overall positioning, segmentation, targeting (PST) organisational strategy. Porters’ Generic Strategy is then outlined, as a supplementary paradigm to market segmentation. The concept of the marketing mix is discussed and applied to the case study company. A brief conclusion closes the paper. Before examining the marketing process, however, it is necessary to provide an overview of the case study company. Easyjet is an airline company that has been operating in the United Kingdom since 1995 (Easyjet, 2014). Like many other low-cost carriers, the company initially modeled itself on the business model of a successful American carrier, Southwestern Airlines (Yip, 2004). That airline had experienced unprecedented success by cultivating and exploiting a low cost operating model – Easyjet sought to implement this model in the European context, launching a flight between London and Amsterdam that was half the cost of the fare at the time offered by national carrier British Airways (Sull, 1999). In the years that followed, Easyjet rapidly expanded its route network to include hubs in some of the major British cities: Glasgow, Manchester and Liverpool, and routes to popular European destinations including Rome, Brussels, Milan, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Oslo and Stockholm. Today, Easyjet is â€Å"Europe’s leading airline†, specialising in short haul, point-to-point flights between Great Britain and Europe (Easyjet, 2014, online). The carrier operates some 600 routes serving 30 countries, and had firm plans to expand its network further afield in the future. Marketing as a concept Marketing can be thought of as a strategic philosophy which holds that assessing and meeting the needs of customers is a complex and multifaceted activity, so that organisations are required to take a holistic, customer-focused approach to all of their business activities (Svensson, 2001). In practice, marketing involves collecting, recording and analysing data about customers, and using this data to establish a strategy for meeting their needs. The marketing process covers a myriad of business activities that enable companies to meet the needs of consumers. Three key activities form the backbone of the marketing process. In the first instance, the customer base is segmented on the basis of demographic or other characteristics. Secondly, apositioning, segmentation, targeting (PST) strategy is developed in order to target goods and services to the correct market segments. Thirdly, a marketing mix is developed. Considered together these three elements form the basis of the firm’s overall marketing strategy (Kotler and Keller, 2006). Market segmentation Populations, and hence markets are potentially large and heterogeneous (Dibb, 1998). Marketers would find it impractical to target every member of such a diverse grouping, and thus market segmentation is a key activity in the marketing process (Kotler and Keller, 2006). Market heterogeneity can be defined as â€Å"the extent to which groupings of customers based on operational descriptor variables respond differentially to the choices of both offerings and the way they are marketed† (Wensley, 1995, p. 78). So, market segmentation refers to the activity in which this large heterogeneous market is segmented or divided into smaller, more homogeneous groupings of individuals with similar demographic characteristics or similar needs (Kotler and Keller, 2006). Segmentation recognises that it is neither practical nor profitable to attempt to satisfy the needs of a large heterogeneous population; ultimately, its aim is to identify the business’ most profitable customers, to understand them, and to target them. Each portion of the market is known as a market segment. Segments can be identified on the basis of consumer characteristics (e.g. socio-economics such as wealth or social class, demographics such as gender or geographical location), psychographics (that is, interest, attitudes or opinions), product-related behavioural characteristics such as purchasing or consumption habits, or, in the case of business to business (B2B) marketing, business characteristics such as business size, location or level or turnover (Wedel and Kamakura, 2000). Easyjet uses two consumer characteristics to segment its market: level of wealth, and hence, the degree to which customers are price conscious, and purpose of travel (i.e. leisure or business) (Sull, 1999). The way in which this is evident is through the pricing strategy of the company, which is discussed in greater detail below. For now, it is important to note that Easyjet’s business model differs from conventional carriers who typically drive sales towards the more lucrative business class passengers, filling the remainder of their seats with low-paying leisure passengers. In contrast, Easyjet, â€Å"does not serve the business consumer first and use the tourists as a buffer in case it has some excess capacity, but rather restricts the demand of both segments (by raising the appropriate prices) so as to equate capacity to expected demand† (Koenigsberg, Muller, and Vilcassim, 2004, pp. 16-17). In other words, the company recognises two distinct customer segments but uses similar market capture strategies for both. Segmenting, Positioning and Targeting the market Identifying the target market does not end with segmentation: after segmentation has been undertaken, organisations must target the market, and position themselves. This is known as the segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP) process (Sausen, Tomczak, and Herrmann, 2005) Targeting refers to the way in which marketing efforts are aimed at the segment while positioning refers to the â€Å"designing of the company’s image so that the target customers understand and appreciate what the company stands for in relation to its competitors† (Hooley and Saunders, 1993, p. 8). Two broad strategies can be identified. Functional positioning refers to positioning on the basis of product characteristics (e.g. price or quality), while expressive positioning refers to positioning on the basis of consumer characteristics (Johar and Sirgy, 1989). Easyjet, established in 1995, entered the air travel industry specifically to address the needs of low income passengers, as exemplified by the emphasis placed on the prices of its fares (Sull, 1999; Dobruszkes, 2009). Accordingly, the segmentation strategy used by the company was essentially an income-based, or price-conscious strategy: it met the needs of individuals wishing to travel throughout Europe that were not willing, or able to pay the airfares charged by full service airlines. However, more recently, the carrier has begun to be used by business passengers (Lu, 2009). For instance, from March 2013 to March 2014, the airline transported 12 million business passengers (almost fifty percent of its fleet’s seat capacity was taken up by business passengers), representing a growth in this market by 8.5 per cent over the previous year (The Guardian, 2014). This development has been attributed to the introduction of allocated seating. Previously, Easyjet, like many other Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) was able to keep airfares low because passengers were not able to select their seats prior to travel. However, the company abandoned this policy in November 2012, with the firm’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Carolyn McCall, remarking that â€Å"I think allocated seating has been the single most popular thing we have ever done for our passengers’ (cited in The Telegraph, online). The introduction of allocated seating is tantamount to a market repositioning and has enabled the airline to capture a greater share of the business passenger market. Repositioning is a normal part of the marketing process, for as Baines, Fill and Page (2012, p. 131) have noted â€Å"most marketers need to be alert and be prepared to reposition their brands as the relative position occupied by brands, in the minds of customers, will be challenged and shifted around on a frequent basis†. Detractors have argued that the STP process is inadequate at fully explaining business’ repositioning activities because it does not take into account the positioning strategies of competitors. To combat this, strategist Michael Porter (cited in Kotler and Keller, 2006) developed his generic strategies framework. This concept identified three positioning strategies available to firms: cost leadership, differentiation and focus. Under acost leadership strategy, the organisation seeks to offer its product or service at the lowest costs relative to competitors. Under the differentiation strategy, the firm seeks to differentiate itself from its competitors on the basis of product features such as quality. The third approach, the focus strategy, describes a stratified approach to positioning. Organisations using the focus strategy target concentrated or niche markets by seeking to understand the unique needs of that segment and tailoring well-specified products to them. It is generally argued that organisations that do not adopt a strategy are unsuccessful (Kotler and Keller, 2006). Easyjet has been vastly successful in relation to its competitors since its inception. In 2014, it became the largest British airline, in terms of passenger volumes, outstripping those of the national carrier, British Airways (Euromonitor, 2014). In Europe, in terms of market share, the company is second only to its Irish competitor, Ryanair. The fact that the company is competing on two fronts (with similar, low cost-carriers and conventional full-service carriers) suggests that it is pursuing a differentiation strategy. Easyjet has differentiated itself from low-cost carriers by introducing aspects which are typically absent from the services provided by those airlines (allocated seating is a good example), but it is differentiated from full-service airlines through, for example, its pricing strategy. The marketing mix An essential element of any company’s marketing strategy is the marketing mix (Brassington and Pettitt, 2009). This concept was developed to explain the factors influencing the demand for a product. Typically, the marketing mix is operationalised in terms of the ‘4 Ps’ Product, Place, Price and Promotion. Product In services marketing, product refers to all aspects of the services offered by the organisation including the level of the quality of the service, any guarantees or warranties, product lines or packaging (Kotler and Keller, 2006). Easyjet aspires to offer its business and leisure passengers safe and simple flights to a myriad of European destinations (Easyjet, 2014). To meet these aspirations, the company operates a large, modern fleet comprised of 220 Airbus A320 and A319 (ADS Advance, 2014). Despite media claims, the airline is one of the safest and most punctual airlines in Europe, and has invested significant amounts of cash in boosting the quality of its product. For instance, the company is investing in drone and robots that will be used to carry out safety checks on the aircraft, and the airline is working towards the provision of ‘paperless planes’ which it says will improve efficiency (ADS Advance, 2014). Flexibility is a major feature of the airline’s product. While full service airlines adhere to a business model that discriminates between airfares with different levels of flexibility (for example, non-refundable tickets and fully refundable tickets), Easyjet does not differentiate between tickets in this way (Nair, Paulose, Palacios, and Tafur, 2013). Furthermore, it is conventional in the industry for one-way tickets to cost passengers more than round-trip tickets. Carriers prefer passengers to make return flights because selling tickets in this way builds convenience into their flight scheduling processes. Passengers who purchase one-way flights make it difficult for carriers to set schedules and make staffing decisions (Nair et al, 2013). Easyjet utilises a different business model, which makes it more straightforward for customers to understand the product offering and enables it to build flexibility into its scheduling systems. Place Place refers to the distribution strategy of a company (Brassington and Pettitt, 2010). Easyjet aims to make travel on its fleet as widely available as possible, highlighted by its presence in almost every Western European country (Easyjet, 2014). The company is particularly proud of the extensiveness of its network, with its marketing materials claiming that â€Å"over 300 million people [reside] within a one hour drive of an easyJet airport† (Easyjet, 2014, online). Not only is the airline the leading carrier in Europe, it also holds strong positions in several major markets, including Edinburgh, Venice, Nice, and Naples, where it is the largest carrier, and Lisbon, Lyon and London Stansted, where it is the second largest carrier (Easyjet, 2014). However, the companys stated efforts to capture a growing share of the business passenger market share might be hindered by its choice of airports. Despite the firm’s claims that it serves ‘convenient’ locations, in many cases, the airline serves not the primary airport in a city, but smaller, supplementary airports that are typically in out-of-the-way locations. For instance, most Easyjet flights to Paris land at the city’s Orly airport, rather than the more popular Charles de Gaulle. Serving smaller airports is a key characteristic of the LCC business model, for larger airports tend to carry greater landing fees (O’Connell and Williams, 2005). Place also refers to the outlets through which customers can purchase the product or service. When it was first established Easyjet first offered passengers the opportunity to purchase flights only through its own website, via its telephone booking system and at the airports from which it operates (Euromonitor, 2013; 2014). The purpose of this model was to build the brand, and to keep costs low. Over time, however, the company has extended its distribution model to include third party intermediaries like lastminute.com and travelsupermarket.com. This enables customers to be creative in building their journeys (for example, booking an outward flight with one carrier and a return flight with another), and has allowed the airline to boost its market share, because the growth of specialist search engines means that travellers need only visit one website when they are searching for flights (Euromonitor, 2014). Promotion The telephone booking system that the company used to drive sales at its inception is also slowly being phased out, moving the company every further towards to an Internet-only business model (Euromonitor, 2014). When the company was first established, it relied on its web facilities, fleet and personnel branding (a trademark orange) and word-of-mouth to drive sales. It took the company 17 years of trading before it invested in a directed marketing campaign (Marketing Magazine, 2012). The company even featured in a London Weekend Television documentary, or ‘docusoap’ which, contrary to the fears of some analysts, turned out to be an enormously successful promotional exercise. As noted by Kilborn (2006, p. 201) â€Å"while Easyjet knew that there were certain risks involved in opening themselves up in this way, these were seen to be more than offset by the perceived opportunities for keeping the Easyjet brand name in front of the consumer. In the estimation of the company’s PR advisors, even those incidents of delays and other problems associated with air travel, could be turned to the companys advantage. The fact that Easyjet staff would be seen to be so actively involved in smoothing out problems and assisting in making alternative travel arrangements was regarded as a useful exercise in company public relations† In addition, the company has recently adopted a more aggressive marketing and branding strategy. In October 2011, the airline invested some  £50 million into its marketing strategy, recruiting an external advertising agency to establish a strong European-wide promotional campaign (Marketing Magazine, 2012). Although the resulting campaigns ‘Europe by Easyjet’ and ‘Where Are Young Going?; were panned by critics, analysts attributed a massive boost in the firm’s revenues per seat and passenger numbers to this aggressive promotional strategy (Marketing Magazine, 2012). Price There can be no doubt that the pricing strategy of the airline is the cornerstone of its business model. Although the company has shifted some of its focus to other elements of the marketing mix in recent years, the low prices offered by the company are probably its best-known feature among consumers. As the companys Chief Executive, Carolyn McCall remarked in a 2012 interview with Marketing Magazine (2012, online). â€Å"Well never move away from price – it is the cornerstone of what we do. But now we communicate destination and service†. This focus on low price and low costs is tantamount to what strategist Michael Porter (1985) termed a cost leadership position. It is interesting that analysts have argued that such a position is untenable in the long run. For example, the CEO of US airliner Skytrax Edward Plaisted has argued that low-cost airline models rarely guarantee success – he pointed to the fact that half of new carriers go bust because they cannot maintain the low cost strategy (Kah, 2012). Porter (1985) did argue that for such as position to be sustained, services must be perceived by customers to be good value for money. The empirical evidence does seem to suggest that Easyjet’s customers do believe that the carrier offers value for money, as highlighted by its improving punctuality record and growing passenger numbers (Euromonitor, 2014). The company has even outperformed competitors following a similar business model: for instance, the British low cost airline Flybe has reported large annual losses since 2012 (Euromonitor, 2014). For this reason, the airline’s chief has argued that there is a lot of blue water between us and Ryanair, and very little between us and British Airways† (Marketing Magazine, 2012, online). The way in which the carrier has been able to consolidate its competitive advantage is by balancing its low price strategy with high peripheral prices (Euromonitor, 2014). For example, although passengers are able to find flights for as little as 9 euros, there are additional charges for printing off boarding cards, checking in at the airport, selecting a seat and taking hold luggage. Clearly, the growth in passenger numbers and the growth in the airline itself means that customers do view, even the high prices of peripherals as value for money. It must therefore be concluded that Easyjet’s cost leadership strategy is a fruitful one. Conclusion This report has outlined the marketing process, using the low cost airline Easyjet as a case study. The case study shows that the company has embraced the idea of marketing as a holistic, organisation-wide philosophy, and its recent successes can be attributed – at least partly – to well thought out segmentation and PST techniques, and an appropriate marketing mix. References ADS Advance (2014). Easyjet applies innovative tech to improve efficiency. Online at http://www.adsadvance.co.uk/easyjet-applies-innovative-tech-to-improve-efficiency.html . Date accessed: 17 October 2014 Baines, P., Fill, C. and Page, K. (2012). Essentials of Marketing. Oxford: Oxford University Press Brassington,F. and Pettitt, S. (2000) Principles of Marketing. London: Prentice Hall Dobruszkes, F. (2009). New Europe, new low-cost air services. Journal of Transport Geography, 17(6), 423-432. Dibb, S. (1998). Market segmentation strategies for success. Marketing Intelligence and Planning. 16(7), pp. 394-406. Easyjet (2014). About us. Online at http://corporate.easyjet.com/about-easyjet.aspx?sc_lang=en_$ja=tsid:31245|cat:101248RefID=EJH_AFFWINcallwinid=101248awc=3550_1413547041_0c47faefc4e3a8d5b7f288863c6c2a29 . Date accessed: 17 October 2014 Euromonitor (2014). Low-cost carriers: Exploring new territories. London: Euromonitor Euromonitor (2013). Easyjet Airline Co. Ltd in Travel and Tourism. London: Euromonitor Hooley, G. J., Saunders, J. A. (1993). Competitive positioning: The key to market success. Hemel Hempstead, England: Prentice Hall. Johar, J. S., Sirgy, M. J. (1989). Positioning models in marketing: toward a normative-integrated model. Journal of Business and Psychology, 3(4), 475-485. Kah, S. (2012). The Cost of Poor Quality. Retrieved from http://www.improvementandinnovation.com/features/article/the-cost-of-poor-quality-what-will-customers-give-up-in-exchange-for-low-costs/?isFeature=1 on 19 October 2014 Kilborn, R, (2006). A Marriage Made in Heaven or in Hell? Relations Between Documentary Filmmakers. In L’Etang, J. (ed). Public Relations: Critical Debates and Contemporary Practice. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum, 187-204 Koenigsberg, O., Muller, E., Vilcassim, N. J. (2004). Easyjet Airlines: Small, lean and with prices that increase over time. Mimeo. Centre for Marketing Working Paper 04-904. London Business School. Kotler, P. and K. L. Keller (2006). Marketing Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Lu, C. (2009). The implications of environmental costs on air passenger demand for different airline business models. Journal of Air Transport Management, 15(4), 158-165. Marketing Magazine (2012). Industry View: Is Easyjet’s Marketing Makeover Working? Online at http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/1131167/industry-view-easyjets-marketing-makeover-working . Date accessed: 16 October 2014 Nair, S., Paulose, H., Palacios, M., Tafur, J. (2013). Service orientation: effectuating business model innovation. The Service Industries Journal, 33(9-10), 958-975. O’Connell, J. F., Williams, G. (2005). Passengers’ perceptions of low cost airlines and full service carriers: A case study involving Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Air Asia and Malaysia Airlines. Journal of Air Transport Management, 11(4), 259-272. Porter, M E. (1985). Competitive Advantage. New York: The Free Press Sausen, K., Tomczak, T. and Herrmann, A. (2005). Development of taxonomy of strategic market segmentation: a framework for bridging the implementation gap between normative segmentation and business practice. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 13(3), 151-173. Sull, D. (1999). Easyjets $500 million gamble. European Management Journal, 17(1), 20-32. Svensson, G. (2001). Re-evaluating the marketing concept. European Business Review, 13(2), 95-101. The Guardian (2014). Easyjet business travel takes off with success of seat booking. Online at http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/may/13/easyjet-business-travel-allocated-seating . Date accessed: 16 October 2014 The Telegraph (2013). Easyjet boosted by business passengers. Online at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/10826571/easyJet-boosted-by-business-passengers.html. Date accessed: 16 October 2014 Wedel, M. and Kamakura, W. (2000). Market Segmentation: Conceptual and Methodological Foundations. Norwell: Kluwer Wensley (1995). A critical review of research in marketing. British Journal of Management, 6(1), 63-82. Yip, G. S. (2004). Using strategy to change your business model. Business Strategy Review, 15(2), 17-24.

The Effects of Politics on Fiscal Policy over the Last Seven Business Cycles :: Macroeconomics Research Paper

Abstract Being an election year, all you hear is the incoming presidential nominee bashing the policies of the current president. Of all of the administration policy, his economic stance, the health of the economy under his administration, and this fiscal policy are among the most prevalent. Does the possibility of losing an election affect how administration reacts to a recession? This paper shows that out of the last seven business cycles, during the last five, politics does not seem to be an issue when administrations consider what needs to be done to boost the economy. Though Kennedy and Nixon both tried to use fiscal policy to further their own position and ensure re-election, the administrations of late have understood that the economy is not a re-election tool and that what-ever need to be done to bring us out of a recession is necessary, even if it means they may risk not getting reelected. Reelection be Damned One might wonder how politics plays into fiscal policy. Does the possibility of not getting reelected affect the choices a president makes? No, in fact, the administrations of the last seven business cycles usually make fiscal policy decisions that prove to be political suicide, yet are best for the economy. Started with the farthest back, John F. Kennedy is an exception to this rule. In his campaign, he promised tax cuts, but by the time congress got around to it, the economy was obviously expanding. Seeing as this would be embarrassing to the administration, congress went ahead and approved the unnecessary tax cut. Richard Nixon, whose reelection was a non issue due to his resignation, also played the political game. Though his administration say that wage/price control would be ineffective at controlling inflation, they went ahead and implemented them with the goal of â€Å"gently tighten monetary and fiscal policy, which they thought would bring down inflation without a big incr ease in unemployment† (Hebert, 1984, 4). This proved to be detrimental anyway because wile people expected prices to stabilize, they failed to realize that this meant that the prices they charged would stop rising as well. Ronald Reagan took a huge leap of faith when his administration introduced supply-side economics. Although it didn’t work in the way that he wanted it to, it helped greatly to boost the economy. However, had it been a horrible flop, His administration would have been highly chastised for it.

Dreams and Dream Deffered by Langston Hughes :: essays research papers

â€Å"Dreams Deferred† and â€Å"Dreams† In the poems â€Å"Dreams Deferred† and â€Å"Dreams† by Langston Hughes the author talks about how important dreams are. The author uses many different types of figurative languages such as similes and metaphors and shows how they are alike and different in many ways. In the poem â€Å"Dreams† the author writes â€Å"Hold fast to your dreams/for if dreams die †(Hughes 1-2 poem 1). The theme of this poem is to try to achieve your dreams and not let them die . In the poem â€Å"Dream Deferred † also by Langston Hughes the author writes about the theme being how a person could basically not be sane without dreams and how important they are to a person. As the author writes â€Å"Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun† ( Hughes 2-3 poem 2). The author is referring how dreams die when not pursued and dry up like raisins when not used or reached. The author used figurative language in the form of metaphors in these two poems in the first poem â€Å"Dreams† . The author writes â€Å"For when dreams go/Life is like a barren field/ of frozen snow † (Hughes 6-8 poem 1) . Which he feels hopelessness and the author expresses hopelessness in the lines †For it dreams die / Life is a broken winged-bird / that cannot fly †(Hughes - poem 2). The author is trying to explain to the reader to not let go of your dreams which is basically the whole poem is about your dreams and how important and I don’t think that Langston Hughes could stress that anymore than he already has. As the author writes â€Å"Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?† Langston Hughes argues about how readers should never let our hopes, dreams, and aspirations.

Terry Tempest Williams Refuge Essay -- Refuge Terry Tempest Essays

Terry Tempest Williams' Refuge In Refuge, Terry Tempest Williams weaves together her experiences and relationships with family and nature, two major themes of Refuge, as well as two apparently important aspect of Williams’ life. The book is the story of the destruction of her family and the nature surrounding her, but it is these places that are being destroyed are the same places where Terry Tempest Williams finds comfort before, during and after cancer started to consume her life. I believe on the surface it is nature and family that provides her with comfort, but in actuality, it is something beneath the surface. As a young child, Williams was taught through the Mormon teachings to appreciate nature and family, finding God in both. It is through her Mormon faith that Williams is able to survive the pain, suffering and fear cancer causes her. Williams describes the deep-rooted connection between her Mormon faith and her family in the opening pages of Refuge. Through her family, Williams supported her mother and grandmother through their fatal cancers, while acknowledging that her Mormon faith stresses family and community (Williams 13), providing Williams, her mother and her grandmother with a support network through these difficult times. The National Cancer Institute articulates the importance of this support to a cancer patient, suggesting, â€Å"that having good information and support services can make it easier to cope,† adding, â€Å"friends and relatives can be very supportive,† and concluding with the usefulness of support groups (NCI website www.nci.nih.gov). In Refuge, Williams shows her support by sacrificing her own achievements, stating, â€Å"I have traded my position as curator of education for naturalist-in-resistanc... ...cember 2004): 1210-1214. Spiegel, David. â€Å"Spirituality and Cancer.† Integrating Research on Spirituality and Health and Well-being into Service Delivery Conference. Bethesda, Maryland. April 2005. Death is another beginning and What happens to families after death? 2005. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Site. April 12, 2005 www.mormon.org Spirituality in Cancer Care: Health Professional Version. March 22, 2005. National Cancer Institute Website. April 11, 2005 www.nci.nih.gov/cancertopics/pdq/supportivecare/spirituality/healtherprofessional.com Support for Women with Breast Cancer. October 30, 2003. National Cancer Institute Website. March 30, 2005. www.nci.nih.gov/cancertopic/wyntk/breast/page5 Expressing Emotions Helps Women with Breast Cancer. June 12, 2000. American Cancer Society Website. March 30, 2005. www.cancer.org

Being a Change Agent: Managing Social Change

We believe that the job of being a change agent should start with two kinds of question. First, is a structural question: How do you identify persons and subgroups that are the â€Å"strategic levers† of change in any particular public? This means identifying the opinion leaders and community influential who can influence others in the system to adopt change. Second, is a social-psychological or an interactional question: How do you change the behaviors or the minds of the people in question? The different strategies discussed earlier represent alternative ways of going about change agents can do to reduce resistance to change. What are some of these changes? On can reduce resistance to the adoption of a change by attempting to make the particular innovation (1) simple and easy to communicate, (2) divisible, and (3) maximally compatible with the status quo values and needs (Harper & Leicht). Is it possible that a change agent is for the good, not purely destructive change? In my mind, change is agent is to make people better. Which is something we should all strive for? In addition, cans someone starting being a change agent, can a person successful in being a change agent? In this paper you learn about what is a change agent and who can be a Change Agent, How to create change, The ethics of Inducing change, What makes a good change agent, Define change leaders on five levels of leadership skills, and Five most important competencies of change agents. In addition, I will imagine myself as a change agent trying to change my neighborhood or community for the better. What is a Change Agent? A change agent is a catalyst and when added to the mix, changes everything. It can be a process, an element, a thought, or a person. A social change agent is an individual working to bring about a more life-affirming society. This is a person whose presence or thought processes cause a change from the traditional way of handling or thinking about a problem. They know how to get people involved in solving their own problems. A change agent lives in the future, not the present. Regardless of what is going on today, a change agent has a vision of what could or should be and uses that as the governing sense of action. To a certain extent, a change agent is dissatisfied with what they see around them, in favor of a much better vision of the future. A change agent has a strong ability to self-motivate. A change agent is fueled by passion, and inspires passion in others. Moreover, at the end of the day, change is about people (Stevenson 2012). Who can be a Change Agent? A Persons with Innovative Ideas, Calculated Risk Takers, Person coming with different Industry or sector even from different department, That's why reshuffling is done within an organization, External consultants, Trackers who are tracking market ,competitors ,technology etc secretly, Persons ingrained with sharp business knowledge and skills, Team leader who are having a quality to integrate, People possessing qualities like need achievement, positive attitude, ethical behavior, One who think big and realistic, and Who knows more about your company policy and people. There is no cookbook for creating change. Why? As anyone who has attempted to cook a complex meal knows, exact specifications are always missing and recipes contain many vague instructions: â€Å"Add salt to taste†. How much is that? â€Å"Cook until vegetables are crisp, but do not over cook. † What does that mean? Like cooking, social change requires experience, making do with imperfect ingredients, and often mudding through. There are some issues that a change agents need to consider. Plans for social change involve a number of issues: The first task is to good plan is to define the goals of the desired change. Second task, is that a good plan needs to specify as precisely as possible the target or reference public: Who is to change? Third task is to have a good plan will identify situation or times when the target population is most receptive to change. Fourth task is to have a good plan will develop an inventory resource available. Fifth task is that a good plan should consider appropriate strategies (for example, facilitation, reeducation, persuasion, or power/coercion), how they might be combined, and how their contradictions might be addressed. Finally, a good plan should include mechanisms for the ongoing monitoring of change so that it can be modified, fine tuned, or abandoned (Harper & Leicht). There are various strategies along a continuum in term of the extent to which we believe that they involve ethical problems, as follows: facilitation, reeducation, persuasion, or power/coercion. In the terms of these criteria, facilitation and reeducation (to the extent that the latter can be honestly practiced) do respect the autonomy, rationality, and dignity of person who are the targets of change. Persuasion, in comparison, respects the voluntary choice to adopt change but may overwhelm the person with distorted (or false) information, withheld information, and non-rational appeals to emotion. Power and coercive strategies carry the greatest number of ethical problems because they deny voluntary adoption and rejection and maximally violate people's autonomy and dignity. There is a bottom line here. Granted that creating social change is often costly and demanding to. Granted that success, even partial success, is always uncertain as well. Granted that long-term systemic consequences may be well counter productive to one's original intent. Even so, should one refuse to make efforts to change things if the issues are important? The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s was long, costly, and difficult effort that only partly succeeded. Being aware of its high costs and limited successes, should its organizers have given up? We do not think so. The lives of millions of minority Americans that are better today for those efforts even thought the goal of complete racial justice remains elusive (Harper & Leicht). Due to the dynamics in the external environment, many organizations find themselves in nearly continuous change. The scope reaches from smaller change projects in particular sub business units up to corporation-wide transformation processes. Unfortunately, not every change process leads to the expected results. There are multiple reasons for potential failure: Typical barriers to change are unexpected changes in the external conditions, a lack of commitment in implementation, resistance of people involved, or a lack of resources. The implications of failed change projects go beyond missed objectives. More important is the negative symbolism and the de-motivation of people involved. People within the change team may become dissatisfied with their own performance or the lack of support they received. In the result, some of them will probably never again be willing to commit themselves to change initiatives. Similarly, people affected by the (failed) change effort will develop growing skepticism. They might perceive future change projects as â€Å"another fancy dea from management†, which brings a lot of work and few benefits. In the light of the many problems and risks associated with change projects, the change agent has a very important function. The change agent’s or change leader’s capabilities have a major impact on success or failure of the project, and on the extent of potential unwanted side effects. The following article describes required capabilities of good change agents. Readers should keep in mind, however, that there is no ‘ideal’ change agent. Particular requirements normally relate to the actual situation in the organization (e. . corporate culture, strategic relevance of the project, acceptance of the project among management and staff, timeframe, resources etc). Depending on these factors, either change agents may need good project management capabilities in order to guarantee timely progress, or they should be good leaders with the ability to motivate people (Recklies 2001). Jim Canterucci defines change leaders on five levels of leadership ski lls. Although he mainly focuses on leadership capabilities and qualifications, his system can easily be transferred to change projects with varying importance. The leader of an organization-wide restructuring project will need different capabilities than the one who is responsible for clearly defined project on departmental level. Levels of Change Leadership Skills, derived from Canterucci: is Level I is to Accepts the need for change, communicates and defends the need for change throughout the organization, creates an open and receptive environment. Small change initiatives with clear direction. Level II Defines and initiates change, identifies advantage points for change in processes and work habits. A change projects at local level. Level III is to leads change, translate the vision of the organization into the context of a specific change initiative and bring this message to the entire organization, redirects approaches in the face of new opportunities. A transformation of a central vision into change initiatives and organization-wide communication. Level IV is to manage complex change, understands the cultural dynamics of the current state of an organization, and creates a strategic practical course, balancing the current reality with the need for rapid adoption of the desired future reality. A generates change with a high degree of transformation. Level V is that champions makes change, challenges the status quo by comparing it to an ideal or a vision of change, causes crisis in order to support dramatic actions and change efforts, transforms the organization. An ability to revolutionize organizations (Canterucci 2008). Buchanan and Bobby have carried out a study on the perceived effectiveness of change agents. On that basis, they compiled the five most important competencies of change agents. These, too, are evidence for the importance of the soft factors. The five most important competencies of change agents are Objectives, Roles, Communication, Negotiation, Managing up. Each of these five most important competencies of change agents has descriptive of how to implement change. The first most important competencies of change agents are objectives. The descriptive of how to implement change of objectives are: Sensitivity to changes in key personnel, top management perceptions and market conditions, and to the way in which these impact the goals of the project. , Setting of clearly defined realistic goals, and Flexibility in responding to changes without the control of the project manager, perhaps requiring major shifts in project goals and management style. The second most important competencies of change agents are roles. The descriptive of how to implement change of roles are: Team-building abilities, to bring together key stakeholders and establish effective working groups, and to define and delegate respective responsibilities clearly, Networking skills in establishing and maintaining appropriate contacts within and outside the organization, and Tolerance of ambiguity, to be able to function comfortably, patiently and effectively in an uncertain environment. The third most important competencies of change agents are communication. The descriptive of how to implement change of communication are: Communication skills to transmit effectively to colleagues and subordinates the need for changes in the project goals and in individual tasks and responsibilities, Interpersonal skills, across the range, including selection, listening, collecting appropriate information, identifying the concerns of others, and managing meetings, Personal enthusiasm in expressing plans and ideas, and Stimulating motivation and commitment in others involved. The fourth important competencies of change agents are negotiation. The descriptive of how to implement change of negotiation are selling plans and ideas to others by creating a desirable and challenging vision of the future, and Negotiating with key players for resources, for changes in procedures, and to resolve conflict. The fifth important competencies of change agents are managing up. The descriptive of how to implement change of negotiation are political awareness in identifying potential coalitions, and in balancing conflicting goals and perceptions, Influencing skills, to gain commitment to project plans and ideas form potential skeptics and resisters, and to have Helicopter perspectives, to stand back from the immediate project and take a broader view of priorities. According to Rosabeth Moss Kanter mentions many emotional components among the most important characteristics of change agents. In addition to the factors described above, she stresses the need to question the knowledge of the organization. According to Moss Kanter, existing patterns of thinking and existing assumptions about the organization, its markets, customers, and relationships have to be challenged. Thus, change agents should realize that there is more than one right solution. The change agent has to be able to evaluate facts from different points of view, e. g. from the customer’s or competitor’s perspective. Furthermore, Moss Kanter stresses the importance of coalition building, which she describes as an often-ignored step in change processes. Change agents should identify and involve opinion leaders, decision makers on resources, functional experts and other important persons as early as possible in the project-planning phase. The importance of the factor motivation is well described with the phrases transferring ownership to a working team and making everyone a hero. In my opinion, Moss Kanter gives the most important preconditions for successful change management – the involvement of the people – with these two phrases. Members of the change team and other employees affected by the change initiative must not feel like as if they are just the tools for change or the subject of change. In my experience, it is not enough to have a convincing vision. Real commitment can only be gained by giving people the chance to become actively involved, to contribute their own experiences. Every employee needs to know that his contribution to the project is important and is valued. Thus, people will develop a sense of ownership for the project, which, in turn may serve as a major source of motivation when it comes to the inevitable problems and barriers. Kanter 1999) provides a great summary of the characteristics of good change agents when she writes that the most important things a leader can bring to a changing organization are passion, conviction, and confidence in others. Imagine myself as a change agent trying to change my neighborhood or community for the better. What are some issues that I would consider to change in my neighborhood or community? Assume that I have some, but not having unlimited resources and money to use. How would I go about it? What things would you consider in order to change that particular issue? As I sit here and imagine myself as a change agent, a few things come to my mind that I want to change in my neighborhood or community. I would consider changing in my neighborhood or community is they way we go about our health on a daily basis. Having limit to the resources and money it can consume. If that limit is a problem, then the project may really end up being a waste of time. With limited resource, I would go about it by make a plan to pull out of the project or at least good backup plans for handling failures. At worst, make sure to minimize any risks. Get more resources. Sometimes this is hard work, but it may pay off. Get help. Sometimes someone with more experience may know of resources or can spot misuse of resources in a project. Just be willing to accept criticism. Cut out any parts of the project those are unnecessary. However, one part of a project it be well liked, it may not be truly important. Plan, study, research, prepare. There is a saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Good preparation can eliminate the need for many resources (wikihow). With limited money, I would need to raise some extra capital; there are a number of different ways that I can raise money. The good thing about this strategy is that they cost little, if anything, to use. After all, the last thing you want is to spend a lot of money to raise the cash you need. How I would raise, money is to have an online auction. By cleaning out my closets and I can make some extra money at the same time by posting unwanted belongings on online auction sites. Pay a small listing fee when I post each item, then another commission based on the final selling price. To start me need a free online auction account as well as having a good digital camera for taking photographs. Then I can make even more money by offering to sell unwanted items on commission for family members, friends, and co-workers (ehow. com). I can bring in to friends that I would help my neighborhood and community on dieting and fitness tips. They will explain the ten essential elements of good health. If you take all of the actions listed below, you will be much healthier. Eat a Healthy Breakfast, Drink at Least 8 Glasses of Water, Take a Good Quality Multiple Vitamin/Mineral, Connect with Other People, express Your Emotions Appropriately, Eat Fruits and Vegetables, Spend at Least 30 Minutes Outdoors Active, Take Some Quiet Time for Yourself Keep Regular Sleep Hours, and Establish a Relationship with a Doctor You Can Trust (Bauer 2009). In conclusion, a change agent has a strong ability to self-motivate. There will be many days where everyone around does not understand and will not offer props. The change agent needs to find it within themselves to get up every day and come to work and risk being misunderstood and miss-appreciated, knowing that the real validation may be far in the future and may be claimed by someone else. A change agent must understand people. At the end of the day, change is about people. If you change everything but the people, I doubt you will be effective as a change agent. Change will really â€Å"stick† when people embrace it. Therefore, change is part sales, part counseling, and part encouragement. It is all about people, at the end of the day. Reference Bauer, Carl H: (2009); Ten Simple Things You Can Do to Get Healthy and Stay Healthy. http://www.somaacupuncture.com/healthy.html Buchanan D. & Bobby D. (1992);  The Expertise of the Change Agent: Public Performance and Backstage Activity  . Prentice Hall. Canterucci, Jim: (2008); are You a Change Leader?http://www.corpchange.com/Resources/Articles/Areyouachangeleaderarticle.asp Recklies, Dagmar: (2001); What Makes a Good Change Agent? http://www.themanager.org/Strategy/change_agent.htm#_ftnref2 Haper, Charles L. and Leicht, Kevin T. (2010); † Exploring Social Change: America and the World, 6nd ed.† Upper Saddle River, NJ; Prentice Hall. Moss, Rosabeth K. (1999):  The Enduring Skills of Change Leaders. In Leader to Leader; Nr. 13. Recklies, Dagmar: (2001); What Makes a Good Change Agent? http://www.themanager.org/Strategy/change_agent.htm#_ftnref2 　Stevenson, Dennis: (2012); What is a Change Agent? Http://www.thechangeagents.net/what-is-a-change-agent.html htt p://www.ehow.com/info_8026713_ways-money-quickly-limited-funds.htmlhttp:// http://www.wikihow.com/Work-With-Limited-Resources-on-a-Project